Tanker Posted April 9, 2006 Report Share Posted April 9, 2006 My 20 Gallon DIY Canopy Here is a picture of Before. Standard 20 gallon, standard plastic hood with a 10 gallon light fixture. I have the original 18" florescent fixture on another tank, currently. This is my play-by-play to show you how easy it is to make a great canopy for very little time and money. Feel free to take this design and make it your own... material changes, placement of the lighting and final dimensions can all be modified with little or no more trouble. I used the material I did simply because it was all at-hand as it was leftovers from my 40 gallon canopy I made last fall. First things first, I needed a design. The stand this is on is a 2x4 stand (see my thread re: "Rock Stand") and is covered with black linen so it have a very 'blocky' style. I wanted something to echo the stand and tank but not overhanging, the way the stand is wider than the tank. Measuring my tank I found it to be 24 1/4" across, and 12 1/4 deep so this was the outside measurements for the material. For note: I have three 20 gallon tanks, and each one is a different dimension... measure YOUR tank and do no go by mine, thanks... The biggest concern with canopies seems to be how to fit things inside of it. The fact I have an AC 300 running on this tank and no plans to change that meant I have to work around the HOB and leave room for a filter back there. Further, the fact I have a crayfish in this tank means it must be a fairly good fit around the filter area, as that is her only means of escape. I decided to center the filter in the back of the tank, and worked the wood accordingly. As usual, my plans varied slightly as construction actually took place, so there are a few things here that became ultimately redundant, but at the same time, this canopy is built to last a long, long time. Here we see the first cuts happening and the shape coming together. These five boards make up the front, sides and rears, with a full 8 inches across the back open for the 7 inch wide AC300. Now it's time for a test fitting, and to get a glimpse of the finished product. & Here we can see the rest of the wood has been cut. I used 1x4 MDF for the sides, 1x2 MDF for the braces, and 1x6 spruce for the lid. This gave me finished dimensions of approx 3/4" x 3 1/2" for the uprights, 3/4" x 1 1/2" for the braces and 3/4" x 5 1/2" each for the lid. Assembly was done with predrilled holes, #6 x 1 1/2" wood screws, 1 1/2" ardox nails and woodglue. One feature of this hood was to maintain as low a profile as possible... so I sunk the lid into the canopy, rather than have it sit on top. The plank sizes accomodated this perfectly! Test fit on the tank with handle and hinges installed. Then it's time to fill all the holes and even out a few rough spots. The MDF appears white here because it comes pre-primed on three sides from the store. Once sanding is done, wiped it down with a tack cloth and start painting! You'll notice that so far, every picture has been inside. Construction took place (even the sawing) in my diningroom. This is what happens when you don't have a garage, and it's raining outside. One other factor is required as well: The wife MUST be at work. :P More to come tomorrow... still painting it, and then I have the lights/wiring to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vapor Posted April 9, 2006 Report Share Posted April 9, 2006 Looks good. Seems fairly easy also. Looks like even someone who is a little carpentry challenged as myself might be able to pull this off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGr8Blade Posted April 10, 2006 Report Share Posted April 10, 2006 GREAT diy! Thanks for all the pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanker Posted April 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2006 Ok... so let's pick this up where we left it... painting and electrical. Paint was done with three coats of flat black and flat white... lots of fun! The lights were installed with a couple of screws and a couple rubber cloated sockets... fairly effective (if you consider the bulbs are NOT for wet-use...) and cheap. Someday maybe I'll come up with a better way to stick them on there, but for now.. they are tight, and not goign anywhere, so what the heck... good enough for a crappy hood tossed together in a couple hours wth spare parts. Below is the hood itself in it's three 'modes'. Front open for feeding, whole thing open for cleaning and stuff... And here is the finished product... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Majestic_Aquariums Posted April 11, 2006 Report Share Posted April 11, 2006 Nice work! You should set up shop and get busy-i will send you referrals too! And, sounds like you are in the right town as well-hell, according to the guy @ Aquarium Illusions up there, he has a custom bowfront glass tank, hmm.maybe 140 gal..told me he sold the TANK ALONE for 20K! That kind of sales-hell, your Wedding will be paid for in no time buddy! (oh, then he told me thier 460 gal. display w/corals was worth 85K..I had heard all I needed to by then.. Nice work-cool to see the finished product! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vapor Posted April 12, 2006 Report Share Posted April 12, 2006 :thumbs: :bow: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s.h. Posted April 16, 2006 Report Share Posted April 16, 2006 wow that looks amazing. wanna make one for me? i'll pay you for all parts and labour. u could make some bussiness off of this lol. :thumbs: :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted May 13, 2006 Report Share Posted May 13, 2006 what kind and/or size of hinges did you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanker Posted May 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 They are 3" zinc hinges, not unlike the type found on the backside of every door in your house. I wanted simple, cheap, and durable. 'Paintable' was just a benifit... but with Tremclad, EVERYTHING is paintable :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted May 17, 2006 Report Share Posted May 17, 2006 lol, thats what i was thinking on using if i ever get around to building canopies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykiss Posted May 22, 2006 Report Share Posted May 22, 2006 Nice setup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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