# 90 gal Custom Aquarium Canopy



## IndovinaVI (Jan 19, 2010)

Hey everybody! I've been a member for quite some time and a viewer for just about a couple of years and have turned to this site MANY times for advice on the everything that has come up with the care of my cichlids, and figured I'd come out of the shadows and share with you the progress of my recent "project," and give you something to read before the big game.










When I got the tank back almost a year ago it became one of the focal points of our living room and since it didn't come with a top it definitely looked as if it was missing something. It sits about 5 feet high and above the water are a 48" & 24" florescent 6500k tubes and propped above that was a DIY 10,000k Halide. At first glance it seemed okay and to the untrained eye was probably just fine, but overall to me it became an eye-sore as it was the center of attention especially it being right at eye level. So I went out shopping to some LFSs and saw how much canopies were selling for, and figured there was NO way I was gonna pay that much for someone's time cause it didn't seem all that complicated. Went home, and sulked for a few more months. Come November I found ideas on here inspiring the creativity within me to construct this canopy to match my stand, being as I like building things and LOVE saving too. Weighing the options: worst case lose a little $ but should gain much more considering the experience especially if it worked out.

During one of my site visits to the site's Library, I came across the article written by Hoa G. Nguyen: A Simple Build-It-Yourself Aquarium Canopy http://cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_canopy2.php There were things I liked and didn't and going by the simplicity of this design allowed me to customize certain areas of the setup to my liking. Beginning with the design, I decided to give it more height and front access doors.




























Looks simple enough, right? I figured that I had covered all aspects of ambiguity, and thought it was time to shop for the materials. Around the corner from my work is Home Depot, and hopped over there on monday cause things were slow. I found these sheets of pine that were the only ones long enough for the length of my tank and began second-guessing myself..









"that's a sure quick way to blow $70.."

Based on my design, I was only going to need two sheets. I measured it a few times, powered up the saws and began the process.



















With the tank construction almost completed, I set the top and front doors up to see how it'd all look together.










Not bad!! Now it was time to head home, "fit" the thing in my 1970 beetle and set out on a 14 mile trip home on the dreaded LA 405. When getting it there I couldn't wait to see how it all fit. LIKE A GLOVE! I swear someone from above was looking over me cause it NEVER goes this easy!



















Now I thought, it looks pretty good this way.. do I really want to screw it up more or should I just keep pushing. EF it.. keep going. Pulled it off the tank and stuck the sides on, and began cutting the holes for the front access doors. Job is finally looking near its completion, which is good- we live right above the landlord, and I was using the jigsaw in the living room at 10:30pm.. fiance just watching from the couch- shaking her head 










I kept getting excited and couldn't wait to see it on the tank- so up it went again and just had to see the moonlights shining through 

Last but not least.. the doors. When you shop for hinges, make sure the product in the bin matches the hinge on display. I had mistakenly purchased the wrong one, but it was ok. I had been working on this all afternoon and deserved to sit and relax for the rest of the evening.

A couple of days later, I went out and replaced the error with the correct hinge and VERIFIED it this time. Got the stain to match the stand and a can of lacquer. Came home and couldn't wait to get these doors up! All that's left is a little bit of sanding and laying on the color. Entire construction process less than 4 hours (spent triple that drawing it)




























Overall- NOT BAD! I am really impressed with my work and couldn't be ANY happier! Lessons learned:
Always verify what you're buying- not everyone puts things back where they found it.
Measure like 4 times, it's only pencil and can be erased.
When you construct it- use a **** square.. I mean that $2 piece of plastic makes it look like a rectangle vs a trapezoid. (almost made this mistake- could've been costly)
Think about how to transfer it back home before you build it.. I mean my headliner was already bad but now it's REALLY bad 
If you're going to live above the landlord, make sure they can't hear you drilling & banging in the living room- I'm lucky ours can't hear anything five feet in front of her.

Without considering my time spent- I saved about $150 building it myself and that is a GOOD feeling. I am welcome to any comments, and who knows.. what will be next! There are a LOT of posts on this site and I have a bit more of free time, and this strange addiction to screwing with my tank. 
Well, on to the next- thanks for reading


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## Woodworm (Jan 3, 2009)

Nice job. If your going to worried about messing up your headliner with further projects you might want to look into buying a small cheap second hand truck that you can use for projects.


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