Show off your custom canopies!!!
- Thread starter bigdeeezy
- Start date
That would work I think. One other advantage to an open top is that you can view the tank from the top down. Most people neglect/ignore this part but IMO the tankview from the top down offers one of the most spectular view on the corals and the colours you see top down is amazing and very different than what you would see from the front and sides.
jschottenfeld
Premium Member
Almost ready for water
Almost ready for water
Here is my canopy and stand that were just completed. The doors all around the top provide great access. Fans will push cooler air under the MH lamps and exit out of vents inthe top.
Almost ready for water
Here is my canopy and stand that were just completed. The doors all around the top provide great access. Fans will push cooler air under the MH lamps and exit out of vents inthe top.
truthdesigns
New member
Heres my canopy The bamboo is a printed decal :0)
This is my 150 when I just set it up over a year ago.
Flip up front for easy access.
Dayton 55 CFM fans to cool the 1080 watts of light. One is pushing and the other is pulling. Moving a good amount of air.
Gas springs to hold the lid up for easy bulb changes.
I went with the Hamilton 6' retro kit with 3 250w MH and 2 160w VHO's
Flip up front for easy access.
Dayton 55 CFM fans to cool the 1080 watts of light. One is pushing and the other is pulling. Moving a good amount of air.
Gas springs to hold the lid up for easy bulb changes.
I went with the Hamilton 6' retro kit with 3 250w MH and 2 160w VHO's
Last edited:
scbadiver
New member
Here is mine. The entire inside is white acrylic sealed to the oak panels. It as been holding up real well for about 3-4 years now. No warpage of the wood and no mold inside and VERY easy to clean. I just wipe with a damp cloth and it looks new in there. The fans are movable from end to end. I do this for the season changes. In the summer the hot air from the hood blows down the hall and out the bedroom windows and keeps the living room and kitchen cool. In the winter I switch them and they keep that area a lot warmer than it used to be. I turned my thermostat down 5 degrees cooler and I'm still warmer than I was. The IceCap fans are the ones with the thermostat sensor. I ran extended the wires so they read the temp at the other end of the hood, not just the 18"s in front of the fans. Both sides come off the whole 8 foot length just by lifting straight up. This makes tank maint pretty easy. Anyway here are some pics:
scbadiver
New member
The picture with it upside down shows the two side panels laying next to it. They sit on "hooks" running the full length of the hood and the top and bottome of each side. It keeps it straight and tight si get no air or light leaks along the seams.
Yeah, that was taken the last time I had a terible outbreak of Neomeris Annulta. It's making a comeback right now. Hopefull not as bad as it was.
DamnPepShrimp
Moved On
Wow, some very nice stands and canopies! I have a question for all you DIYers. I have to build a custom stand and canopy for my 110 acrylic tank. I've never owned an arcylic tank before. I know the stand has to have a piece of plywood on top and a foam/silcon pad, but any special requirements for the canopy? I still don't know how to make the canopy, I want access from the front and top with out sacrificing structure rigidity. I don't want the hood falling off when I open it up! Also worried about how high the halides are going to be too! So many decisions/options, but you guys do some great work! Nice tanks too!
jschottenfeld
Premium Member
My best advice would be to search all of the threads on canopies and stands. Make notes on design and features that you like. This will give you a canopy that functions exactly as you like.
That's what I did!
That's what I did!
DamnPepShrimp
Moved On
Yeah, I have been search, been getting great ideas. I think I won't have any final plans until I get into the project, there is always some last minute changes. I was just curious if there is anything special with an acrylic tank, like how the stand has to be, but what about the canopy? I don't like the idea of just resting wood on my nice acrylic tank, so I was considering putting some sort of rubber or fabric on the inside of the canopy that touches the acrylic. Just curious for more ideas for acrylic tanks.
jschottenfeld
Premium Member
My wood canopy sits on top of a 1/4" foam gasket to try to minimize vibrations and salt creep. I have a glass tank.
bigdeeezy
60G Cubesicles
that was wat i was thinking about also...wouldnt a top canopy that is sitting on top of an acrylic tank cause pressure and stress on the tank which in turn will cause the tank to bulge out from the front and back? anyone have a canopy that has like a support in the back that holds a canopy up or supports it???
Cajun Reefer
New member
Re: Almost ready for water
Re: Almost ready for water
jschottenfeld ,
Your canopy looks awesome. Can you possibly show some closeup pics of how the doors all along the top work? The hinges are obviously very well concealed in the previous pics you provide. What is the black "paper" stapled inside the canopy around the doors? I'm assuming it's there to prevent any lighting from "leaking" out. You mentioned that warm air exits out of the vents in the top; however, I don't seem to see them in your previous pics.
Thank you for your time and providing us (me) with ideas and pics of your canopy!
Re: Almost ready for water
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11030211#post11030211 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jschottenfeld
The doors all around the top provide great access. Fans will push cooler air under the MH lamps and exit out of vents in the top.
jschottenfeld ,
Your canopy looks awesome. Can you possibly show some closeup pics of how the doors all along the top work? The hinges are obviously very well concealed in the previous pics you provide. What is the black "paper" stapled inside the canopy around the doors? I'm assuming it's there to prevent any lighting from "leaking" out. You mentioned that warm air exits out of the vents in the top; however, I don't seem to see them in your previous pics.
Thank you for your time and providing us (me) with ideas and pics of your canopy!
bigdeeezy
60G Cubesicles
Re: Re: Almost ready for water
Re: Re: Almost ready for water
i think he used furniture hinges which are screwed down from the inside instead of the outside as you can see in the first page of this thread when he had a pic of the inside...his vents look like they are on the sides of the canopy and not the top...???
Re: Re: Almost ready for water
i think he used furniture hinges which are screwed down from the inside instead of the outside as you can see in the first page of this thread when he had a pic of the inside...his vents look like they are on the sides of the canopy and not the top...???
jschottenfeld
Premium Member
Here is an inside shot of the canopy. The hinges are mounted to blocks inside. I used a rubber gasket to keep light and air flow from leaking out of the front and side access doors.
All hot air vents out from the top of the canopy through this opening that lets the air but not light out.
DamnPepShrimp
Moved On
jschottenfeld, very nice canopy!
Any word on acrylic tanks with canopies?
Any word on acrylic tanks with canopies?
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