# My 1st DIY Canopy



## imusuallyuseless (Dec 28, 2005)

As the title says, my first attempt at this for a 50G. Didn't come out perfect, but not too bad..

Front:








Right side:








Left side:








Top up left:








Top up right:








Straight ahead:








Inside left:








Back:









Still need to get a handle, and then paint it.


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## beachtan (Sep 25, 2008)

Wow- did you do that in one day!!?? it looks great! I'm checking often on your diy background


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## imusuallyuseless (Dec 28, 2005)

Thanks. Actually took an hour or two. Would've been quicker, but I didn't really plan it out. Just kinda adjusted ideas as I went along and started putting it together.


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## loogielv (Nov 10, 2008)

are there issues with condensation on the lights with a canopy like this? I would think you'd have to put some sorta of a lid between the water and lights...but then again, waht do i know?

I'm planning a 600gal tank and I'm hung up on the design of a lid that I can put lights under and have my spray bar and all that within the lid...


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

That looks good :thumb: Are you making a matching stand? I would suggest to do so to help with that beefy look the wood you chose gives it.

I would also make a suggestion to add some moldings/trim to it.

:thumb:


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

loogielv, I have a All Glass wooden canopy that I incorporated a DIY spiral mini compact florescent fixture into with a open top aquarium. I never have any build up at all what so ever and it is to high to be affected by any water splashing around. With the size of the gap in the rear of the canopy to accommodate any HOB appliances, condensation or moisture should not be a problem.


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## loogielv (Nov 10, 2008)

that's awesome to know. so in your other setup there's nothing between the lights and the water either? how high is the light from the surface?

and if i'm understanding, you're not gonna separate the lights from the water on this one either right?

Do you feel you'd have to have the light farther away, the bigger the tank is? If you were doing a 600gallon tank would the lights have to be a great distance away to be safe?

My concern is evaporation, so i want to seal the whole top, but I also need to have lights of course, so sealing would have to be done w/ acrylic as opposed to wood, unless I can put the lights SAFELY on the inside of the canopy....just trying to get a feel from someone that has done it...

ty for the reply btw.


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

Hold up, I need to clear up the fact that Im not the OP first hand :lol:

But how ever, Im not sure of how far my lights are from the water surface, until I measure it if I find my tape all I can tell you is it is at the exact height the AGA canopy is made.



> Do you feel you'd have to have the light farther away, the bigger the tank is? If you were doing a 600gallon tank would the lights have to be a great distance away to be safe?


Well, nothing should need to be changed to be honest. Just keep the water level just right to avoid splash.



> My concern is evaporation, so i want to seal the whole top, but I also need to have lights of course, so sealing would have to be done w/ acrylic as opposed to wood, unless I can put the lights SAFELY on the inside of the canopy....just trying to get a feel from someone that has done it...


I'm sorry I'm confused with this one but I'll try. If evaporation is a concern which is understandable you are aware they have glass and some acrylic lids for that purpose so any light source above the tank will be visible. The wooden canopy then just goes on top like the picture shown. I dont think wood would be a good choice for that


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

Double post, sorry blame it on the website traffic not me


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## loogielv (Nov 10, 2008)

JWerner2 said:


> Hold up, I need to clear up the fact that Im not the OP first hand :lol:


 Imposter!
Sorry I didn't realize, I'm back and forth through so many threads right now i just assumed. Anyway, I appreciate the info and follow up help. I hope the OP doesn't mind out chatter...



> But how ever, Im not sure of how far my lights are from the water surface, until I measure it if I find my tape all I can tell you is it is at the exact height the AGA canopy is made.


 could you guestimate? 2'? 10"? just curious. rough idea is fine.



> I'm sorry I'm confused with this one but I'll try. If evaporation is a concern which is understandable you are aware they have glass and some acrylic lids for that purpose so any light source above the tank will be visible. The wooden canopy then just goes on top like the picture shown. I dont think wood would be a good choice for that


well here's my thinking and why it fits in with this thread and the OPs canopy. If i build my own tank (plywood), with dimensions of about 8'x40"x40".. That's alot of surface area and alot of evaporation. I would need to keep the top covered up, but with spray bars and cross bracing and all that, i can't think of a simple way to create a top that will both allow all my plumbing back into the tank, allow for easy access via a lid to feed the fish or maintenance, while also allowing light to shine into the tank.

Large pieces plexiglass over the top sitting directly on the cross braces is a possibility as long as I have openings cut for the plumbing and a flap for maintenance...but what if i need to maintain the tank on the opposite end of from the access flap? now i need several flaps to cover an 8' long tank. Also, the flaps have to be short enough to clear the lights hanging above it, or I need to have a way to completely remove the flap , but that means bigger holes for my plumbing etc etc.

The simplest idea I can come up with a canopy lid, that's all sealed, but allows me to open it up and get access to the tank. Inside the canopy is the lights, but the condensation coming from 600gallons really scares me. I'm just trying to see if really isn't a concern. From what you're saying, it shouldn't be...

sorry op if you consider this hijacking. I promise it's not my intent. I'm just trying to see if your design is acceptable for my design, and unfortunately, I'm long winded and tend to ramble...

again I apologize.[/quote]


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

The measurement is roughly around 6&1/2-7"s.

Now for the rest, Im sorry but I cant help with that. You are making your own tank now I understands so the foot print would be different or I would really just suggest getting glass tops.

How ever if you do acrylic tops you could do sections and just glue handles to those sections and lift them off for maintenance.


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## imusuallyuseless (Dec 28, 2005)

I did consider adding mouldings to it, but I think it looks fine as is. I generally prefer then minimalistic look so it keeps attention on the tank itself, not the stand/canopy. I'm also a fan of DIY as a means to keep things affordable so I prefer not to add trim unless I need to cover up a mistake or something.

I already made a matching stand, but failed to document it because I've built so many stands before. I suppose I should've though because this is a much different design than I usually build. I designed it for the tank to sit inside the outer frame rails so the oak tank trim is hidden. Unfortuately I forgot to account for the thickness of the styro, so I will have to add a bit of moulding on top of the stand.

























I haven't yet attached the doors, but they and some of the other pieces of wood were reclaimed from this 100G stand that wasn't in great shape.









This is also the first time I've used anything less than 2x4's on a tank stand, and this one has shown me that I don't have to go so overkill on stands for smaller tanks. They can be built w/less and still be sturdy.

Anywhooo, I haven't done anything else w/the canopy yet. As I stated in my other thread I will be using tops to fight evaporation and to help keep the temp stable. Obviously I'm not concerned about condensation issues because of this. I would be happy to share my two cents on your situation loogielv when I get a bit more time.


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## loogielv (Nov 10, 2008)

awesome man. thanks for the follow up and help offering. for now, just get your things handled and looking good. i'm a nut for these photos. :thumb:


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## Hoosier Tank (May 8, 2007)

Hey imusuallyuseless!
If you haven't painted the inside of it yet I suggest putting a thin (1/8"-1/4") strip about an 1" or 2" wide along the inside, mounted half way on the stationary piece, overhanging to keep light from showing through hinged gap where the lid meets.
It would be just ahead of the light fixture.. you could even do it on the ends. Like a lip on the inside. Hard to explain I guess.
Looking at the inside run it from end to end so the center line is over the gap but glue and brad it to the stationary piece only.... I will try to get pics of mine if I totally confused you. Just let me know if needed.


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

Sounds good.

One thing, you can still find trim that will stay low profile and keep the center of attention on the tank as well as not hit your pocket. Its not mine so I cant argue but I would do it even if it is a simple trim.


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## imusuallyuseless (Dec 28, 2005)

loogielv, IMHO glass tops are going to be your best bet. I would certainly be worried about evaporation and condensation on the lights w/a tank that size. Even my DIY plywood 180G tank had a good bit of evaporation w/o tight-fitting lids. There are supposedly 'water-proof' endcaps for light setups such as this, but I personally wouldn't build the lights in like you're saying. I'd do glass tops and then an additional REMOVABLE canopy. The reason I'd suggest glass instead of acryllic is that acrylic tops will generally warp unless you build a box, so flat pieces laid on top of the braces won't work. I can also see why you'd want to have everything built in. W/those dimensions you can simply leave the plywood 48" high and just make cut-outs in the front/sides for access or make the entire top a hinged lid. It would certainly seem to be an easier setup, but consider that at 40" high it's already a very tall tank. Adding anything permanent to the height would be a mistake IMHO. At first I had a **** of a time doing maintenance on my 180G plywood tank because I planned to use a full plywood top and simply cut out access holes. It ended up being a PITA so I eventally removed the entire top and went w/minimal braces(4-6" wide spaced ~2' apart) and used glass tops. This really made working on the tank a much easier task. It also made catching fish 100x easier. some of the pieces of glass I used were the long pieces of a 10G tank I took apart because it broke. Obviously you'd need bigger pieces than that, but that just illustrates that you can use rather thin(and reasonable lightweight) glass for the tops. Acryllic would either need much thicker(and expensive) or small boxes built. IF you'd still prefer acryllic I'd pm TheFishGuy because I believe he has the boxes I speak of on his 800G. As far as maintain such a large tank, I'd look at TFG's filtration system as he has a very simple 30% water change plumbing built. When I built my next DIY plywood tank I'll incorporate a feature like this so I could do the weekly water changes easily, and I'd only vacum the substrate monthly w/an extension on the end of a python hose.

Hoosier Tank, I'm fairly certain I know what you mean. I'd do it if I had a space piece of wood that thin, but I don't, so i'd have to buy it. Not sure exactly how I'll go about solving this issue, but i'll think of something...

JWerner2, we'll see what happens. Just wrecked the wife's new car, so is kind of on the back burner :?


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

> JWerner2, we'll see what happens. Just wrecked the wife's new car, so is kind of on the back burner Perplexed


That sucks. Just go without like you want to and if you want it later on get some kind of very simple trim that can be glued on with very thin double sided tape of something,... I mean it dont have to be this gody Victorian era looking trim. 

Unless however you paint it to match the wall perfectly and it sits almost flush against it  .


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## imusuallyuseless (Dec 28, 2005)

I may do it at some point. I used very small finishing nails to assemble most of it anyway, so I'd have no problems nailing trim onto the canopy. There's also the fact that I will be painting it black to match the stand so the effect of the trim wouldn't probably be nil.


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## loogielv (Nov 10, 2008)

Hoosier Tank said:


> Hey imusuallyuseless!
> If you haven't painted the inside of it yet I suggest putting a thin (1/8"-1/4") strip about an 1" or 2" wide along the inside, mounted half way on the stationary piece, overhanging to keep light from showing through hinged gap where the lid meets.
> It would be just ahead of the light fixture.. you could even do it on the ends. Like a lip on the inside. Hard to explain I guess.
> Looking at the inside run it from end to end so the center line is over the gap but glue and brad it to the stationary piece only.... I will try to get pics of mine if I totally confused you. Just let me know if needed.


 :-? confused doesn't even BEGIN to explain it for me. :lol:


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## loogielv (Nov 10, 2008)

imusuallyuseless said:


> loogielv, IMHO glass tops are going to be your best bet. I would certainly be worried about evaporation and condensation on the lights w/a tank that size. Even my DIY plywood 180G tank had a good bit of evaporation w/o tight-fitting lids. There are supposedly 'water-proof' endcaps for light setups such as this, but I personally wouldn't build the lights in like you're saying. I'd do glass tops and then an additional REMOVABLE canopy. The reason I'd suggest glass instead of acryllic is that acrylic tops will generally warp unless you build a box, so flat pieces laid on top of the braces won't work. I can also see why you'd want to have everything built in. W/those dimensions you can simply leave the plywood 48" high and just make cut-outs in the front/sides for access or make the entire top a hinged lid. It would certainly seem to be an easier setup, but consider that at 40" high it's already a very tall tank. Adding anything permanent to the height would be a mistake IMHO. At first I had a #%$& of a time doing maintenance on my 180G plywood tank because I planned to use a full plywood top and simply cut out access holes. It ended up being a PITA so I eventally removed the entire top and went w/minimal braces(4-6" wide spaced ~2' apart) and used glass tops. This really made working on the tank a much easier task. It also made catching fish 100x easier. some of the pieces of glass I used were the long pieces of a 10G tank I took apart because it broke. Obviously you'd need bigger pieces than that, but that just illustrates that you can use rather thin(and reasonable lightweight) glass for the tops. Acryllic would either need much thicker(and expensive) or small boxes built. IF you'd still prefer acryllic I'd pm TheFishGuy because I believe he has the boxes I speak of on his 800G. As far as maintain such a large tank, I'd look at TFG's filtration system as he has a very simple 30% water change plumbing built. When I built my next DIY plywood tank I'll incorporate a feature like this so I could do the weekly water changes easily, and I'd only vacum the substrate monthly w/an extension on the end of a python hose.


Thanks for the follow up. I was thinking about building the lights into the canopy, but then adding a layer of glass below the lights, but above the plumbing and other stuff...i think that would work the best and be the simplest. What do you think?


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