Kien brings up GREAT points. It's all a matter if you're a DIY kind of guy or not. I would go 2 x 4 as well if you can and you can live with it ghetto until you find time to skirt it with wood or cupboard doors etc. When I had my cinder block stand, I think I was making $7/hr, so that's all I could afford and I put my $ toward livestock instead. As for dispersing the weight - no problems. I have rested a 75 gallon 4' tank just on the 2 ends (1" square metal tube) without any sort of support in the middle before without any wood. But wood is good and foam is good.
If you have the time, build a stand. Glad that you have entered the hobby! You won't regret it, but your wallet will
