type of wood for canopy

[seadoo14]

i'm building a custom canopy for my 65 aga. I was wondering the best type of wood to use. It will house VHO's & (2) 250watt MH. Thanks for any input
Jim

[newbiejeff]

I just finished one for my 135. I used 1x12 better grade pine. I sanded the bejesus out of it, and it turned out pretty OK with some Red oak stain.

Don't know how tall you want it to be, but those lights could heat up your water if too close. Might not want to go much less than 1x10.

Unless you are lucky, skip HD and go to a lumber yard for 1x's. All I ever see at the chain stores is warped beyond practical use. My 2c. Good luck.

[reefmarker]

I used sanded 1/2" or 3/4" plywood. Put trim pieces on all the edges and it will look great.

I've used 1x's on other hoods and it is very hard to find good looking wood without going into a cabinet grade which costs a fortune.

My favorite hood design is now:

1. top that completely opens on hinges taking the lights with it. This is for big maintenance work and getting those monster live rocks into the tank.

2. 12" to 18" tall. Plenty of room to work below the lights.

3. Doors on the front. Easy to feed stuff, make minor fixes, etc.

4. Back mostly open. The top back support the top hinges on is a 2 x 4 that can be used to house ballasts. Fans hang from this top back support also.

5. Supported on the sides only. This lets you slide it forward to get to the stuff in the back if you need to.

http://reefmarker.com/images/75E/AUT_0632.JPG

http://reefmarker.com/images/75E/AUT_0635.JPG

http://reefmarker.com/images/75E/AUT_0633.JPG

[Tachyon]

how much did it cost you?

[brc0488]

get some lamar pressed board and buy some pine wood tape (not tabe actually but a thin role of wood) and iron it on to the edges it looks so nice

[seadoo14]

Thanks for the quick replies!

Reefmarker,
On your hood, are all your lights mounted on the top piece? It doesn't look as if the top has any vents. What do you do for air circulation? Thanks for the photos I really like the front access panels.

If I mount the VHO's at the top, 12 - 16" above water level, will the lights lose their intensity?

[Gem Tang Rider]

Get the wood that you like best. As you will have to seal it with poly anyway.

[reefmarker]

Originally posted by seadoo14
Thanks for the quick replies!

Reefmarker,
On your hood, are all your lights mounted on the top piece? It doesn't look as if the top has any vents. What do you do for air circulation? Thanks for the photos I really like the front access panels.

If I mount the VHO's at the top, 12 - 16" above water level, will the lights lose their intensity?

Yes the lights are mounted to the top piece. The back is open with fans blowing into the hood. There is alot of airflow with two 12 VDC computer fans. The nice thing about the fold open top is you can mount the lights on pillars if you like and get them closer or further from the water. For instance if you go with VHO now you probably want more like 6 to 8" to the water surface, but later with MH you will want more like 12".

Intensity...I don't really think so...VHO is not a point source like a MH, so you don't need room for the light to spread out. It will of course spread out, so the higher your VHO light is, the more light will spread out and hit the hood instead of the water. So yes, you will loose some light, but not much.

Oh yeah, counting the stain I've got about $40 in wood in the entire thing. Lights and stuff of course cost a bunch more! : )

[AnemicOak]

You could use whatever wood you like. Mine will be oak to match my stand.

I'm building one similar to the one Doug Chambers built
http://dougc3.home.mindspring.com/Reefpage/Index.htm

[coralreef321]

I think that pine turns out pretty nice and is somewhat cheap. I woudent get anything to soft.

[Bax]

I used oak on mine. 3/4" for the framing and 1/4" for the skin. I left the top and back open for venting. I painted the interior gloss white with a poly coat to seal it. Overall height is about 11 1/4". MH bulb is about 61/2" off water. I DIY'd a 4", 63 cfm colling fan from Radio Shack ($23) with a T-stat from HD ($15). Water temp is 79-81 deg and no burning wood yet. I think the hard wood will stand up to the salt over the long haul.

[dkh0331]

A lot has to do with how you are going to finish it. I used 3/4" MDF for my hood/facade since it will be wallpapered and painted.

David

[TroyPierce]

Originally posted by seadoo14
If I mount the VHO's at the top, 12 - 16" above water level, will the lights lose their intensity?
First, your light question. Light intensity decreases as the square of the distance so moving the VHOs farther away will decrease the light. This means that if you double the distance between the light and the bottom of your tank you get 1/4 the intensity there. A few inches won't be too bad and you'd only see the difference if you have a light meter.

You could also put the VHOs closer to the surface depending on your MH reflector. If you haven't bought your reflectors yet, Premium Aquatics sells these that have mounting for florescent lights at the side and they're lower than the MH. Here's a picture:
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/pfo/parreflect.jpg

As for the type of wood. As mentioned above, a primary consideration is what you like. Having said that, if you have an option, get a plywood for the solid panels (like the side and top) at least.

Plywood is much more stable than solid wood and doesn't expand and contract as much as solid wood. Heat and humidity can be a bear for solid wood. This could cause glue jounts to fail or cracks to develop.

Good luck and enjoy the woodworking.

[cklugewicz]

I definitely agree about using plywood for any large panels due to the humidity issue. The difference in humidity between the inside and the outside of the enclosed parts of the stand will tend to cause the wood to expand more on the inside of the cabinet than on the outside, putting a lot of strain on any glue joints. Add to this the heat inside the cabinet from your lighting and you have a prescription for warping or worse, glue joint failure.

You can get plywood which is veneered with nearly any kind of wood you want. (The Borg sells oak veneered plywood, in fact, but you can get cherry, maple, etc. from a plywood supplier.) You can add trim in matching solid wood to dress up the plywood.

Be sure to seal everything with several coats of a polyurethane finish.

-- Chris

[Bax]

Yes .. use plywood. the oak from HD I used was plywood, so far it's holding up well. I strongly advise using a white gloss paint with a poly sealer on the interior for both reflectivity and the moisture seal it will provide. Let it cure at least 72 hours before putting it back on the tank if you do paint it.

[gobygoby]

I used pine 1x1's for a frame and then 3/4 birch plywood for the exterior. the frame has a coat of thompsons water seal and the birch is stained and polyurathaned. I have this on my 180

Goby

[thrlride]

I used 3/4" red oak plywood for my canopy that I built. I used red oak for the trim also. I made the whole front and part of the top open along with doors in the front. I also made the entire top open and bring the lights with it for easy access. The back is still sealed but I am not done yet. I will cut holes for the fans and holes for the closed loop return.