custom stand for canopy

[bdmiller]

Ok, after much deliberation, I've decided on the following setup.

I have a hood on order from Marine Depot. It's a PFO custom made hood with 2 x 175 watt MH and 2 x 96 watt true actinic. Looks like a very nice hood(Better be for the amount I spent on it). I've been deliberating on how to keep it above my aquarium. Hanging it from the ceiling is out. So I've come up with this possible solution.

I get two oak boards and place them parallel to the length of the aquarium. On these boards I fasten metal brackets. The metal brackets (with some bending) will hold the light above the aquarium.

I've attached a pic. How does this look?

[Reef-lite]

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but what is holding up the two boards? I would add side boards to what you have and essentially make a skirt.

[dkh0331]

Are you planning on having access to the tank thru the two open ends only? Would be a PITA to have to take everything apart to get to your tank.

HTH

David

[bdmiller]

Reef-Lite,

Yes, I later realized I would need a skirt to support the two boards.

dkh,

I'm hoping to have access through the front part of the tank. There should be a little space where the bow is to feed. If I'm sticking my arms in for whatever reason, I'd probably have to remove the light.

Thank you for the help.

[bdmiller]

Oh I forgot to mention this is a 46 gallon bowfront. Which is why I'm not building my own hood. And I also can't hang from the ceiling. Just thinking of something to elevate the canopy.

[dkh0331]

Originally posted by bdmiller
And I also can't hang from the ceiling. Just thinking of something to elevate the canopy.

Just wondering why you can't hang from the ceiling?

David

[bdmiller]

It's really high.

[NOWICKI]

hey bdmiller,
i used to have a bowfront and i had a pc retrofit on it. i just wanted to share my .02 cents. i think that only having access in the bow will eventually drive you crazy. it did to me. well, it wasn't too bad but i always wanted more room since i did have to remove the lights for just about everything. which in return makes it hard to see what you are doing like aquascaping etc...
i'm on my mom's pc so i don't have photoshop, please bear with me on this drawing. basically it is suggesting that you hang the lights from the wall behind the tank using brackets. i hope that makes sense. just take a look at the drawing.
hope this helps,
ryan

[bdmiller]

nowicki,

Thanks for the reply. I considered hanging from the wall. Hood's not here yet, so I'm not sure if I can drill holes in the top of it. Not sure how heavy it is either. Where can I find supplies to hang it from my wall?

[NOWICKI]

bdmiller,
depending on how nice of a rack you want, you could probably find a really fancy wall sconce(sp) from somewhere like Pier 1 or you could be really basic with a shelve bracket from WalMart. The walmart version could look nice with a paint job and it may only be a few bucks.
good luck,
Ryan

[bdmiller]

Nowicki,

How about something like this. From HOme depot.

http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS/EN_US/diy_main/pg_diy.jsp?CNTTYPE=PROD_META&CNTKEY=misc%2fsearchResults.jsp&BV_SessionID=@@@@2056819743.1057602893@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccgadcikijkfiecgelceffdfgidgmj.0&MID=9876&frmSearchStr=bracket

The only thing is, I'm not sure how much the hood will weigh. I beleive it's aluminim with 2 x 175 MH and 2 x 96 pc's. Will hooks liek these support the weight?