tank/stand question

I am building a new stand for my 180 and was wondering if the bottom of the glass needs to be supported? I looked at some tank stands in a fish store and they all have 4 sides and then a center brace but nothing under the glass.

Can anyone with a large tank chime in and help here before I get too far on my stand build

 

You want to make sure that e complete parimiter of the tank is supported. If there is a center brace and it is level with the outside edges i would support that too. Take a look at the below pic. This is the top of the stand for my 200. The two supports in the center do not touch the tank at all they are just there to support the front and back and help keep the stand more stable.

 

Also a word to the wise.. Run one side of your board through a table saw.. This will give you a nice flat egde to work with. Wood will have a natural crown to it and I spent hours getting my tank so it did not have gaps under it due to the curves in the wood. I still have a couple spots that are not perfect but My LFS said that even the stands they get for some of their tanks are not 100% perfect. Make sure that it is level.. That is very important. Are you planning to use 2x4 or 2x6?