Professional Documents
Culture Documents
4%is depends on personal preference56+8 will gi&e you a flus% stand" inc% will gi&e you approx3 a 7 of
stand wider t%an t%e tan83 .f you plan on wraping t%e top 2x4 wit% plywood (again personal preference! go
wit% t%e smaller measurement of 6+83
DIY 55 or 75 gal Tank Stand Project
-9ost* :bout ;6< -
)ne of t%e big money sa&ing -./ (-o .t /ourself! pro#ects is t%e tan8 stand33 4%e stand
for a reef tan8 needs to support alot of weig%t so" don=t cut corners on t%e materials
needed for a sturdy tan8 stand33 4%e stand also needs to be large enoug% to %ouse your
sump and external pump (if applicable!33 . use %alf t%e storage under my stand for my
sump and pump and t%e ot%er %alf for storing salt" 8al8wasser" buffer" calcium c%loride"
reef carbon" p%osp%ate sponge" bac8-up power%eads and test 8its33 >y wife li8es most of
t%is stuff stored out of sig%t *-!
"?ood drawings are wort% a t%ousand words"
"List of materials for a 55 or 75 gal stand"
6 - 8" 2x4s
2 - 8" 2x6s
2 - 8" x6s
- 4x8 s%eet +2" plywood (good one side!
2 - pairs of %inges (for doors!
- $t stain
- $t polyuret%ane &arnis%
'ox of exterior wood screws or (ails
Hint: @%en using a circular saw" cut your wood wit% t%e good side down to pre&ent
splintering3 4%en sand and stain eac% piece before assembly3
DIY Aquarium Canopies
Most beginning a?uarists are content with using the everyday @erfecto hood or no hood at all.
*owever, as interest grows and you want to ,eep live plants or invertebrates, the need for a high
?uality hood and lighting system is greatly accented.
*ood designs boil down to personal preference in many cases and most all designs are
functional for their needs. &he re?uirements for a hood are that it can house the lighting of choice,
withstand the environment <e.g., water, salt=, it can be cooled if re?uired, and be moved:opened
on a regular basis. lso. the construction must be sturdybecause the hood will most li,ely be
opened on a daily basis for tan, maintenance. !ecause the design of a hood is so personal
<different lighting systems, different re?uirements for space and siAe=, a detailed design wal,4
through wonBt be given here. Rather, various designs will be given and one detailed design will be
presented. &he detailed design is of a fluorescent hood with a flip top. &he design can be altered
to include metal halide lamps and fan cooling if desired.
!elow is depicted various designs that + have seen and heard about from other a?uarists. &hese
are not the only designs and certainly should not be thought of as the only approach to a hood
design.
#esign is the basic flip top model. +t has a base unit and the lights are attached to the top which
opens for maintenance. Model ! is similar to , e(cept it is split in two vertically and half of the
hood flips open. +n this case, the front half may be opened and rested on the bac, half. &his has
great advantages over model , which needs to be supported while it is open. Model " and # are
variations on commercial hoods. Model " is simply a piece of glass with two strip lights resting on
top. +t is simple and cheap, but offers little aesthetic appeal and it ma,es it very difficult to do
maintenance. Model # is an illustration of the basic plastic commercial hood. Model C is similar to
, e(cept the front panel flips forward instead of the top. &his has the distinct advantage that the
lamps do not have to be moved for daily maintenance <Model # also has this advantage=.
DIY Canopy Project
-9ost* :bout ;6A -
)ne of t%e big money sa&ing -./ (-o .t /ourself! pro#ects is t%e lig%ting canopy33 .f
you=&e priced ready made %oods for a reef tan8" you=&e seen prices from ;6<< to upwards
of ;6<<33 .f you %a&e () ((ormal )utput! flourescents" you can easily build t%is %ood
from x6s and use 6" fan in place of t%e 2 4" fans33 .f you=re using BC) (Bery Cig%
)utput! or 19 (1ower 9ompact! lig%ts" you s%ould build t%e %ood out of x8s and use 2
6" fans for cooling33 .f using >C (>etal Calide! lig%ting" you s%ould build t%e canopy
from x2s to allow room for t%e 2 4" fans and 8eep t%e >etal Calide bulbs 8" abo&e t%e
surface of t%e water33
": ?ood -rawing is @ort% a 4%ousand @ords"
"List of materials for a 55 or 75 gal hood"
- 8= x2 (front" and bot% sides!
- A= x8 (for bac8!
2 - A= x<s (for top lid!
2 - 8= x2s (top trim and inside support!
2 - pairs of %inges (for t%e lid!
- $t @%ite epoxy paint (for inside %ood!
- pint stain
- pint polyuret%ane &arnis%
Hints: @%en using a circular saw" cut your wood wit% t%e good side down to pre&ent
splintering33
4%en sand and stain eac% piece before assembly33
Making the Lid: 4%e lengt% of t%e x<s used for t%e lid s%ould be cut to A +2" (or
+2" longer t%an t%e rest of t%e %ood! and you lay t%ese out and screw 6-4 strips of x2
(inside or outside (your preference!! to ma8e a one piece lid33 4%en set t%e lid on t%e %ood
and lea&e a 6+4" o&er%ang for t%e front and bot% sides and mar8 t%e bac8 and rip cut t%e
excess off t%e bac833 4%en add your %inges33
Wrapping things up: (ow you add t%e top x2 trim boards to t%e top of t%e %ood (front
and sides! under t%e o&er%ang of t%e lid33
@%en assembled" apply t%e epoxy paint to t%e inside and allow it to cure o&ernig%t33 4%en
apply 4 or A coats of polyuret%ane (inside and outside!33
>ount your lig%ts and fire it up33 en#oy *-!
: 0imple 'uild-.t-
/ourself :$uarium
9anopy
3 'uild a rectangular box
slig%tly larger t%an your tan8
top (so t%at it will slip o&er
t%e tan8!" using 6+4" x 4"
boards (A and B!3 (ote t%at
B is %oriDontal3 4%is
pro&ides space in t%e bac8
for %ang-on filters" and for
water and air %oses to pass
t%roug%3
23 :ttac% s%ort 6+4" x 6+4"
s$uare rods (C! to t%e inside
of t%e box about 6+4" abo&e
t%e bottom of t%e A boards" and &ertically from t%e B board so t%at t%e bottom of
t%is rod reac%es down to t%e same le&el as t%e bottom surfaces of t%e ot%er rods3
4%ese rods will support t%e canopy on t%e tan8 top3 (/ou may need to &ary t%e
distance from t%e bottom of t%e box to t%ese rods" or add additional molding to t%e
bottom of t%e box" to %ide t%e waterline3!
63 9ut a lid out of A+8" plywood (D!" slig%tly larger t%an t%e outside dimension of t%e
box3 :ttac% " molding (E! to t%e front and two sides of t%e t%e lid to bloc8 lig%t
lea8age3
43 1aint t%e inside of t%e box and bottom of t%e lid w%ite to maximiDe lig%t reflection
(w%ite paint is &ery close to a perfect reflector and is muc% simpler to apply t%an
mirrored reflectors!3 Einis% t%e ot%er surfaces to your taste3
A3 :ttac% lid to box wit% %inges3 :ttac% bulb clips (F! to t%e inside of t%e lid (two
loc8ing clips or four non-loc8ing clips per bulb!3 1lace canopy on a$uarium and
add lig%t bulbs and prewired waterproof end caps (G!F3
FNote: Prewired waterproof endcaps can be purchased from your local aquarium stores, or from
Pet Warehouse.