Show off your custom canopies!!! - Page 2

addo · #26 10/23/2007, 06:37 AM

truthdesigns that looks great!

I also like all the other black stands in since they dont steal atention from the tank itself.

scbadiver · #27 10/23/2007, 10:13 AM

Here is mine. The entire inside is white acrylic sealed to the oak panels. It as been holding up real well for about 3-4 years now. No warpage of the wood and no mold inside and VERY easy to clean. I just wipe with a damp cloth and it looks new in there. The fans are movable from end to end. I do this for the season changes. In the summer the hot air from the hood blows down the hall and out the bedroom windows and keeps the living room and kitchen cool. In the winter I switch them and they keep that area a lot warmer than it used to be. I turned my thermostat down 5 degrees cooler and I'm still warmer than I was. The IceCap fans are the ones with the thermostat sensor. I ran extended the wires so they read the temp at the other end of the hood, not just the 18"s in front of the fans. Both sides come off the whole 8 foot length just by lifting straight up. This makes tank maint pretty easy. Anyway here are some pics:

bigdeeezy · #28 10/23/2007, 01:40 PM

hey scbadiver do you have to take off the whole hood in order to get into the tank or do you have hinges to lift it up??? your tank looks like an anenome tank

scbadiver · #29 10/23/2007, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Both sides come off the whole 8 foot length just by lifting straight up. This makes tank maint pretty easy.

The picture with it upside down shows the two side panels laying next to it. They sit on "hooks" running the full length of the hood and the top and bottome of each side. It keeps it straight and tight si get no air or light leaks along the seams.

Yeah, that was taken the last time I had a terible outbreak of Neomeris Annulta. It's making a comeback right now. Hopefull not as bad as it was.

bigdeeezy · #30 10/23/2007, 11:31 PM

i see...where did you guys buy the kilz paint at? is it in a spray can?

kicbak · #31 10/24/2007, 12:20 PM

Here is mine for a little 5.5 gallon tank. This is before I stained it and got it ready.

Here it is stained with the initial plumbing

DamnPepShrimp · #32 10/24/2007, 01:12 PM

Wow, some very nice stands and canopies! I have a question for all you DIYers. I have to build a custom stand and canopy for my 110 acrylic tank. I've never owned an arcylic tank before. I know the stand has to have a piece of plywood on top and a foam/silcon pad, but any special requirements for the canopy? I still don't know how to make the canopy, I want access from the front and top with out sacrificing structure rigidity. I don't want the hood falling off when I open it up! Also worried about how high the halides are going to be too! So many decisions/options, but you guys do some great work! Nice tanks too!

jschottenfeld · #33 10/24/2007, 01:30 PM

My best advice would be to search all of the threads on canopies and stands. Make notes on design and features that you like. This will give you a canopy that functions exactly as you like.

That's what I did!

DamnPepShrimp · #34 10/24/2007, 02:47 PM

Yeah, I have been search, been getting great ideas. I think I won't have any final plans until I get into the project, there is always some last minute changes. I was just curious if there is anything special with an acrylic tank, like how the stand has to be, but what about the canopy? I don't like the idea of just resting wood on my nice acrylic tank, so I was considering putting some sort of rubber or fabric on the inside of the canopy that touches the acrylic. Just curious for more ideas for acrylic tanks.

jschottenfeld · #35 10/24/2007, 02:54 PM

My wood canopy sits on top of a 1/4" foam gasket to try to minimize vibrations and salt creep. I have a glass tank.

bigdeeezy · #36 10/25/2007, 02:35 AM

that was wat i was thinking about also...wouldnt a top canopy that is sitting on top of an acrylic tank cause pressure and stress on the tank which in turn will cause the tank to bulge out from the front and back? anyone have a canopy that has like a support in the back that holds a canopy up or supports it???

dblspc34 · #37 10/25/2007, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jschottenfeld
The doors all around the top provide great access. Fans will push cooler air under the MH lamps and exit out of vents in the top.

jschottenfeld ,

Your canopy looks awesome. Can you possibly show some closeup pics of how the doors all along the top work? The hinges are obviously very well concealed in the previous pics you provide. What is the black "paper" stapled inside the canopy around the doors? I'm assuming it's there to prevent any lighting from "leaking" out. You mentioned that warm air exits out of the vents in the top; however, I don't seem to see them in your previous pics.

Thank you for your time and providing us (me) with ideas and pics of your canopy!

bigdeeezy · #38 10/25/2007, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dblspc34
jschottenfeld ,

Your canopy looks awesome. Can you possibly show some closeup pics of how the doors all along the top work? The hinges are obviously very well concealed in the previous pics you provide. What is the black "paper" stapled inside the canopy around the doors? I'm assuming it's there to prevent any lighting from "leaking" out. You mentioned that warm air exits out of the vents in the top; however, I don't seem to see them in your previous pics.

Thank you for your time and providing us (me) with ideas and pics of your canopy!

i think he used furniture hinges which are screwed down from the inside instead of the outside as you can see in the first page of this thread when he had a pic of the inside...his vents look like they are on the sides of the canopy and not the top...???

jschottenfeld · #39 10/25/2007, 11:29 AM

Here is an inside shot of the canopy. The hinges are mounted to blocks inside. I used a rubber gasket to keep light and air flow from leaking out of the front and side access doors.

All hot air vents out from the top of the canopy through this opening that lets the air but not light out.

DamnPepShrimp · #40 10/25/2007, 04:32 PM

jschottenfeld, very nice canopy!

Any word on acrylic tanks with canopies?

bigdeeezy · #41 10/25/2007, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DamnPepShrimp
jschottenfeld, very nice canopy!

Any word on acrylic tanks with canopies?

thats wat i wanted to know

scbadiver · #42 10/25/2007, 04:59 PM

Qualified with "within reason", there shouldn't be much difference between glass or acrylic. Both are very strong tanks and will easily support a canopy like the ones shown in this thread. But, support it on the edge of the tank, not the acrylic center braces.

DamnPepShrimp · #43 10/25/2007, 05:26 PM

What's with in reason? There isn't really a fine line. I have a 72x18x19.5 acrylic tank, and my canopy will house dual halides and dual 60" T5's. I plan on making the stand pretty elaborate, so it's going to be heavy. I guess I will just use some silicon padding inbetween the tank and canopy, like the stand and tank.

scbadiver, is your tank acrylic? what canopy do you have?

scbadiver · #44 10/26/2007, 09:03 AM

No, my tank is euro-braced glass. My hood is fairly heavy but the tank would support several times the weight of my hood. My hood is pictured toward the top of this page. It's 3/4 thick oak panels attached to white arylic sheet stock. The top is 1/2 MDO, stacked 2 peices thick with a 1/4 oak sheet ovelayed for appearance so you know it's heavy. Figuring your tank at roughly 48x24 with half inch wide lip for the hood to sit on thats around 216 square inches so a 200lb hood (that is heavy too) will be less than one pound per square inch. Your tank will easily support that.
Somebody who knows how to do math can feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on the numbers too but I know your tank will hold it.

As far as pads go, I wouldn't bother and more importantly, if you you put all the weight on a few little pads it *could* be a problem. If you pad it, run it all the way around for weight distribution. Also, make sure your pad wont hold moisture againts the wood. All my contact points are acrylic to prevent rot, mold and warpage. So far it has worked out much better than any of the previous hoods I made. It's been on the tank 3-4 year now too and still lloks like the day I put it on.

DamnPepShrimp · #45 10/26/2007, 11:53 AM

My tank is 72x18, but anyway, you have to put a silcon material on the bottom of the acrylic tank, so I would assume the top as well. Just to protect it from scratches or the weight of the hood. Thanks for your help, I think your right and I will be ok.

I'd still like to hear/see some input on acrylic tank canopies, anyone?

albert2k · #46 10/26/2007, 12:07 PM

In process...

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flyguy7150 · #47 10/26/2007, 12:52 PM

mines simple...

Rest of the pics in my red house...build thread

CompNrdCR · #48 10/26/2007, 01:13 PM

This is a hood design for an Oceanic 30Gal cube...

It is going to sit on top like this...

H20ENG · #49 10/26/2007, 07:11 PM

If your worried about the weight, mount it to the wall like jmait769 did on page one.

All of my garage cabinets are hung on cleats and then screwed to the studs, and they are LOADED.

albert2k · #50 10/26/2007, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by H20ENG
If your worried about the weight, mount it to the wall like jmait769 did on page one.

All of my garage cabinets are hung on cleats and then screwed to the studs, and they are LOADED.

What paint you use for the inside of the canopy?