Remember that most people will lean on a tank- intentionally or not and you should build for lateral as well as compressive strength. Anyone visiting you will go look at the tank, and any kids will definitely lean on it. My six year old is fascinated by my 75 gallon tank. He’s constantly climbing and leaning on it.Thank you! You've all definitely given me a lot to think about, I really appreciate all the advice. Using all plywood for the main structure is looking very tempting, with the strength of construction, if I go the route of the skill saw.
I am thinking 2x4s may be the way to go - I had read a passing comment on the aquarium forums that 1x's would be enough for such a small tank hence using them for the design, but I don't want to be worrying about strength.
I am getting very tempted by a skill saw, I hadn't realised quite how versatile they really are! I'm sure I could find plenty of future projects to use it for as well...
I do have a manual mitre saw with mitre box so that should help making square cuts on the dimensional lumber, I believe? The plywood sheeting would probably be the biggest challenge to cut with my hand tools. Thanks for the tip about leaving the plywood long and sanding down!
Thanks! The top heaviness is partly why I made the design not too tall, and longer than the tank, in hopes of having a wider base. I always think the little stands that fit tanks exactly look so precarious!
I'm not sure where the 230lb figure is coming from? My tank holds 14 gallons according to the manufacturer, which should be about 120lbs.
Everyone here has given really good advice IMHO. I’d only mention that in my smaller tanks (10-30 gallons) I always anchor the entire thing to the wall, somewhere near the top of the stand. I try and catch a couple of wall studs. I usually use a 3/4 board to space the tank away from the wall. Small tanks don’t have enough mass to be safe from tipping over.
Hope this helps. Good luck and post pics of your project!