Carpentry and Woodworking - wooden shelf for aquarium stand

Hello - I know very little about carpentry, but I need to construct a shelf for my aquarium. The stand I have is metal and designed to hold glass fish tanks, which means the top is simply an open metal rectangle with no shelf. My aquarium is acrylic, which requires full support along the entire bottom. I don't know enough about wood to know how strong it is, so I wanted to check with more knowledgeable people before compromising my whole tank (not to mention my wood floors...)!

My stand is essentially the same as this one (http://www.fishtankaquariums.com/Dual-Aquarium-Tank-Stand.html), and is 29" tall. The area in question (where I'll be adding a shelf) is the top, which is an open rectangle 24.5" x 12.5". The edges of the metal are 1.25" wide. My full tank will weigh roughly 130 -140 lbs, evenly distributed. Is there a type of wood strong enough for me to just lay down a plank of maybe 25.5" x 13.5"? If so, how thick should it be? Or will I need to build some kind of support / bracing system under it?

Sorry for such a long post, I just wanted to make sure I got as many potentially pertinent details as possible in there...;)

3/4" multilayer(cabinet grade) plywood should do the job. If you think it needs more support, add a piece of angle iron to the center of the bottom. Plywoods strength is lengthwise, so make sure which way it is sitting. On a 4x8' sheet the long length should come from the 8' side.

thanks, just bill! it even sounds easy.Beer 4U2

3/4" wood will suit your needs just fine. Plywood or dimensional lumber.

3/4" multilayer(cabinet grade) plywood should do the job. If you think it needs more support, add a piece of angle iron to the center of the bottom. Plywoods strength is lengthwise, so make sure which way it is sitting. On a 4x8' sheet the long length should come from the 8' side.


Good Job Bill!! right on the Mark here...