Supporting a canopy on tank?

[johnd651]

i have thought about building a canopy for a while now, but plans are on hold until i move to utah.

i have been trying to figure out, how do you hang the canopy on the tank??? i currently have FW, until after I move, and have the glass panels on top, if i use anything bigger then 1/2" the glass lid wont open.

am i missing something?

i wanted to build this canopy and mount the led moonlight i have along with T5 HO lighting

 

[dreaminmel]

Although there are always exceptions, most of us do not use glass lids with our canopies.

 

[johnd651]

i do have the eggcrate tops for when i turn it into a SW, and the wood will cover them if it is bigger then 1/2 inch, or if i cut the eggcrate smaller it will fall into the water...lol

 

[superkat]

if you go to my 120g build thread, you can see how i am building the canopy for my 120g.

 

[mr.maroonsalty]

The canopy just sits on the rim, those who build them super safe cut a rabbit, so half the material reaches over and down the rim of the tank; there is no real reason to use egg crate or the glass top inside the canopy other than perhaps to keep glass from an exploding bulb out of the tank, but has anyone heard of that happening anymore?

 

[superkat]

that's what that little lip is called? a rabbit? i learned two things today.

 

[johnd651]

The canopy just sits on the rim, those who build them super safe cut a rabbit, so half the material reaches over and down the rim of the tank; there is no real reason to use egg crate or the glass top inside the canopy other than perhaps to keep glass from an exploding bulb out of the tank, but has anyone heard of that happening anymore?

if i understand you correctly- using a 1" board or such, and routing it so that 1/2" sits on the lip of the tank and the rest hangs over?

 

[superkat]

you don't have to route it...use 1x3 around the inside...if you are using planks, which i did, that's how i secured them on the inside and it made that "lip". that's probably overkill...but i used to live on the San Andreas fault for 15 years...we build everything that way.

 

[jfl14609]

I just take a piece of 1 x 3 screw it to the inside of the canopy high enough to cover the ugly black trim I am guessing the same way everyone else said just not in dem fancy words

 

[johnd651]

interesting, i did look at 1x3 but it hangs over into the tank, i guess my rim is thinner then everyones else

 

[superkat]

hmmmmmmm.....got some pics?

 

[johnd651]

Pics...off course...pardon the cell phone pics

Pics...off course...pardon the cell phone pics

so here is the top rim, and i put a ruler on it just for reference.

this is what it looks like right now, on the FW. I want to keep the blue LEDs and hang them inside a canopy and then retro a T5HO setup

 

[superkat]

okay, so are you trying to use the old hood as the starting portion of the new hood? if so, it might be easier for you to start from scratch. I guess i am confused at this point....

 

[jfl14609]

1 x 2 is actually only 3/4 wide if you still wanted to use the glass tops just cut the hood 1/4 in longer on each end and make it out of a light material that would still give you 1/2 inch of contact on each end

 

[johnd651]

sorry, dont mean to confuse. this is why i do research, not teach...lol

the brown light on top is 2 48" fluorescents for the FW. i will be getting rid of that, and wanted to build a sort of wooden canopy.

i want to house the shorter blue strip in there (blue led moonlights) and then install T5 lighting (4X54W). since the tank is FW i have the glass canopy tops on there, and they sit on the inside of the rim. but if i use wood bigger then 1/2" i wont be able to open them, which will be the same when i put the eggcrate on there instead.

thats my dilema, how is everyone installing wooden canopies and still being able to work in there tanks???

 

[johnd651]

1 x 2 is actually only 3/4 wide if you still wanted to use the glass tops just cut the hood 1/4 in longer on each end and make it out of a light material that would still give you 1/2 inch of contact on each end

thats what i was wondering. that was one of my thoughts, or routing it a little so that it fits.

 

[jfl14609]

the main question is do you need to still have the glass tops to open or close or are you going to ditch them (I recommend ditching)

 

[dreaminmel]

Not many people use glass lids or eggcrate on top of their tanks when they have a canopy. Typically the purpose for the lids or eggcrate are to keep fish from jumping. I have yet to have a fish make it over the top of my canopy. Did you have different reasoning for wanting to keep eggcrate on the tank even with the canopy installed?

 

[jfl14609]

the other option you could do depending on your skills is just take the 1 x 2 and rip it to 1/2 inch

 

[superkat]