Building a professional stand

Anthony777 · Wednesday at 5:25 PM

Im looking for help with designs or advice on how to build a professional cabinetry stand like you see at the stores.. not using 2x4s or 2x6s but using just the thick plywood and 1x4s and 1x6s. Everywhere I look im finding videos of the ones using 2x4s and 2x6s but none the way im talking about. I have a large sump and plenty of equipment going under tank so I need all the room I can afford. Thanks for any help possible. Anthony

winxp_man · Wednesday at 5:28 PM

I just did a 4040 extrusion build. solid. I think I built mine too tall at 40”, might drop it to 36” total.

Fish Fan · Wednesday at 5:46 PM

Anthony777 said:
Im looking for help with designs or advice on how to build a professional cabinetry stand like you see at the stores.. not using 2x4s or 2x6s but using just the thick plywood and 1x4s and 1x6s. Everywhere I look im finding videos of the ones using 2x4s and 2x6s but none the way im talking about. I have a large sump and plenty of equipment going under tank so I need all the room I can afford. Thanks for any help possible. Anthony

What size tank do you have?

The 2x4 frame stands are very easy to make and very strong, even for people with limited woodworking tools and experience.

If your tank is about 75 gallons or less, you can simply build a cabinet out of 3/4" plywood that will support the tank. Do you have experience building cabinets? What kind of tools do you have at your disposal?

Here's a 75 gallon stand I made almost 15 years ago now. It is built like a cabinet, no 2x4's or construction timber; oak ply and maple trim. It was supposed to have cabinet doors, but in the end my wife liked the open shelf look, but you could definitely add doors:

Here's one I made just recently for a small 12x12 cube tank. This is 3x4" oak plywood and solid oak trim, and though I added a curve to the legs, this is basically nothing more than a cabinet; no 2x4's:

If I can help you with any questions, please let me know.

Good luck!

Anthony777 · Wednesday at 10:14 PM

Yes.. I've built two stands with 2x4s so im good on that. I've also seen several 120+ stands that were built with 1xs. (1x4 and 1x6) using mostly the plywood for the strength of the stand and supporting the tanks weight with 1x4s added in to help with the weight. I currently have one right now built that exact way but it got a bit warped sitting in a damp basement for 2 years while I was saving up the money to buy a new 120 tank.

Fish Fan · Wednesday at 10:33 PM

Anthony777 said:
Yes.. I've built two stands with 2x4s so im good on that. I've also seen several 120+ stands that were built with 1xs. (1x4 and 1x6) using mostly the plywood for the strength of the stand and supporting the tanks weight with 1x4s added in to help with the weight. I currently have one right now built that exact way but it got a bit warped sitting in a damp basement for 2 years while I was saving up the money to buy a new 120 tank.

Maybe it's hard to see in th pic, but that stand is most definitely NOT 2x4's

That's solid red oak; big difference

It just at first glance kind of looks like 2x4's because of the dimensions I chose. It's really nothing more than a cabinet with legs, almost like a tall side table or end table. When you look inside, there's no 2x4's or anything like that.

How much woodworking experience do you have, and what size tank is this for? If this is a modest sized tank, all you have to do is build a cabinet (using 3/4" plywood and 3/4" trim) with the dimensions you'd like, add a top, and you're done.

Another option is to purchase a prebuilt, unfinished cabinet from the store, add a top, finish how you wish.

If the tank is smaller tank, you can sometimes find a nice night stand or side table that will work and look nice.

Fish Fan · Wednesday at 11:26 PM

Anthony777 said:
Yes.. I've built two stands with 2x4s so im good on that. I've also seen several 120+ stands that were built with 1xs. (1x4 and 1x6) using mostly the plywood for the strength of the stand and supporting the tanks weight with 1x4s added in to help with the weight. I currently have one right now built that exact way but it got a bit warped sitting in a damp basement for 2 years while I was saving up the money to buy a new 120 tank.

Reading this a little closer, it's looking like you'll need a stand for a tank that's 120 or larger; sorry I missed that!

I am familiar with pet shop stands for 220's made from nothing more than 3/4" particle board, and they indeed hold, but it's like the bare minimum for what I think most anyone would feel comfortable with. I don't know how big your tank is, but I'd feel good going to a 125 with just 3/4" plywood. The first pic I posted above was for a 75 gallon, it's just 3/4" ply with pocket holes (Kreg Jig), no less, and it's been fine for almost 15 years. I have no doubt you could do 125, maybe 180, but I'd start to get worried and want something a bit beefier at that point.

Just throwing out another idea, here's s stand I'm working on for a 5 foot 150. Here, I've got two sheets of 3/4" ply and one sheet of 1/2" glued up and supporting the tank. Once I get it all trimmed out, when you look inside, it doesn't look like a typical 2x4 stand. Again, just a thought I hope helps:

The black pad is the under tank mat, this is a peninsula, and plumbing will pass down through the opening on the right in this pic:

Here's top down how I did the corners with the top pushed back a bit:

Hope that helps!

Anthony777 · 2026-07-31T22:25:01-0400

Fish Fan said:
Reading this a little closer, it's looking like you'll need a stand for a tank that's 120 or larger; sorry I missed that!

I am familiar with pet shop stands for 220's made from nothing more than 3/4" particle board, and they indeed hold, but it's like the bare minimum for what I think most anyone would feel comfortable with. I don't know how big your tank is, but I'd feel good going to a 125 with just 3/4" plywood. The first pic I posted above was for a 75 gallon, it's just 3/4" ply with pocket holes (Kreg Jig), no less, and it's been fine for almost 15 years. I have no doubt you could do 125, maybe 180, but I'd start to get worried and want something a bit beefier at that point.

Just throwing out another idea, here's s stand I'm working on for a 5 foot 150. Here, I've got two sheets of 3/4" ply and one sheet of 1/2" glued up and supporting the tank. Once I get it all trimmed out, when you look inside, it doesn't look like a typical 2x4 stand. Again, just a thought I hope helps:

The black pad is the under tank mat, this is a peninsula, and plumbing will pass down through the opening on the right in this pic:

Here's top down how I did the corners with the top pushed back a bit:

Hope that helps!

Yes that definitely helps.. looks much better than the average build. Another thing is i want to build in a side door that will let me remove the Triton 44 sump i have.. with 2x4s there won't be enough room to remove it.. but I do like the idea of using 1/2 in with 3/4 in and i definitely appreciate the reply.. there's a lot of guys out there that do this for a side gig and they