We have a 20 gallon aquarium and had an opportunity to buy a new 50 gallon aquarium for a ridiculously low price so we did it. The aquarium was very custom shaped and oddly dimensioned so we were unable to find a stand for it that didn’t cost way more than what we’d pay so we decided I’d build one.
This is the semi-final results. I’ve decided I’m going to redo the doors with cherry panels instead of the chestnut, to better match our decor.
Current configuration is 2x4s for the “bones”, with birch plywood and poplar for the frame. I wasn’t thinking and didn’t square my 2x4s so putting a frame around this thing was a bear! There are lots of “workarounds”
We decided to paint because it was an easy way to add a pop of color to the room and it was an easy way to hide all said “workarounds”. But I couldn’t resist having at least some wood grain showing so I went with chestnut panels for the doors.
Oh, and 3/4 of the way through the build, we ended up getting rid of the custom tank because it was acrylic and deeply scratched in several places 
We replaced it with a standard 55 gallon we got at Petsmart. Go figure.
