step by step build modern fish tank stand

I wanted to distribute the load as much as possible, hence the horizontal 2x4s. If I ever decide to move the tank, I don't want four indentations in the carpet that will never come out. I didn't want legs in each corner of the stand, because I didn't want a lot of pressure on each leg or the carpet beneath. Since I am not a professional carpenter, I went a bit overboard on the design to make sure it was strong enough (sort of like how the guy (Tim Allen) on Tool Time builds his stuff) and could withstand any sort of torque.

Many of the plans seem to offer a strong design for vertical strength, but most seem to lack any strength if a torque (twisting or side to side movement) is applied. I started out by searching for plans on the Web. So if you use this thread to build your own tank, and it falls apart, then don't blame me. On the contrary, I am a computer professional that sits in front of a monitor for most of the day. Legalese: Please note that I am not a professional carpenter. This thread is meant to document the process for any others that dare to follow in my (amateurish) footsteps. So after looking at some great threads on this site, and gaining some confidence from their results, I decided to go out on a limb and have a go at it. Since I have two small children (that are constantly running around the house), I need to be careful that the tank will be able to withstand one of them falling into it by mistake while they are playing. I put some weight on it and tried to move it side to side and it swayed slightly. It was basically a bunch of 1'x4's stapled together. I decided to take a look at the build quality of the stand and was pretty amazed that there were no studs for a frame. I went to the local pet store to order one, since most places don't carry a stand with those dimensions. I was originally going to purchase an All Glass tank stand for a 40 gallon breeder aquarium (36'L x 18'D x 16'H) that I am putting together.

Step by step build modern fish tank stand