Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board - need info on building a canopy fora 175W MH and a CP unit

Many different ways to approach this. Here are some pictures of my 75g, which is a square tank like yours, to hopefully give you some ideas.

http://members.shaw.ca/hobiesailor/t...rontofhood.jpg
http://members.shaw.ca/hobiesailor/t...pydooropen.jpg

Basically it is made out of 3/4" oak plywood, which I used because I had extra lying around after building the stand. In retrospect, I kind of wish I at least would have thought about using 1/2" oak plywood, because then the hood would be lighter. The difference is probably not enough to worry about, though, so no real worries there. Anyways, what I did was I cut the sides (and notice how the sides actually sit outside the tank, they sit on "rails" on the inside -- don't make the mistake of measuring the side pieces to directly sit on top of the tank, because that's probably not what you want [I've made this mistake]). The back panel, sits on the tank, because it doesn't matter back there, nobody is looking back there. I used L-brackets to hold the pieces together. Sides, back, and part of the top. That there was a mistake. I should have built my door first, then mounted the hinge, and then measure what I needed to make the back piece of the top reach all the way back. What I did was mount the fixed piece first, and of course didn't take into account the width of the piano hinge. First, the door hung out way too far. Making it all fit after that mistake involved a lot of swearing, a few do-overs, and another trip to HD to get a new piece of 3/4" oak plywood because by then I had used it all up. You'll also notice the white strip on the right hand side, because my first attempt at a correction was an overcorrection, and then the door was too small and wouldn't close. So I tried to sand a strip out to see if I could make the door close. That didn't work. Anyways, so if you decide to go with a design like this, make the door first, then cut the back piece on afterwards. It doesn't matter if it hangs out the back, no-one will see it (boy the things that you see in hindsight. Oh well..)

Because it's plywood and not solid oak, I had to use the iron-on veneer on the visible edges. That stuff is wood, and stains very nicely like the rest of the wood (that is if you're going with a stained look).

Another thing I wish I had done differently, is the reflectors are parallel, I wish I used the perpendicular ones instead. They cost more, but you get more light directed downwards into the tank. Oh well, that's not really a function of the canopy (and is an upgrade I am currently saving up for).

Anyways what I do like about this kind of design is that the front of the canopy lifts up, and gets completely out of your way when you want access to the tank. And since we're all obsessive-compulsive in this hobby, it seems we have our hands in the tank every other five minutes, so easy access is a good thing, and not something you want to skimp on.

Another example that uses the piano hinge, is where the canopy is literally divided in half by the hinge, and instead just the front panel lifting up and out of your way, the sides come along for the ride too. Stephane (on this board and others) has a design like this (along with many others of course), so if you see a post by him, click on his website and you'll see some pictures of his setup there. It's very nicely done.

Canadian_Man also has a good setup that he built over his tank, which uses a cabinet door kind of idea for the front. Look at his website for ideas there too.

Anyways, I hope this gives you a few ideas to work with to get you started. If you think of any questions, fire them away and we'll do our best to answer them. In my (humble :) ) opinion, there is a lot of talent on this board and most people are happy to share their ideas/experiences so "you've come to the right place". 8) Hope this helps, good luck, and keep us informed of your progress! We will want to see what you come up with! ;)

cheers 8)