The stand is done. I used 1/2" MDF with primer & 3 coats of alkyd paint to seal it. It's a nice charcoal grey. The panels are held to the stand with four 1/2" rare earth magnets. There is a slot for the DJ panel to pop out so I don't have to remove the panel to turn on/off devices. I ditched the other DJ panel and will access those devices through the Aquatronica controller, which is also mounted on the outside of the stand. So I can control everything from the front of the stand.
I made the height of the panels 2 1/2" taller then the top of the steel so it will cover the 3/4" plywood, 3/4" styro and the bottom pane of the tank.
