Any ideas for a canopy/light enclosure?

[ReefPony]

I've got a 36 gallon bow front with a DIY LED setup from Steve's LEDs. I've got 2 20" long square heatsinks with a fan attached to each. Overall length is about 24.5" and total depth of both heat sinks and my wiring breadboard is about 10".

I know an actual premade canopy for this tank that matches my stand is a longshot due to the curvature of the bowfront so I'm trying to come up with some ideas for something to house my lights that is at least somewhat visually attractive.

As an added complication, all of my filtration is of the HOB variety.

 

[rwb500]

are you a woodworker, or can you act like one for a few hours? I can't think of a way to DIY a curved-front canopy besides with wood. If you are going to do it with wood, i recommend curving a thin (1/4") board to match the tank front.

 

[Tom39]

Here is a pic of a valance I made for a 52gal corner. It is not very tall and I did not make it to mount a light or wrap the entire circumference of the tank. But the idea is the same, you just have to continue to build it around the sides and back.

For the front I cut 2 pieces of 3/4 plywood to match the curvature of the tank and then used multiple narrow pieces of wood to face it. If you don't like the seams from butting multiple pieces of wood together, you could always skin over it with a veneer.

Although I didn't need them, the sides and back should be fairly straight forward construction with 90degree corners. And since they are squared off and is unseen, you can easily box it in and cut out or build around your HOB equipment


Hope it Helps,

 

[ReefPony]

Tom, I like that idea.

My first idea was to do a big shelf (30" wide x 14" deep) and have some pieces cut that would hang down to hide the heat sinks and breadboard.

The problem is that a shelf that big requires pretty big brackets and I don't like big brackets that people can see.

Matching the veneers would be a problem (store bought stand) but I bet I could get a piece of aluminum bent to whatever radius I needed if I did something like yours... from there it's a pretty simple process to get a brushed aluminum look which "goes" with the rest of my living room.