Here is a pic of the stand I just built for my 75g more can be seen in the members tank section. I'm looking for thoughts on whether or not to put in a center brace. Everything is 2x6 construction glued and screwed together with metal ties wherever I could get them in.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg31/jdbreef/IMG_1685.jpg

you should be fine without a center brace as long as the ends are supported. one of my LFS's has 2 180g tanks supported on the ends with nothing in the middle at all. not even along the front or rear edges of the tank. been that way for the past 5 years.

That's built like a tank!

Well I'm glad to hear that from both of you, I guess the over engineering comes from my college years spent repairing homes that were not done correctly the first time.

that stand will hold a Mack truck. You will be glad you built it well enough to NOT need a center brace. Having total access is a bonus.

Thats what I was shooting for, when I enclose it I'm going to make the front panel removable in one piece and at least on of the sides removable also so I have room to work under the stand

Removable panels are a good idea. You don't want to know how many times I am on the floor in front of my tank with my head and shoulders inside the door of the stand!

Don't forget to brace it to the adjacent wall... especially if it's on top of a carpet, since it's easier to tip forward!

sweet effort on the build bud, looks nice & sturdy. The cordless drill is there just so we know you built it right..lol

Admittedly mines steel, but i have an 8 ft central brace less stand. flex with full weight drops only a fraction. with yours - not a problem. wack in a central at the back & an extra strip underneath running east to west if your really concerned about it!