building hood

[jody]

hey i was thinking about building a light hood to cover the entire top of my tank. i want it about 12 inches high, and just the dimentions of my tank. my problem is that i dont know what kind of wood to use, and my tank is 6 feet long.
the reason i am doing this is so i can get my lights off of my aquarium glass, due to they are heating my tank incredibly.
any information would be great

[cary Henderson]

Basic info for DIY hood /sump etc.
try
www.cyberreefguru.com (http://www.cyberreefguru.com/diy/index.htm)
goto DIY section
I used 3/8 plywood for top and 1x6 fenceboards for sides was cheap was a bout $10

[briansmyth]

If temperature is a problem, had you thought about putting a fan on your sump? This could drop the temperature a couple of degrees right away - maybe this could be an interim approach until you've built a hood. You will need to top off your water more often though.

[scotchy]

If you are going to paint it, I would use those laminated pine panels, you can get them at any lumber store. Pine is easy to cut and rout nice patterns in, and the laminated panels have a lot less movement. Then spruce plywood for the top. If you want to stain, then the sky is the limit. There are so many nice woods out there now. If you are sealing the entire thing, I believe you can even get away with using MDF. Just don't get it wet. JMO.


Scott

[Quinster]

I used MDF on both my 180G and 75G canopies. I used paint able silicone on all the internal seams, and painted with 4 coats of varathane white on the inside and 4 coats of melamine black varathane on the outside. 6+ years for the one over the 180G and no warping or other problems.

[jody]

does anyone know of any priceranges off the top of their heads?

also my sump is small liek 10 gals and only 1/4 of it is uncoverd, should i still try a fan on that, its like 7 inch by 7 inch of open space

[Quinster]

1 - 4X8 sheet 1/2" MDF @ $30
25' or so of 2 X 2 @ $30
1 can Varathane BLK @ $6
1 can Varathane WHT @ $6
4 Hinges for doors @ $10
1 Box of screws @ 10
1 Tube silicone @ $6

So @ $100 plus the case of beer it took to build it :beer-vi: but that's just me.

[Invigor]

I also used premium mdf for my canopy, although unlike quinn, I used lacquer to seal it. I sealed the canopy with about 5 coats of clear lacquer then returned to where I bought it and had it tinted black, and added a few more coats, and painted the inside flat white.


Lacquer by the sounds of it, cost a little more than varathayne, but I also bought a gallon of it, so I have loads to spare.

[jody]

alright sounds like a project for the summer,