DIY canopy questions

S

shinyfish

AC Members
Aug 7, 2008
240
0
0
Well i got a general idea of what i am going to do for my canopy.. no set design yet though. Trying to decide between having it split in half where the entire from folds over or the rim stays on and the top and open up in sections.

Anyways, the questions are..

How should i go about sealing/staining the wood, and also painting the inside white?

Should there be any barrier between the light bulbs and the water?
 
There are counless ways to seal the wood. Any paint will seal it. I prefer spray enamel. No brush marks and a hardened finish. You can stain it too. Just be sure you use a water resistant clear coat. I cut acrylic covers for a vapor barrier. Not for the lights though. Never had a problem with the moisture and lights. The problem was mildew devloping under the canopy.
 
I never put a barrier between the lights and water, but then again I do drill a few holes in the back of the canopy which help with evaporation.

Spray on sealers are AWESOME. Just discovered how amazing they were not too long ago. Gives it a very professional look.

Dunno what to tell you about painting the inside....just paint it? lol, nothing complicated about that.
 
55gal, just wanted to make sure that its a common practice not to put something between the lights and the tank.

I definitely plan to add some types of vents to it.

About painting the inside white was just kinda including that in the question of sealing it.


What style did you guys go with for your? ie how it opens
That's the hardest part i am having trouble deciding on...
 
The most common way and best way IMO is have the the front part open up. You will split the entire canopy into 2 parts. You want 2/3 of the canopy stationary for stability and the front 1/3 to open. This will give an easy and large area of access to the tank for w/c, feeding, adding new additions etc. You will need to use a "Continuous Hinge" for this. In carpentry they are commonly known as a "piano hinge" Here is a link to the one I have built.
 
Yea i like the way the one you built looks, for a 55 seems all i would really need is 1 sheet of plywood and a piano hinge.
 
shinyfish said:
Yea i like the way the one you built looks, for a 55 seems all i would really need is 1 sheet of plywood and a piano hinge.
Click to expand...

Plywood is no good for this project. You want to at least frame in the sides with 1x's. This will reduse the amount and length of cuts providing a more uniform project. If you wanted you could use plywood for the top. Besides, unless you buy very expensive sand ply, the 1x boards will look 100 times better. Plywood is a bit unsightly for finish projects.
Depending on how high you wanted the canopy over the tank would be the deciding factor in what size lumber. I would recommend 1x6 pine boards for a 55. Any higher for that small tank would look awkward.Like a Dr. Seuss hat. A 1x6 is 5 1/4" wide and 3/4" thick. The trim on your tank is (probably) around 1". You want to make it so it covers the trim. Add the 1" of trim and the 3/4" thickness of the top piece and that will leave you with 4" of inside height to add lights.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom