# DIY Canopy for my 125 Gal tank



## sjlchgo (Mar 2, 2008)

*Here are some pics of my DIY Canopy. I'll add more pics as I progress. Still have to add the piano hinge in the hood, add my night lighting and "hide" the wires. I used a rocker switch with 2 controls on it. One switch controls the "day" lights and the other will control the night lights(blue or green CF bulbs) *










































*With the lights added...*









*I used sideways mounted sockets and CF bulbs*









*Put a block of 1x2 on the underside to allow space between the bulb and canopy surface*









*First coat of stain added...*


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## BurgerKing (Jul 1, 2008)

Good style so far, i like a simple kind of feel. How do you want this to look when you're done? Light, Dark, Mediumish? Or are you just adding until you like it?


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

I don't like the hinged lid on a canopy. Some canopies, instead of hinges, have a blocking that supports the top and also has a notch on either side that holds the lid in a stable open position. these are the well-designed canopies IMO. It gives you the option to lift off the lid and set it aside for extensive work on the tank, and avoids the hinge-associated problem of the lid slamming shut by itself.


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## sjlchgo (Mar 2, 2008)

I'm going to just keep adding till it catches my eye. Regreting not upgrading to the more expensive wood(stain grade) but budgetary constraints(wife) prevented this. I may sand the front of it down some and finish it again so it looks nicer.

As for the hinges, I am going to make it so it goes all the way back and out of the way to address those issues. I do have the blocking install as well already. I may just add molding and a handle and leave it. My other canopy is that way and I do like the ability to move it out of the way completely. We'll see.....


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## boredatwork (Sep 14, 2007)

I personally do not like any of the non-hinge implementations that I have seen, however, a piano hinge is not my cup of tea either. There are other hinges that can be used to avoid the lid falling shut - but they tend to be more expensive so I dont know if that fits your goal. I can post a few examples if you are interested.

Also, there are some things you can do to get around the "less expensive wood". When you stain construction grade wood it usually comes out pretty bad. On my DIY stand I used 2x4's on the inside frame, but cabinet grade mahogany on the outside. I didn't want to cover the inside with mahogany (I'm not made of money) but I didn't want the 2x4's to not match the quality of the outside plywood.

What I did was sand down the 2x4's really well. I used a #60, #120, and #220 grit progression. I used the #60 excessively on any areas that had ugly knots. Use an electric sander of some kind because you really need to sand a lot. Then I basically spackled the whole frame with wood filler. This is a key step. A lot of construction grade wood has really crappy grain. The reason it looks bad when you stain it is because the stain is not evenly absorbed because of uneven grain structure. Also since it hasn't been sanded down like construction grade wood, or was possibly left out in the sun for a long time, or in the rain for a long time, it can drink in the stain and makes it hard to control color consistency. I saw this happen on the areas where I didn't use wood filler (the parts you cant see). The color came out awful. The wood filler fixes all of those problem. Basically I smeared it on and rubbed off as much as possible, then sanded it down after it dried out. While I can say this is a very good preparation step for the wood before staining - its is A LOT of work, especially over large surface areas. Not only does it take a long time, but my back and arms were sore for days.

After that you would then use a pre-stain conditioner before applying the stain coats. You will also need to use either a darker stain or more coats, because the wood filler and conditioner will lessen the absorption of the stain, so you usually need 1 or 2 more coats then normal.

I wont let you think it will be as nice as really expensive wood, but this would give you the best look given the wood choice


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## sjlchgo (Mar 2, 2008)

That's what I use for the cabinet faces. I bought the construction grade wood for the canopy and I usually get the oak boards for that. I didn't think it would be that much difference but I can see that there is. Thanks for the tips. Please post the examples of the hinges you are speaking of.


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## boredatwork (Sep 14, 2007)

In general they are called lift support hinges, or sometimes lid support hinges.

These are not the ones I used, but I am thinking of changing to these:
http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES. ... rt%20Hinge

There are more simpler/cheaper options here:
http://www.hardwaresource.com/Store_Vie ... sp?Cat=345


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## Hoosier Tank (May 8, 2007)

Love the lights!!! :wink:


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## sjlchgo (Mar 2, 2008)

Here's how it looks with the night lighting. I decided to try green bulbs on this tank. Tell me what you think. My others are blue. I kinda like the green!


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## boredatwork (Sep 14, 2007)

It looks radioactive. Or like night vision.


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## sjlchgo (Mar 2, 2008)

Those are green CF bulbs. I may go back to blue.


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## iceblue (Apr 27, 2004)

I don't know. I kinda like that green look. Captures the spirit of Halloween.


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## sjlchgo (Mar 2, 2008)

I had forgotten to add a pic of the blue. Here's goes..this is only one side of the tank.


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## Zack2112 (Jul 11, 2008)

The green is interesting to say the least, i dont know if i love it or not. it definatley different, and i think i like it. but im not sure. hahah. i did go "ooooohhh" when i saw the pic tho. Im glad you showed pics with colored CF bulbs tho, cause im going to be doing a DIY canopy soon and thought about using them. Nice build!


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