DIY canopy/retro MH kit height?

[Cozen89]

I'm making a canopy for my tank that will house my Hamilton 60" retro kit.


My tank is 60" x 18" x 16" high acrylic.

My Halides are 2 175w and 2 140 watt VHO's.


My question is how high off the top of my tank should the halides be?

1) I was thinking of making my canopy about 10 inches high. That would make the halides about 6-7 inches above the top of my tank. Is this a good hieght?

I was gonna make the front of the canopy open as a flip up using a piano hinge. And I want to have enough room so I can do maintenance on the tank without having to remove the canopy or burn my hand on the halides.

Opinions please. Thanks.


2) Also will 1/2 inch particle board be good enough as canopy material?

3) And if I'm putting a fan on the sides of the canopy that measures 4 3/4 inches square, how big of a whole should I cut? I ask because I'm not sure how the fans mount as I haven't received it yet.

 

[Mache62]

I recently built my stand and canopy for a 125g and built the canopy to a height of 12". My understanding is you want at least 8 inches, but I guess it would also depend on what type of bulbs you'll be using....mogels vs de.

 

[Cozen89]

mogels

 

[Lee_Bay]

My 175 is 6".

As far as the fans, wait until you get the fans or find a spec sheet on the fans you are getting. Most have a mounting hole in each corner. Just leave yourself enough would to mount to.

Particle board + water = :mad2: :furious: :blown: :thumbdown

 

[goreefer]

Stay away from the particle board!
It will swell up and fall apart with the humidity of a tank.
Use either solid wood or exterior plywood for your canopy, then seal it well with a waterproof sealer.

 

[Mache62]

I totaly missed the particle board....not a good idea. I used 1/2" furniture grade plywood. It was a little more expensive but it'll look nice with the stain. Here is a shot from the back.

 

[Cozen89]

I was lucky enough to find an old used canopy for $20 locally. Just had to fix it up a bit. Only thing is the bottom of the halide bulb is only 5 inches from surface of water.

My bulbs are 2 175 watt mogul based and 2 140 watt VHOs. I will have a temp adjusting fan. anyone see this as a problem?

Also the bulbs are 3 inches from top of my acrylic tank altho the tank is mostly open. Thoughts please....

thanks.

 

[Cozen89]

Also I used oil based paint for the outside and white marine paint for the inside. Sealed it with spray on urethane. Is any of this toxic to the fish and corals?

 

[Mache62]

the paint and urethane should be fine but your bulbs are pretty close....besides the heat issues in the water I don't know if this would melt the acrylic or not.

 

[MeuserReef]

I have (2) 150W DE Mh bulbs and they are about 6" off of the water. I also have (4) 80MM computer fans mounted in the back of my canopy to handle the heat.

 

[smcdonn]

I got my 250's about 7" off the water

 

[Cozen89]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10184872#post10184872 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MeuserReef
I have (2) 150W DE Mh bulbs and they are about 6" off of the water. I also have (4) 80MM computer fans mounted in the back of my canopy to handle the heat.

wow 4 fans? Did you reall need 4 or did you just feel like over doing it to be safe? Hopefully 1 fan will work for me. It will be mounted on one side of the canopy and blowing the air out a hole on the other side. It will be a single 4" fan.

 

[smcdonn]

Mine rune around 6-7" off the water and everything seems fine..