You could use melamine. Its pretty sturdy and has a water proof coating, it's what i used for my retic tank and i used aquarium sealant for the corners. Melamine can be bought from somewhere like lowes or menards and it comes in 8ft by 4ft sheets so you wouldn't have as much stuff to cut. If you do go for melamine make sure you use 3/4 inch and not the 1/2 inch stuff.