DMBillies
Active member
Now that I have the main plumbing working on my 92 corner bow I need to design a canopy that I can use. I'm planning on using 4 or 6 24" T5 retrofits fanned out running from front to back for lighting. I may start with 4 and bump it up if I need more. At any rate, I thought about buying a "stock" hood from all-glass, but they are expensive and don't allow you to easily access the tank from the front without lifting the whole thing off. I don't want to have that for a lot of reasons, so I'm going to build my own. I'm wondering if anyone knows of a place to find a nice plan for building one? I know I can't be the first person to try to do this, but I keep coming up empty on RC and the web in general.
My main concern comes with actually creating the bow and trimming it out. I found some nice flexible wood/plastic composite at home depot that I think will have enough give to run as trim on the top and bottom of the bow. I've seen bowfront canopies where the front looks like a bunch of vertical slats that are held together somehow in the back. I'm assuming this is a material that can be bought that way. Does anybody know what it's called and/or where I can get some? I also considered making a mold, stretching some very thing particle board across it (the really dark stuff that has a smooth side and a rough side) and then gluing a second layer on top. I figured that if I went heavy on the glue that it would hold it's shape (since wood glue is supposed to be stronger than the wood itself). Maybe that's wishful thinking? I'm not a carpenter by any means, so I'd be up for info on whether or not you think that would work/permanently hold. I'm picture making doors that hinge on the sides of the tank and close in the middle so that I can easily access the tank through the front. I also considered using 1/8" acrylic and doing a similar thing with the mold, but I'd be really worried that it would warp over time (especially with the addition of any heat from the lighting).
Anyway, I'm just trying to draw out a game plan and wanted to get some thoughts/ideas. If anyone has pictures of how their bow canopies are made I would appreciate that too. Gotta get something built... our kitchen has been a disaster area since before Christmas.
Thanks in advance
My main concern comes with actually creating the bow and trimming it out. I found some nice flexible wood/plastic composite at home depot that I think will have enough give to run as trim on the top and bottom of the bow. I've seen bowfront canopies where the front looks like a bunch of vertical slats that are held together somehow in the back. I'm assuming this is a material that can be bought that way. Does anybody know what it's called and/or where I can get some? I also considered making a mold, stretching some very thing particle board across it (the really dark stuff that has a smooth side and a rough side) and then gluing a second layer on top. I figured that if I went heavy on the glue that it would hold it's shape (since wood glue is supposed to be stronger than the wood itself). Maybe that's wishful thinking? I'm not a carpenter by any means, so I'd be up for info on whether or not you think that would work/permanently hold. I'm picture making doors that hinge on the sides of the tank and close in the middle so that I can easily access the tank through the front. I also considered using 1/8" acrylic and doing a similar thing with the mold, but I'd be really worried that it would warp over time (especially with the addition of any heat from the lighting).
Anyway, I'm just trying to draw out a game plan and wanted to get some thoughts/ideas. If anyone has pictures of how their bow canopies are made I would appreciate that too. Gotta get something built... our kitchen has been a disaster area since before Christmas.
Thanks in advance
alot of people will just order another stand and whack it in half and flip it upside down and set it on top of the tank. it actually looks better than youd think and you can have it as tall/short as you want. HTH<~~~steve
