Show your Canopy for a 90-125 48"

[jelwyoming]

I am setting up a 115 tall right now. I have bought a 2x400w MH retro kit with 2x54 T5 atinics. I am looking for ideas on making the canopy for it. I have a 60g sitting on the stand that I made for it, so I am somewhat set to match the paneling. But I want to see ideas for mounting the lights, fans and storage. Does any one have some plans or pictures out there?

[comatose]

i have one i made in detail with lots of pics on my website there is also a thread that i put on here also.(link below)
i made it for a 180 gal, but the principal is the same.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=757443

[jelwyoming]

Thanks, Comatose, that is a real nice canopy. I am thinking of doing it quite a bit the same. Do you have anything that you would do differently now that you've had it a while?

[comatose]

actually, NO

It is working perfectly for me so far. i was worried about the heat of the summer months, but i have central air, if i didn't i'm sure i would need maybe two more fans.

[King-Kong]

I just purchased a pre-made (and cheap) canopy from Big Als online for like $100 shipped, then modified to house my VHOs (inside), MH lamp (sitting ontop of canopy for cooling), and then slapped on two radioshack fans.

Images here:

http://www.d3f.org/misc/fish/90g/17-canopy.jpg
http://www.d3f.org/misc/fish/90g/17-canopy2.jpg
http://www.d3f.org/misc/fish/90g/18-canopy-complete.jpg
http://www.d3f.org/misc/fish/90g/18b-canopy-complete.jpg

[jelwyoming]

Not a bad way to go!

[DarkFORCE]

Here are some pictures of mine:

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/123618DSCF0001.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/123618DSCF0002.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/123618DSC0F0001.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/123618DSC0F0004.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/123618DSCF0007.jpg

[pheel]

I did mine using oak plywood. A little bit heavy, but I rarelly open it.


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/54183couvercle3.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/54183couvercle1.jpg

[jelwyoming]

Nice job, Pheel!
How do you have that atinic supported forward of the MH's?

[comatose]

DarkFORCE and pheel nice work, looks awsome.

[jelwyoming]

Darkforce, is your top hinged besides having the two front doors? Where do you mount your ballasts? What kind of hinges are you using? How much room did you allow for swell in the wood when you made it?

[Phyxius]

Heres mine I built for my 90. It houses 2-250MHs and 2 Actinic VHOs for supplement. It also has fans in each end.
Building and pre finish stage:
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/78452000_0005__Small_.jpg



Finished:
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/78452000_0003x__Small_.jpg

I went a little different for staorage and built this to sit beside the tank :) It houses my chiller, ballasts, top off and as soon as its arrives my Geo Calcium Reactor
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/7845202c__Small_.jpg

[jelwyoming]

Very nice Mike. What did you coat the inside with, just white enamel paint? Looks great!

[Phyxius]

It was primed and then coated with 3 coats of Marine Enamel. It wont last forever but gives me a little more edge against the salt spray/vapor damage that occurs over time

[jelwyoming]

It looked like it was more than a standard paint job...nice!

[dkh0331]

I went a different route - My canopy & stand is all one -

http://wetwebfotos.com/usermedia/high/5/1695_46.jpg


David

[pmike25]

Heres one of mine on progress for my 180

Also Im doing one for a 58 gallon

Links are below pic.


http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h192/pmike25/9ad601e4.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=873839

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=824560&perpage=25&pagenumber=9

[pheel]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7632844#post7632844 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jelwyoming
Nice job, Pheel!
How do you have that atinic supported forward of the MH's?


thanks,

that was an old pic, I modified the VHO installation. The way it is installed now gives me more flexibility when I have to get my hands in the tank. I used a coralife reflector.

The angle of the shot doesn't show it clearly, but the VHO relfector doesn't interfere with the MH ones.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/54183couvercle4.jpg

[pheel]

pmike25, very nice !!!

[jelwyoming]

Wow, some great ideas. How far do you guys have your bulbs off the water? Any shields to keep splash off or just adequate distance? I know you don't need it with SE bulbs.

[jelwyoming]

Pheel, we have the same occupation by the way, aside from reefing. Not many of us around.

[pheel]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7633978#post7633978 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jelwyoming
Wow, some great ideas. How far do you guys have your bulbs off the water? Any shields to keep splash off or just adequate distance? I know you don't need it with SE bulbs.

about 12 inches for the MH, I never have to clean the reflector or the bulb. If I had to do it again I would probably installed them at 9-10 inches in order to have a smaller canopy.

about 4-5 inches for the VHO, need to clean them but not that much (once a month or so)

[pheel]

A lot of mechanical, computer or civil engineer, but automation is still a little bit mystical for many. Auto what ? What's that ? And when you say the word "PLC"... PL what ? eheh :)



<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7633987#post7633987 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jelwyoming
Pheel, we have the same occupation by the way, aside from reefing. Not many of us around.

[DarkFORCE]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7632859#post7632859 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jelwyoming
Darkforce, is your top hinged besides having the two front doors? Where do you mount your ballasts? What kind of hinges are you using? How much room did you allow for swell in the wood when you made it?

The top is hinged. The ballast are on the lid top. All wiring was drilled though the top and wire was shink wraped. As you can see no wire is really under the lid because the hole go right into the endcaps.

The top is a 48" Piano Hinge. I did not worried about swelling. The doors are on the outside and the top just sits on the box.

[jelwyoming]

Thanks to all for showing your hoods. Where have you all been mounting your ballast? (On top, back or seperate?) How many fans have been necessary to keep things cool? I am going to have 2x400watt MH with 108w of T5 atinics. Have any of you offset the reflectors from the roof panel, or are just mounting it flush. I am concerned about the heat. What other ideas are out there for access to lights and possible storage?
Any more hoods or canopys to show

[Phyxius]

jelwyoming,
In my canopy above there are 2- 4" fans on each end mounted closer to the water surface than the lights. Works well to cool the canopy with 2-250watt MHs and 2 4' VHOs. My ballasts are mounted away from the tank in the storage unit that sits next to the tank.
I mounted 3 strips of wood about 1"x2"x 15" in the canopy for the lights. There is one on each end and in the middle. This way the halides sit of the surface of the lid a little and air can flow around the tops also. It also keeps from heating the lid up so much as my wife has some decorations sitting up there. Since I use mainly the doors I really don't lift the lid

[pheel]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7643749#post7643749 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jelwyoming
Thanks to all for showing your hoods. Where have you all been mounting your ballast? (On top, back or seperate?) How many fans have been necessary to keep things cool? I am going to have 2x400watt MH with 108w of T5 atinics. Have any of you offset the reflectors from the roof panel, or are just mounting it flush. I am concerned about the heat. What other ideas are out there for access to lights and possible storage?
Any more hoods or canopys to show

My MH ballast are under the tank and my VHO ballast at the back of the stand. I'm using 175W bulb so heat is not a big problem.

[jelwyoming]

My tank is a 31" tall unit, so I am having to use 400w bulbs. If I understand correctly, some of you are using offsets to mount your reflectors to keep the heat off the top. I am using electronic ballasts, so I was hoping to mount them on top or back. Any experience there? I only purhased 2 4" fans so far and had intended on putting a vent on the other end. Do you think that will be adequate air flow?
Again, what kind of distance to the water are you guys keeping the bulbs at? Any problem getting them wet?

[pheel]

I would avoid any humid location and the inside of your canopy may suffer from water that condense when it cools down at night.

The back of your stand is a good location as far as you have some kind of protection against splashing water. Sooner or later it will happen. A small piece of fiberglass or plastic to cover your ballast will do the trick.

[michaelm2431]

Nice work people. I used a few different ideas on my 125. The best was putting my MH's on drawer slides for easy access to the tank. Mike http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/michaelm2431/SaltWaterTank003.jpg http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/michaelm2431/SaltWaterTank004.jpg http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/michaelm2431/SaltWaterTank014.jpg http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/michaelm2431/SaltWaterTank024.jpg

[jelwyoming]

How did you mount the MH's on the slides? That sounds very nice!

[michaelm2431]

Screwed the bracket to a 1x2 http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/michaelm2431/SaltWaterTank811.jpg http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/michaelm2431/SaltWaterTank810.jpg

[michaelm2431]

Then screwed the reflector to the cross brace.

[jelwyoming]

Great idea. Do you think that the rails will corrode?

[michaelm2431]

Not as long as there's no bare metal on them.

[jelwyoming]

Any more canopy pictures. I would like to see how your reflectors are mounted and what they look like. Which type is the most efficient and spreading the light evenly?

[jelwyoming]

BUMP for the holiday

[pheel]

most people use this king of reflector (including me)

http://www.reefgeek.com/products/categories/lighting/104275.html

but for my next setup, I would probably tried these king of reflector because the same reflector can incorporate the VHO

http://www.reefgeek.com/products/categories/lighting/10106.html

[jelwyoming]

That's what I am going to use Pheel. Thanks!

[King-Kong]

I use the RO III and am very satisfied. Sanjay's testing showed it to be a very nice reflector, also.

[jelwyoming]

Where can you find those, Kong?

[King-Kong]

reefgeek.com sells them.

I purchased mine as part of a pre-assembled kit.

This kit; http://www.reefgeek.com/products/categories/lighting/104809.html

Now Sunlight has new lumen reflectors that look nicer than their RO III. I believe sanjay did some tests on them, but to be honest I didnt compare to the RO III to see which was better. Im not about to buy new reflectors :P

[jelwyoming]

I like your slide idea, michaelm2431. How do you have the front set up for the fixture to roll out off...ie, doors, panel front or ?
jel

[jelwyoming]

Well, I am closer to starting my hood project, and still need some ideas on hood openings..ie, doors vs. hinged top, half hinged top, ect. What are you people doing there?

[jelwyoming]

bump for the lunch time crowd.

[michaelm2431]

Mine lift up on piano hinges. I have an arm to hold them up, but never installed them. If you need any other pics. let me know. Mike

[jelwyoming]

Yes, Mike, that would be helpful.
lacour@collinscom.net
thanks
JEL

[marino420td]

I built my hood with doors on the front and the ends. I also made it so the whole front panel flips up on a piano hinge. This will allow total access to the tank when cleaning or rearranging.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b39/marino420td/mini-IMG_6034.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b39/marino420td/120%20Gallon%20Canopy%20Construction/mini-IMG_6046.jpg

This is during the construction process to show how the front flips up
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b39/marino420td/120%20Gallon%20Canopy%20Construction/mini-IMG_5958.jpg

Finished Product
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b39/marino420td/120%20Gallon%20Canopy%20Construction/mini-IMG_6370.jpg

[stugray]

Here's mine for a 75 Gal.

Doors open for feeding & front flips for access.

PCs in the front half, MHs in the back.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/60772hood_done_001.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/60772hood_done_002.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/60772hood_done_003.jpg

I am building one soon for the 125 Gallon.

Stu

[jelwyoming]

marino420td
Very nice canopy. I never thought of the side doors. Is the back open? How do you have the lamps mounted? What kind of wood did you use? Looks like pocket joints? Use biscuts too?

[marino420td]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7783603#post7783603 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jelwyoming
marino420td
Very nice canopy. I never thought of the side doors. Is the back open? How do you have the lamps mounted? What kind of wood did you use? Looks like pocket joints? Use biscuts too?

Thanks. The side doors are just to give me a little better access to the back part of the tank. I'm really glad I did this.

The back is open, as is the top. The lamps are mounted from two pieces of gray pvc

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b39/marino420td/120%20Gallon%20Set%20Up/mini-IMG_7134.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b39/marino420td/120%20Gallon%20Set%20Up/mini-IMG_7138.jpg

I have since replaced the zip ties with metal hose clamps to guard against the risk of heat melting the zip ties.

The canopy is made of solid maple and is constructed using pocket holes. No biscuits.

[jelwyoming]

Stu, your is very nice too. Where do you have your ballast mounted?
marino420td, same question, where are your ballasts?
For those with electronic ballast, where are you mounting them. I am thinking of placing them on top, out of sight.

[marino420td]

My ballasts will go in my stand. Since my sump is in another room, I have plenty of space inside my stand.

[stugray]

My ballasts are all in the hood.

The PC ballasts are screwed to the front lid & the MH ballasts are contained inside the aquaspacelight fixture that is unmodified in the back

Stu

[stephencraig]

Hi everyone. New to the forum. I'm looking for ideas for my problem. I have a 90 gal Marineland tank with a wave front. My lights are the 48" Current - Outer Orbit Actinic/Hilidie/Lunar set up. I can't work in the tank without removing the lights, and I can't remove the lights without someone else's help and disconnecting everything and moving the light unit completely off to the side. Its beginning to drive me crazy. I have a very limited amount of access to the tank in front on the left side, but of course a lot of times I need to get to soemthing on the right, middle, or back. There is a local woodworker that supposedly can fabricate a canopy to match the wave front, but I was looking for other ideas (like a rack that would tilt up, or something like that) instead of the full canopy route. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated, especially if anyone knows of any plans/websites where they have solved similar problems.

Stephen

[michaelm2431]

[welcome] Here's a pic of a wave canopy if thats any help. Not mine but a guy's on NJRC. Mike http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/michaelm2431/bowcanopy.jpg

[ctreefer]

I don’t have any pictures of mine, but here’s an attached drawing of the idea. It gets the florescent bulb out of the way every time you open the lid to work on the tank. The wiring to the bulb is run through the holes in the back of the canopy and slack is there to allow the wiring to move as the lid is lifted. The only downfall on my setup was I didn’t make it tall enough (8”) so my halides were always pretty close to the water (3-4”). Worked really well though for servicing the tank. The back being totally open allowed for good air circulation as well. If you want, I’ll try and take some pictures tomorrow night. The tank is broken down and in the basement and the halides are removed for the moment. Can’t wait to get it going again. 29 gallons just isn’t enough space.http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/14477canopy90.jpg

[jelwyoming]

Great ideas! Anyone have any other unique styles or additions?

[stephencraig]

All of these are great. Thanks for the contributions from us that are still trying to get this all figured out.

Stephen

[jelwyoming]

Another question for all of you doing the canopies, I see that some of you have mouned your MH reflectors parallel to the front and others have them perpendicular to the front. Any particular reason for that?

[WarDaddy]

Here is what I made...

http://gifford-family.smugmug.com/photos/79806402-M.jpg

http://gifford-family.smugmug.com/photos/79806401-M.jpg

http://gifford-family.smugmug.com/photos/79806398-M.jpg

[jelwyoming]

Nice job Bryan. What is the window on the lower part of your stand? Is that your sump? Nice!!

[Divetime]

I was wondering the same :) I checked out his website but there were only a few pics on there. That's definitly a cool way to display your fuge while at the same time having it look professional. Nice job!

[jelwyoming]

Anymore unique ideas? Is anyone using stainless steel hinges? If so, where did you get them. My HomeDepot doesn't have them, so I am starting with their plated piano hinge. What are you using for the door hinges? Open tops? Top material? Open backs? How many fans? Temp control on the fans necessary?

[michaelm2431]

Mines an open back, 1 fan blowing heat out. Fan is on a timer, when daylight lights come on, so does fan. Have a fan hole only on opposite side of tank to allow air to come in from that side or I didn't know if I was gonna need the second fan there. ( I didn't)

[michaelm2431]

I was told that the MH's running from front to back reflect better.

[Divetime]

Looking at all the pics in this thread it's hard to tell but when mounting your lights is anyone mounting their VHO's to the top of the canopy then the MH's below that or vise versa?

Does that create any shadows or reflections? I'm sure it's better to run items adjacent to each other but for space wise can that be done? Same question about the VHO's, PC's or whatever on the front or rear of the canopy.

My canopy is currently 48"L x 13"w x 8"H so I'm looking for all the ways to squeeze in some MH's with VHO's. This thread has helped out tremendously because I can view other with the same length tanks. Keep the pics coming because it helps this newby out :D

[michaelm2431]

If you look at my fourth pic., you'll see my VHO sitting above my MH's. When all my MH's are off, my VHO stays on for a few more hours. I expected to see shadows, but there isn't. If you look at my whole canopy, the VHO are in the top most part of the canopy. Mike

[Divetime]

Thanks for the reply Michael, I'll have to remember that when designing my lighting system. I know lighting is a personal preference pretty much anyway so If all else fails I'll just go back to the drawing board.

[jelwyoming]

How do you people have your hood resting on the tank top? I see some are using a wood ledge, some appear to have a recess in the frame structure and I see one that has a pvc tube screwed to the inside to rest. Are you allowing room for the wood to swell?

[jelwyoming]

bump

[Divetime]

I bought my wood hood premade from a LFS. It has thin strips of wood that allow the canopy to rest on the rim of the tank. I bought the canopy a few years ago & didn't paint it or anything so the thin strips have about had it from the moisture & salt creep. I'd like to see how others are doing theres if it's different also :)

[Lyscer]

Here's my canopy. I made it out of some "Cabinet Grade Wood" that I found at home depot $25/sheet and a ton of 1"x1" molding. I think overall it cost me $130 after paint, primer, wood, molding. I think molding was the most expensive thing ;) .

My pictures are all 800x600 so I didn't want to post all of them here or it would take up a ton of space.

Front View of canopy:
http://www.aquaaddict.org/Tank/Tank2006/DIY/canopy/closedDoors.jpg

Front View with doors open:
http://www.aquaaddict.org/Tank/Tank2006/DIY/canopy/openDoors.jpg

Side view(The fans suck air from the room and push it into the canopy. The 2" strip that is missing from the top-back of the canopy allows the hot air to escape. Everything I read said if you suck air from your tank and push it into a room will corrode your fans in no time so this was my solution).

http://www.aquaaddict.org/Tank/Tank2006/DIY/canopy/sideShot.jpg

How my lights are mounted:
http://www.aquaaddict.org/Tank/Tank2006/DIY/canopy/lightSetup.jpg