I made my own with 3/4” ply with added support of 1x2’s in each corner to hold a 125g plus a 30g sump. I posted the build thread here and I’ve had zero issues. I’d argue that I ended up with something that’s furniture quality but, it also took a long time with a solid amount of nail biting along the way. If I did it again I would consider using 4040 aluminum profile instead, and then cladding it with non structural materials.
A better alternative might be getting one second hand and refinishing it, most likely what I’d do next time.
Well also, to be fair... I can make no presumptions about
@anthony's skills since I don't know anything about him, but from the work I've seen from some of
your threads, I think I can comfortably assume you are quite experienced and capable with woodworking, and as I said above, the quality of the joinery and bracing here is really important.
Personally, as the son and grandson of a pair of master carpenters - both of whom were also master masons, and my father a civil engineer on top of that - I know
I don't have the skill (and, critically, the
experience) to want to just try to design and build that on my own: I'd want a set of plans, ideally with clear directions for the build and a detailed hardware list... UNLESS I were just planning to over-engineer the ever-living daylights out of it. I'd personally sacrifice that tiny amount of internal volume and the little extra money on materials to go up to something I
know will be level and rigid and more than up to the task of supporting the weight in question.
And at this point, yes, 2020 or 4040 (depending on tank size) is the much more reliably safe bet. Yes, aluminum is going to be more expensive than wood (especially with tariffs) but it will be vastly more durable and easier to assemble.
