Since your neighbor is a carpenter he probably has a bisket joiner which means you could use 3/4in plywood. Which would make the stand in this link possible.
www.instructables.com
Make a Better Than New Aquarium Stand
Make a Better Than New Aquarium Stand: After 15 years of much-appreciated service in holding up 750 pounds of a combination of glass, rock, electrical equipment, water and the variety of fish and aquatic plants that give me peace, it was time to accept the resignation of my old, particle…
