Building aquarium stand with plywood and 1x

[anthony]

Looking for a video on how to build a aquarium stand out of 1x and plywood. Seem way too many videos which used 2x4 and 2x6s but I know that's not necessary. Looking to build it like the pros do with the 1x4s and 1x6s that support the plywood that holds the main weight.. anyone have any videos or places I can look to figure this out?

 

[siege]

I don't have any videos, but I would comment that if you're going to do this, you're playing it close with safety margins, especially if you're talking about a larger tank. Chances are decent the real pros have had an engineer involved and have crunched the numbers, and they may be using high-quality, graded materials (like cabinet- or marine-grade plywood or hardwood) to make the difference. For most DIY builds, 2x4 or 2x6 framing isn't just overkill — it's providing a healthy safety buffer for weight, water movement, and long-term load. If you go thinner, you'd need to be extremely confident in the joinery, bracing, and material quality. I haven't personally seen a good DIY guide or video that responsibly shows how to do this with only 1x material, and I’d be cautious trying it without solid plans or engineering backing.

 

[Mick]

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.

 

[siege]

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.

 

[Mick]

Actually aluminum is not that bad at the moment, it must be pre-tariff - Amazon has it- of course.

Thank you for the kind words on the carpentry, I’m really not that experienced at all. I went the over engineered route and have a framed aquarium which only needs to be supported at the corners and not the length which gave me some flexibility in my design.

To make sure I had everything square I had Home Depot cut the plywood and I glued everything, and screwed. Double checking for square all the way through.

 

[siege]

Actually aluminum is not that bad at the moment, it must be pre-tariff - Amazon has it- of course.

Thank you for the kind words on the carpentry, I’m really not that experienced at all. I went the over engineered route and have a framed aquarium which only needs to be supported at the corners and not the length which gave me some flexibility in my design.

To make sure I had everything square I had Home Depot cut the plywood and I glued everything, and screwed. Double checking for square all the way through.

Ah yes, fair point, with a framed aquarium you have a lot less to worry about in that regard, and really just need the corners level with each other and the stand itself level.