# Canopy for 220gallon



## rchickering (Jun 10, 2008)

First of all,* thank you* for all of the DIY posts for canopies in this forum. I pulled A LOT of info from other people's projects and hopefully my thread will help some others!

I am in the process of designing a canopy for my 220g tank and any feedback is appreciated.

Outside trim dimensions on tank are 72.75" x 24.25"

The plan has the lid composed of the top and front piece to allow better access to the tank versus only having the top piece open and having to reach over another 8" to get in the tank.

My current stand is pine and I am thinking of using .5" (it's actually 15/32") Enhanced AC Plywood and seeing if I can either try to match the stand color or sand down the stand and stain each piece. Worst case scenario I might paint the pieces instead.

If I stain it, I will apply multiple coats of polyurethane to help protect the wood.

If I paint it, I will use a high gloss outdoor white paint on the inside. Not sure what color or paint to use for the rest of the canopy/stand.

Would really like to use the oak plywood but then the canopy won't match the stand and that creates an entirely different project and I am not sure my wife will understand..... would have to change the dimensions too as the oak plywood is .75" thick instead of .5"

I plan on using spring loaded hinge supports on the 2 lid portions (picked this idea up from another post on this forum - thanks!)

Spring loaded hinge supports

A 1"x3" will run inside the canopy approx 2" from the bottom to allow the canopy to cover the trim on the top of the tank.

Here are my designs so far:

Canopy










Dimensions of each piece (pieces B and C will be rectangles - I was drawing each piece off the canopy drawing made these at an angle)










Cutting 4' x 8' plywood piece - I plan on taking advantage of the local big box hardware store's ability to cut!










I plan on making a support out of the 1" x 3" that will go down the center of the tank (from front to back) that will help support the lids. This will be a box with holes cut out so that I can rest the lights on the outside support and this support. Currently I have two 36" compact flo's.

(I ran out of patience using the ruler on this one and just drew it free hand  )









A piece of wood trim will run across the front of the tank to help 'box' in the bottom of the canopy and cover the aquarium trim while the lid(s) are open. The side pieces will extend .75" off the back to cover the 1"x10" and .5" off the front to cover the trim.

Here is a breakdown of costs:

$25 - plywood (if I use oak costs will be $60)
$10 - 1"x10"x8' pine for back piece
$5 - 1"x3"x10' for braces
$10 - trim piece for front
$20 - piano hinges
$5 - wood glue
$20 - paint or stain
$25 - spring loaded lid supports
$20 - extra trim pieces to decorate
$10 - brads/screws/etc

GRAND TOTAL = $150 or if I use Oak plywood $185

Ebay has canopies for sale for $265 but you have to assemble them, stain/paint and I would still have to purchase the lid supports so total cost would be over $300.

This is enough for now. Feel free to provide any thoughts - I can take constructive ideas pretty well


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

I would use solid wood near all the heat and moisture. Plywood, unless it's MDO or HDO (used in building outdoor billboards) would be a risk.


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## rchickering (Jun 10, 2008)

Anyone else have bad luck with plywood?


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## johnmonroney (Mar 17, 2009)

:-?


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## gmaschke (Aug 23, 2008)

I have had good luck with plywood I painted the inside with garage floor 1 part epoxy paint and staind the outside and multiple coats of helmsman


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## rchickering (Jun 10, 2008)

The reason I asked for more feedback is that I have had a stand and canopy from RJ Aquatics for 8 years and the wood looks to be oak plywood and I haven't had any issues. Not sure if anything special is done to it to prepare it but it is holding up fine.


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## boredatwork (Sep 14, 2007)

This is a classic dilemma.

Personally, in this scenario I think it is fine. I am guessing most people use plywood without any problems. As long as you seal the wood very well the amount of moisture actually getting to the wood for any significant amount of time should be pretty close to zero.

Actually, the more I think about it the more I don't see any problem with plywood. My other point would be that a canopy is mostly aesthetic, not structural. It only has to hold up its own weight, which is not hard to do. And the pieces of wood we are talking about are relatively small. In my opinion I really don't think its a problem.


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## rchickering (Jun 10, 2008)

I decided to move forward with the plywood and here are some pics of the progress:

First of all... the new toy! Air compressor with 18g brad nailer...made the project MUCH easier!









Some of the material:









Check to make sure it fits:


















Center support for lights


















Light towards front









Light towards back









And finally...my helpers!!









Next step is to prime everything and then start painting. Inside will be high gloss white and outside will be black. The stand will also be painted black.


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## rchickering (Jun 10, 2008)

Here is an update on the canopy!

Primed and painted it:



















Added some trim to the stand:




























Attached spring loaded lid supports so each section will stay up by itself:





































Next, I need to add some trim to the canopy and prime and paint the stand...


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## milazzo (Mar 26, 2009)

Where did you get those spring loaded hinges? Also, can you post a pick of the hinges you put on the back of the canopy? I am currently building a canopy and trying to finish the lid. Those spring hinges look like the perfect thing.


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## mepeterser2451 (Mar 23, 2007)

nice


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## rchickering (Jun 10, 2008)

Here is a link to the website I purchased the hinges from:

Spring Loaded Lid Supports

There are directions/instructions on how to determine which springs you need.

I 'upgraded' one level to make sure they would hold the lid open...ended up installing 2 on each lid (each spring supports 65-95 in./lbs). By their directions I needed enough to support 120 in./lbs. The springs all cost the same.

They sell these at Lowe's but there isn't a rating on how much they support... bought them for my other tank and they did not support the lid enough to keep it open. Had to return them and bought some extra from the above website.


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## rchickering (Jun 10, 2008)

I added some trim to the canopy to match the stand.

The painting is done and here are some pics of the final project:


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## bell (Dec 12, 2005)

looking good


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## Hthundar (Apr 10, 2009)

Any update on this?


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## Malawi_Junkie (Nov 26, 2009)

Looks awesome, Great build.
I really like the trim work! :thumb:


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## rchickering (Jun 10, 2008)

Thanks for the comments!

Here is a recent picture:


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