Aquarium stand wood type

[valley]

Hello, I’m looking to set up a 60 gallon breeder this month and I’m thinking I’m better off building my own stand rather than buying it. I’m going to go off the instructions that “King of DIY” gives on YouTube but I just have some questions. I’m going to use 2x4’s and some plywood to put on top and wrap the stand. The only place I can get these materials near me is a Home Depot and they have many types of wood. Does it matter what type of wood I use? If so, which type of plywood and which type of wood should I use? I’d also like to ask if I need to reinforce the middle of the stand? The tank’s dimensions are 48.5x18.5x16 and I’m going to make the stand 49x19x36.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Hello, I’m looking to set up a 60 gallon breeder this month and I’m thinking I’m better off building my own stand rather than buying it. I’m going to go off the instructions that “King of DIY” gives on YouTube but I just have some questions. I’m going to use 2x4’s and some plywood to put on top and wrap the stand. The only place I can get these materials near me is a Home Depot and they have many types of wood. Does it matter what type of wood I use? If so, which type of plywood and which type of wood should I use? I’d also like to ask if I need to reinforce the middle of the stand? The tank’s dimensions are 48.5x18.5x16 and I’m going to make the stand 49x19x36.

I would indeed reinforce the middle. As for type of plywood, what will your finish be? Paint? Laminate? Veneer? I ask because I would use marine grade plywood. NOT pressure treated, there is a big difference. Marine grade has no voids in the layers, it has more layers, and the glue used is different. But I do not know if home Depot sells marine grade?

 

[valley]

I would indeed reinforce the middle. As for type of plywood, what will your finish be? Paint? Laminate? Veneer? I ask because I would use marine grade plywood. NOT pressure treated, there is a big difference. Marine grade has no voids in the layers, it has more layers, and the glue used is different. But I do not know if home Depot sells marine grade?

I’m going to paint the stand. I’m looking at their website and I don’t think Home Depot sells marine grade plywood. This is the only plywood that is in stock at my nearest Home Depot that is 3/4’ thick and will fit the top of my stand. Is it any good?

SANDEPLY 18mm - Sande Plywood ( 3/4 in. Category x 4 ft. x 8 ft.; Actual: 0.709 in. x 48 in. x 96 in.) 454559 - The Home Depot

Sandeplywood is a Home Depot Exclusive. Every piece meets the highest grading standard for strength and appearance. Sandeply is a hardwood plywood designed for interior applications.

www.homedepot.com

As for the 2x4’s, they sell a lot of the pressure treated stuff but they still have a lot of different options for non pressure treated wood.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

I’m going to paint the stand. I’m looking at their website and I don’t think Home Depot sells marine grade plywood. This is the only plywood that is in stock at my nearest Home Depot that is 3/4’ thick and will fit the top of my stand. Is it any good?

SANDEPLY 18mm - Sande Plywood ( 3/4 in. Category x 4 ft. x 8 ft.; Actual: 0.709 in. x 48 in. x 96 in.) 454559 - The Home Depot

Sandeplywood is a Home Depot Exclusive. Every piece meets the highest grading standard for strength and appearance. Sandeply is a hardwood plywood designed for interior applications.

www.homedepot.com

As for the 2x4’s, they sell a lot of the pressure treated stuff but they still have a lot of different options for non pressure treated wood.

Yes, that should be fine as long as you know how to build the structure for stability. Just standard 2 x 4's should be fine. See if they have what is called "clear" pine. what that means is no knots.

 

[valley]

Yes, that should be fine as long as you know how to build the structure for stability. Just standard 2 x 4's should be fine. See if they have what is called "clear" pine. what that means is no knots.

There are only four 2x4’s that are in stock at the store and aren’t pressure treated. There’s only one that is pine but I dont think it’s “clear” pine. Should I just go in-store and look for any of the same type that don’t have any knots?

2 in. x 4 in. x 4 ft. #2 Premium Grade Dimensional Lumber 271736 - The Home Depot

This premium 2 in. x 4 in. is surfaced on four sides and meets the highest grading standards for strength and appearance. Each board is easy to paint or stain. This makes it ideal for a wide range of structural and nonstructural applications including DIY projects. When used for exterior...

www.homedepot.com

2 in. x 4 in. x 8 ft #2 Premium Grade Fir Dimensional Lumber 41 - The Home Depot

Every piece of 2 in. x 4 in. x 8 ft. Premium Standard and Better Fir Lumber meets high grading standards for strength and appearance. It is easy to cut, fasten and paint. Making this the best choice for

www.homedepot.com

2 in. x 4 in. x 10 ft. #2 Premium Grade Fir Dimensional Lumber D204SEC.294.10 - The Home Depot

This 2 in. x 4 in. x 10 ft. Fir Dimensional Lumber is prime quality, kiln-dried lumber. It is good for a variety of applications, including framing of houses, barns and sheds. It can be used for projects,

www.homedepot.com

2 in. x 4 in. x 10 ft. SPF #2 Standard Grade Dimensional Lumber 22002 - The Home Depot

Every piece of 2 in. x 6 in. x 10 ft. Kiln-Dried Heat Treated Dimensional Lumber meets the highest grading standards for strength and appearance. This high quality lumber is ideal for a wide range of structural and nonstructural applications including framing of houses, barns, sheds and...

www.homedepot.com

 

[Biokabe]

How much experience do you have building furniture? What tools do you have?

I mostly ask to properly temper your expectations and figure out what level of advice to offer.

You can certainly build one of Joey's stands with a minimum of experience and tools - his design is honestly quite good for that, especially with the use of construction brackets to compensate for the subpar quality of lumber that you can find at places like Home Depot.

The standard "white wood" 2x4s at Home Depot should be fine for a tank, as will that plywood. Expect to spend a lot of time going through their stock to find straight boards - Home Depot sources their lumber for construction rather than furniture-building, and you have a lot more leeway with warp/twist for construction than you do for furniture.

You'll want to choose from the boards that are labeled as S4S, as those boards will start off a little higher quality than the construction-graded boards.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

There are only four 2x4’s that are in stock at the store and aren’t pressure treated. There’s only one that is pine but I dont think it’s “clear” pine. Should I just go in-store and look for any of the same type that don’t have any knots?

2 in. x 4 in. x 4 ft. #2 Premium Grade Dimensional Lumber 271736 - The Home Depot

This premium 2 in. x 4 in. is surfaced on four sides and meets the highest grading standards for strength and appearance. Each board is easy to paint or stain. This makes it ideal for a wide range of structural and nonstructural applications including DIY projects. When used for exterior...

www.homedepot.com

2 in. x 4 in. x 8 ft #2 Premium Grade Fir Dimensional Lumber 41 - The Home Depot

Every piece of 2 in. x 4 in. x 8 ft. Premium Standard and Better Fir Lumber meets high grading standards for strength and appearance. It is easy to cut, fasten and paint. Making this the best choice for

www.homedepot.com

2 in. x 4 in. x 10 ft. #2 Premium Grade Fir Dimensional Lumber D204SEC.294.10 - The Home Depot

This 2 in. x 4 in. x 10 ft. Fir Dimensional Lumber is prime quality, kiln-dried lumber. It is good for a variety of applications, including framing of houses, barns and sheds. It can be used for projects,

www.homedepot.com

2 in. x 4 in. x 10 ft. SPF #2 Standard Grade Dimensional Lumber 22002 - The Home Depot

Every piece of 2 in. x 6 in. x 10 ft. Kiln-Dried Heat Treated Dimensional Lumber meets the highest grading standards for strength and appearance. This high quality lumber is ideal for a wide range of structural and nonstructural applications including framing of houses, barns, sheds and...

www.homedepot.com

Okay, I would go for the top one, rated as premium.

 

[valley]

How much experience do you have building furniture? What tools do you have?

I mostly ask to properly temper your expectations and figure out what level of advice to offer.

You can certainly build one of Joey's stands with a minimum of experience and tools - his design is honestly quite good for that, especially with the use of construction brackets to compensate for the subpar quality of lumber that you can find at places like Home Depot.

The standard "white wood" 2x4s at Home Depot should be fine for a tank, as will that plywood. Expect to spend a lot of time going through their stock to find straight boards - Home Depot sources their lumber for construction rather than furniture-building, and you have a lot more leeway with warp/twist for construction than you do for furniture.

You'll want to choose from the boards that are labeled as S4S, as those boards will start off a little higher quality than the construction-graded boards.

I’ve built many pieces of furniture but this would be my first time building one from scratch (going to buy the materials and such). I don’t think it’ll be too difficult from what I’ve seen in his videos. I plan on getting my wood at Home Depot and getting it cut there as well. I’ll be using my cordless drill at home to put everything together and I’ll be using #8 2-1/2 inch wood screws. These are the only boards in stock at my store labeled as s4s. Are these the boards you’re referring to? https://www.homedepot.com/p/2-in-x-...n-Douglas-Fir-Dimensional-Lumber-41/329988757

 

[valley]

Okay, I would go for the top one, rated as premium.

Alright. Thank you for all the help!

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Alright. Thank you for all the help!

You are certainly welcome, any time.

 

[Readywriter]

Word of advice: home depot's 2x4's tend to suck. I built two stands with their lumber in december and when I was done I decided to scrap them and start pver because they came out awful. I spent probably 2 hours picking through their lumber to find the straightest pieces and then by the time I got home they were warped enough that they were a nightmare to get square.

So I went to lowes and grabbed some 2x10 boards of untreated syp, then I ripped them down to 2x4's. Wound up cheaper than home depots junk wood and it came out very nice

 

[JayM]

Buy whatever 2x4's you can that are straight and dry. The fewer the knots, the better. If you're just using plywood to wrap the stand, use whatever you want. Something sanded on one side will make life easier. If you're using it for structure, the more plys you can get, the better.

 

[Freenow54]

Hello, I’m looking to set up a 60 gallon breeder this month and I’m thinking I’m better off building my own stand rather than buying it. I’m going to go off the instructions that “King of DIY” gives on YouTube but I just have some questions. I’m going to use 2x4’s and some plywood to put on top and wrap the stand. The only place I can get these materials near me is a Home Depot and they have many types of wood. Does it matter what type of wood I use? If so, which type of plywood and which type of wood should I use? I’d also like to ask if I need to reinforce the middle of the stand? The tank’s dimensions are 48.5x18.5x16 and I’m going to make the stand 49x19x36.

I would defiantly support the middle. Lot of weight. I also cover bottom of stand with 3/4 ply with plexi glass covering as you will get salt creep out of sump. Just use spruce ply or fir

 

[Biokabe]

I’ve built many pieces of furniture but this would be my first time building one from scratch (going to buy the materials and such). I don’t think it’ll be too difficult from what I’ve seen in his videos. I plan on getting my wood at Home Depot and getting it cut there as well. I’ll be using my cordless drill at home to put everything together and I’ll be using #8 2-1/2 inch wood screws. These are the only boards in stock at my store labeled as s4s. Are these the boards you’re referring to? https://www.homedepot.com/p/2-in-x-...n-Douglas-Fir-Dimensional-Lumber-41/329988757

I'll just second @Sophie"s mom's suggestion when it comes to which wood to choose.

Joey's plans are solid for a simple no-frills, functional and structurally sound stand. If I recall, the major difference between him and the other popular DIY design, the Rocket Engineer plan, is that Joey uses construction brackets whereas @RocketEngineer's design is strictly wood and screws. Either one will work, but Joey's might work better with your lumber supply and available tools. Getting right angles, especially, is extremely annoying with twisted lumber and limited sawing/clamping tools. Using brackets allows you to minimize that annoyance, especially if you don't have the tools to make square boards with straight edges.

FYI, Home Depot (and most of the big-box home centers) are not nearly as friendly about cutting wood for you as they used to be. It might be that my stores are less useful and your local shop isn't a jerk about it, but out here the home centers basically refuse to cut wood for you except for whatever is needed to make it fit into your car. Check with them before you go too far down the rabbit hole.

One thing to consider that you might not have thought of: Leveling feet. You can, of course, shim the stand to make it level, but it's so much easier to make fine adjustments with levelers. Just make sure you use levelers that can support the weight of your tank - 60 gallons of water is not light.

 

[valley]

I'll just second @Sophie"s mom's suggestion when it comes to which wood to choose.

Joey's plans are solid for a simple no-frills, functional and structurally sound stand. If I recall, the major difference between him and the other popular DIY design, the Rocket Engineer plan, is that Joey uses construction brackets whereas @RocketEngineer's design is strictly wood and screws. Either one will work, but Joey's might work better with your lumber supply and available tools. Getting right angles, especially, is extremely annoying with twisted lumber and limited sawing/clamping tools. Using brackets allows you to minimize that annoyance, especially if you don't have the tools to make square boards with straight edges.

FYI, Home Depot (and most of the big-box home centers) are not nearly as friendly about cutting wood for you as they used to be. It might be that my stores are less useful and your local shop isn't a jerk about it, but out here the home centers basically refuse to cut wood for you except for whatever is needed to make it fit into your car. Check with them before you go too far down the rabbit hole.

One thing to consider that you might not have thought of: Leveling feet. You can, of course, shim the stand to make it level, but it's so much easier to make fine adjustments with levelers. Just make sure you use levelers that can support the weight of your tank - 60 gallons of water is not light.

Is there really a big difference between wood from stores like Home Depot and a lumberyard? I can travel to a lumberyard but it’s pretty far and not nearby. However, if it’s really worth the trip then I’m willing to go. Do the same wood recommendations apply?

 

[phillyb614]

As long as you use good paint (I used a cabinet grade paint which is super durable and has a little oil in it) I think you are safe to go with regular 2x4s and wrap everything with 3/4” birch plywood or poplar. It gives the smooth and nice looking finish. It all depends on how well you seal your lumber inside and out.

 

[DIYreefer]

How much experience do you have building furniture? What tools do you have?

I mostly ask to properly temper your expectations and figure out what level of advice to offer.

These are important questions. I would recommend that OP only use 3/4" plywood and ditch the 2x4's completely, but that's only if they are fairly well versed with basic woodworking and can build a decent cabinet. Otherwise, 2x4's it is. Lol.

 

[Fish Fan]

This is a good read and lots of good advice for sure, but I do have some thoughts I'd like to share. I am a pretty avid woodworker, I have built A LOT of tank stands over the years from fairly nice pieces to these basic 2x4 type stands, and I am very familiar with The King of DIY Joey's stuff. I have recommended his designs to others on this forum who are looking to build a solid, functional stand without a lot of woodworking experience and/or tools.

Also look for plans by @RocketEngineer who fortunately for us is an R2R member. Maybe if he's not too busy he could stop by and offer you some help here too.

To clarify something, in woodworking "S4S" means "Surfaced on 4 Sides", which means the wood has been machined down from it's original dimensions from when it was rough cut at the sawmill. For example, a 2x4 measures a true 2" x 4" when it leaves the sawmill as a rough cut 2x4. It is then machined down (on all 4 sides) to the 1.5" x 3.5" that you see at the store. This final machining also straightens the board and removes all of the rough saw marks from the sawmill.

S4S is NOT a statement or description of the board's quality. The crapiest boards ever could be S4S.

Here's a woodworking guy I like very much, Marc Spagnolo, aka The Wood Whisperer, with his explanation of S4S:
https://thewoodwhisperer.com/articles/s2s-and-s4s-what-gives/

At Home Depot, you can use just about any of their 2x4's to build a perfectly strong and stable stand, just pick the straightest boards you can find, as others have said. Ideally, look for their premium, kiln dried (labeled as KD) 2x4's. Should be somewhere around 4 bucks or so for an 8 foot board, depending on your exact market and your store's inventory. I think my local sore has them for $3.70 or so.

I would not suggest using pressure treated wood anywhere in your build. Although newer stuff is arguably safer than in the past, this material may have chemicals that could be harmful to your tank or you and your family, and it's just not needed. Your finish - you mentioned paint, but could also be varnish, oil , etc., will protect the stand from the occasional spills.

Likewise, I would not suggest using marine grade plywood. In a perfect world, sure, but it's not available at Home Depot or any home center that I know of, and it's very, very expensive. In my opinion, this would be entirely overkill for your stand build. Save the marine grade stuff for the boat builders ;-)

While you *could* use 3/4" plywood on your top and for wrapping your stand, that would be entirely overkill. I know Joey sometimes uses 3/4 ply, but that's on his very large tanks (like 200+ gallons). It's also becasue he happens to have a lot of 3/4 plywood at his disposal because he also builds large plywood tanks. Your 60 gallon doesn't need 3/4" skin, which will be more expansive to buy and harder to work with than thinner stuff. The plywood top and sides are just to prevent any twisting or racking forces from forcing the stand out of shape or if someone bumps the stand. At the most, I would use a piece of 1/2" ply on the top, and 1/8"-1/4" to wrap the sides. If you're building your stand like Joey advises (and he has more than one design), the 2x4's will fully support the weight of the tank. The top is to resist racking and the side skins are largely just for looks. Plenty of people run these 2x4 stands without the sides, and some even with the plywood top (myself, for example).

I know you mentioned paint, and for that any of the smooth finished plywood would be fine. That Sandeply is fine, but I'd look for the 1/4" or maybe 1/2" stuff. If you absolutely must use 3/4" plywood, look if thy have any of the Radiata Pine plywood. In my area a sheet of that is only about $50 for 3/4", everything else is going to be at least $80/sheet for 3/4" material.

4'x8' 3/4" Radiata Pine Plywood at Home Depot

You can also wrap your stand with prefinished panel boards and skip the painting if you'd prefer. Here's an example, but these come in many difference colors, patterns, looks, etc.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/EUCATIL...board-White-True-Bead-Panel-975-759/205669196

Generally, you don't want the rails (horizontal supports) to span more than 36" without a middle support, so most would recommend a middle support for your 49" long stand.

I hope these suggestions help! Please post again with any further questions, I enjoy talking about stand building with others, and I'm always glad to try to help with DIY stand builds.

Good luck with your stand!

 

[Fish Fan]

Also, wood moves, it just does. You could buy a crappy 2x4 from Home Depot or you could go to a real hardwood lumber store and pay big money for a stick of exotic hardwood, and when you get it home it can and will move. Wood reacts to changes in temperature and humidity and will warp, twist, and cup, and often quickly. For 2x4's specifically, drier wood will move less, so that's why I suggested looking for kiln dried wood in my last post.

Look at the giant stacks of 2x4's on the upper racks at Home Depot, and notice how they are all nylon banded together at the ends. The boards in these stacks stay relatively straight and true. Then look at the pile where those nylon bands have been cut and the boards have been moved and picked through by customers. Look at how many of those boards are now so warped they would make a good hockey stick. Once those bands are cut, the boards can and will move freely on their own.

Typically, it's advised to buy your rough cut lumber and let it acclimate to your house for weeks to months, then mill and cut it to size for your project. Of course, no one building an aquarium stand has that kind of patients for wood to acclimate lol! So my advice would be to choose the straightest 2x4's you can find, and when you get them home stack them with some weight on them to hold them together. Try to emulate the stacks all banded together like I mentioned in the last paragraph, which prevents warping. Try not to leave them loose where they can more easily warp. Don't cut them to size and let them hang around you shop, cut them and then screw the parts together. Try to build the frame in one afternoon so once altogether it will resist individual pieces warping.

Use both screws and a good wood glue, the glue will make the stand rock solid. And predill your screw holes, it will make things much easier and prevents splitting your wooden pieces. I like Spax brand screws, though my Home Depot no longer sells them (My Lowes does have them). Any good exterior screw will work, deck screws would be a good choice. #8 or #10 (or the equivalent in a deck screw), and 2.5" long. should do it. Counter sink the screw heads just bellow the surface of the 2x4's so the screw heads don't interfere with your plywood skin.

If you put your stand together correctly and come back the next day and it seems a little wobbly because your 2x4's moved around a little, don't panic. Put some weight on it. Put your tank on it and fill the tank just a little bit and let it sit overnight again. This will force everything down and level out your stand.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

 

[valley]

This is a good read and lots of good advice for sure, but I do have some thoughts I'd like to share. I am a pretty avid woodworker, I have build A LOT of tank stands over the years from fairly nice stuff to these basic 2x4 type stands, and I am very familiar with The King of DIY Joey's stuff. I have recommended his designs to others on this forum who are looking to build a solid, functional stand without a lot of woodworking experience and/or tools.

I love Joey, but also look for plans by @RocketEngineer who fortunately for us is an R2R member. Maybe if he's not busy he could stop by and offer you some help here too.

To clarify something, in woodworking "S4S" means "Surfaced on 4 Sides", which means the wood has been machined down from it's original dimensions from when it was rough cut at the sawmill. For example, a 2x4 measures a true 2" x 4" when it leaves the sawmill as a rough cut 2x4. It is then machined down (on all 4 sides) to the 1.5" x 3.5" that you see at the store. This final machining also straightens the board and removes all of the rough saw marks from the sawmill.

S4S is NOT a statement or description of the board's quality. The crapiest boards ever could be S4S.

Here's a woodworking guy I like very much, Marc Spagnolo, aka The Wood Whisperer, with his explanation of S4S:
https://thewoodwhisperer.com/articles/s2s-and-s4s-what-gives/

At Home Depot, you can use just about any of their 2x4's to build a perfectly strong and stable stand, just pick the straightest boards you can find, as others have said. Ideally, look for their premium, kiln dried (labeled as KD) 2x4's. Should be somewhere around 4 bucks or so for an 8 foot board, depending on your exact market and your store's inventory. I think my local sore has them for $3.70 or so.

I would not suggest using pressure treated wood anywhere in your build. Although newer stuff is arguably safer than in the past, this material may have chemicals that could be harmful to your tank or you and your family, and it's just not needed. Your finish - you mentioned paint, but could also be varnish, oil , etc., will protect the stand from the occasional spills.

Likewise, I would not suggest using marine grade plywood. In a perfect world, sure, but it's not available at Home Depot or any home center that I know of, and it's very, very expensive. In my opinion, this would be entirely overkill for your stand build. Save the marine grade stuff for the boat builders ;-)

While you *could* use 3/4" plywood on your top and for wrapping your stand, that would be entirely overkill. I know Joey sometimes uses 3/4 ply, but that's on his very large tanks (like 200+ gallons). Your 60 gallon doesn't need 3/4" skin, which will be more expansive to buy and harder to work with than thinner stuff. The plywood top and sides are just to prevent any twisting or racking forces from forcing the stand out of shape. At the most, I would use a piece of 1/2" ply on the top, and 1/8"-1/4" to wrap the sides. If you're building your stand like Joey advises (and he has more than one design), the 2x4's will fully support the weight of the tank. The top is to resist racking and the side skins are largely just for looks. Plenty of people run these 2x4 stands without the sides, and some even with the plywood top.

Generally, you don't want the rails (horizontal supports) to span more than 36" without a middle support, so most would recommend a middle support for your 49" long stand.

I hope these suggestions help! Please post again with any further questions, I enjoy talking about stand building with others, and I'm always glad to try to help with DIY stand builds.

Good luck with your stand!

Also, wood moves, it just does. You could buy a crappy 2x4 from Home Depot or you could go to a real hardwood lumber store and pay big money for a stick of exotic hardwood, and when you get it home it can and will move. Wood reacts to changes in temperature and humidity and will warp, twist, and cup, and often quickly. For 2x4's specifically, drier wood will move less, so that's why I suggested looking for kiln dried wood in my last post.

Look at the giant stacks of 2x4's on the upper racks at Home Depot, and notice how they are all nylon banded together at the ends. The boards in these stacks stay relatively straight and true. Then look at the pile where those nylon bands have been cut and the boards have been moved and picked through by customers. Look at how many of those boards are now so warped they would make a good hockey stick. Once those bands are cut, the boards can and will move freely on their own.

Typically, it's advised to buy your rough cut lumber and let it acclimate to your house for weeks to months, then mill and cut it to size for your project. Of course, no one building an aquarium stand has that kind of patients for wood to acclimate lol! So my advice would be to choose the straightest 2x4's you can find, and when you get them home stack them with some weight on them to hold them together. Try to emulate the stacks all banded together like I mentioned in the last paragraph, which prevents warping. Try not to leave them loose where they can more easily warp. Don't cut them to size and let them hang around you shop, cut them and then screw the parts together. Try to build the frame in one afternoon so once altogether it will resist individual pieces warping.

Use both screws and a good wood glue, the glue will make the stand rock solid. And predill your screw holes, it will make things much easier and prevents splitting your wooden pieces. I like Spax brand screws, though my Home Depot no longer sells them (My Lowes does have them). Any good exterior screw will work, deck screws would be a good choice. #8 or #10 (or the equivalent in a deck screw), and 2.5" long. should do it. Counter sink the screw heads just bellow the surface of the 2x4's so the screw heads don't interfere with your plywood skin.

If you put your stand together correctly and come back the next day and it seems a little wobbly because your 2x4's moved around a little, don't panic. Put some weight on it. Put your tank on it and fill the tank just a little bit and let it sit overnight again. This will force everything down and level out your stand.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

Thank you so much for this help! This has really answered all my questions regarding the wood. Just for confirmation, are these the 2x4’s you’re referring to?

2 in. x 4 in. x 96 in. Premium Burrill Fir Stud 1000020053 - The Home Depot

Burrill branded studs are the Pro's choice when it comes to 2 in. x 4 in. x 96 in. Studs. Visibly pleasing to the eye, Burrill branded end markings for easy identification stand for a super-premium graded

www.homedepot.com

Also, these are the screws I’ll be using:

Grip-Rite #8 x 2-1/2 in. #2 Phillips Bugle Head Coarse Thread Wood Screws 5 lb. Box 212GS5 - The Home Depot

Grip-Rite 212GS5 #8 x 2-1/2 in. #2 Phillips Bugle Head Coarse Thread Wood Screws feature a sharp point which makes driving fast and efficient. Designed for interior, wood to wood applications, the coarse

www.homedepot.com

Regarding the wood glue, how would I use it? Do i just put it in between the 2x4 pieces so both the glue and the screws work to bring the pieces together?