DIY Canopy. DONE

tropicalfish · 11-26-2006, 08:44 AM

Always seal your wood if it has something to do with water. Canopies, stands, fences, sink cabinets, decks, etc.

rohnds · 11-28-2006, 01:04 AM

where did you buy the light fixtures? How long was the light fixture? and how long is the canpoy?
I want to built a canopy for my 70gal, which is 48.5in. long.

Did the ballasts come with the light fixture? Is there any wiring involved?

Did you ever weigh the canopy? Is it really heavy? What kind of wood did you use? And size?

It looks greats, Mahamotorworks ...

Rohn

tropicalfish · 11-28-2006, 04:15 PM

I am quite sure you can get the light fixtures from Lowe's or Home Depot

Mahamotorworks · 11-28-2006, 08:03 PM

From the begiining. The Canopy weight about 50 LBS. I weighed it. It is made with 1X12 Boards on the side and top. With 2 2 bulb 48" fixtures That I bought at Home Depot. The thing I did was make the 2X2 Frame to match the top of the tank trim. In my case 48 1/2 X 18 1/2 inches. The 1X12's stick about 1 1/2 inches down to cover some of the Tank trim. The height of the frame was 8". The 1X12 also stick up over the frame so I have a flush top when I added the top. The fixtures were $10 each at Home Depot and the Had built in reflectors. They are desinged to be used as hanging shop lights they even have the cord attached. All I had to do was attach them to the 2X2 Frame with a couple of screws and add the bulbs. Then Plug them in. No wiring invloved. It went a lot faster then I thought it would. If you have any other Questions lust let me know.

MAHA

FishLuvr · 12-02-2006, 06:59 AM

i've been away for a month, but was dying to see your final product, both the stand and canopy look awesome. great job and thanks for the journal

WetChicken · 01-09-2007, 07:58 PM

Nice work! It's nice that everyone documents what they do.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tropicalfish

Always seal your wood if it has something to do with water. Canopies, stands, fences, sink cabinets, decks, etc.

Yeah, some type of marine varnish will work well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mahamotorworks

In the last Photo it made the Stand and everything look red for what ever reason. It really isnt.

It's called white balance. The camera was measuring the light in the tank, not the wood. For example, using a flash would have made the wood look ok and the tank would have been close in color.
Remember when you took pictures of the plans and they had different colors? The cameras auto white balance is why they varied so much.

What about moisture resistant light fixtures? I don't know exactly what the difference is, but it will give some extra safety.
A GFCI outlet on the tank setup probably wouldn't be a bad idea. Better to have some dead fish than a dead person.
I plan on adding a GFCI outlet to mine shortly.

Jason

christinap · 01-10-2007, 01:12 PM

That looks nice! Great craftsmanship!

hwg013 · 05-07-2009, 04:53 PM

Hello Maha: I just ran across your terrific canopy thread. AAAAPLUS on the idea and excellant constuction work. You built this for a 75 gallon tank which is roughly 48"x18". I want to build this canopy for a 55 gallon tank which is only 48"x12". In losing the 6" in width, will the 2 shop lights with 4 bulbs fit, or will they be too close? I have several 48" aquarium bulbs of different hues which would give me 160 watts of lighting for my heavily planted tank. Would appeciate your imput. Howie G. hwg013@aol.com

Whiskers · 05-07-2009, 10:24 PM

i think you've done a very nice job Maha. its good to see creation in process, since i think it can inspire others that are crafty to give it a try.

So what do you plan on using to seal the wood with? the screws you used are they 2" or 2 1/2" ? did you predrill the holes or just sink them into the wood ? i've been playing with 2x2's myself and just wondering what method you used. For some of what i have done i've used a numatic nailer with 2 1/2" 16 gauge brads and it seemed to work well.

after seeing your post, and if i can find the time, i might consider giving it a try myself but that will be down the road aways since i have alot on my plate already. again nice job maha.

11-26-2006, 08:44 AM	#21
tropicalfish Medium Fish Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 525	Always seal your wood if it has something to do with water. Canopies, stands, fences, sink cabinets, decks, etc. __________________ --- 75 Gallon Rena FilStar xP3, Hydor ETH 300W, Coralife 48" Aqualight 260W 6700K, Rex Grigg Regulator with Ideal Valve, 10 pound CO2 cylinder. :: ADA Aqua Soil Malaya and ADA Power Sand M ---

11-28-2006, 01:04 AM	#22
rohnds Medium Fish Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Austin, TX (born NYC) Posts: 382	where did you buy the light fixtures? How long was the light fixture? and how long is the canpoy? I want to built a canopy for my 70gal, which is 48.5in. long. Did the ballasts come with the light fixture? Is there any wiring involved? Did you ever weigh the canopy? Is it really heavy? What kind of wood did you use? And size? It looks greats, Mahamotorworks ... Rohn __________________ Please visit my new website and create as many hits as possible. Science of UFOlogy Parts of my 2 award winning articles, "UFOs in Space" and "What Really Happened to Apollo 13" is reproduced in my web site. It also contain the history of UFOs, creation of man and the solar system, Apollo hoax debunked and many other UFO related articles written by me; some of which have being published in various journals. The Truth Shall Set You Free Last edited by rohnds; 11-28-2006 at 01:10 AM..

11-28-2006, 04:15 PM	#23
tropicalfish Medium Fish Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 525	I am quite sure you can get the light fixtures from Lowe's or Home Depot __________________ --- 75 Gallon Rena FilStar xP3, Hydor ETH 300W, Coralife 48" Aqualight 260W 6700K, Rex Grigg Regulator with Ideal Valve, 10 pound CO2 cylinder. :: ADA Aqua Soil Malaya and ADA Power Sand M ---

11-28-2006, 08:03 PM	#24
Mahamotorworks Super Fish Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Thule, Greenland Posts: 1,722	From the begiining. The Canopy weight about 50 LBS. I weighed it. It is made with 1X12 Boards on the side and top. With 2 2 bulb 48" fixtures That I bought at Home Depot. The thing I did was make the 2X2 Frame to match the top of the tank trim. In my case 48 1/2 X 18 1/2 inches. The 1X12's stick about 1 1/2 inches down to cover some of the Tank trim. The height of the frame was 8". The 1X12 also stick up over the frame so I have a flush top when I added the top. The fixtures were $10 each at Home Depot and the Had built in reflectors. They are desinged to be used as hanging shop lights they even have the cord attached. All I had to do was attach them to the 2X2 Frame with a couple of screws and add the bulbs. Then Plug them in. No wiring invloved. It went a lot faster then I thought it would. If you have any other Questions lust let me know. MAHA __________________ 75G Freshwater: 3 Angel Fish and a lot of guppies. It is at my Brothers house while I am out of country. My Facebook Page

12-02-2006, 06:59 AM	#25
FishLuvr Medium Fish Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa Posts: 360	i've been away for a month, but was dying to see your final product, both the stand and canopy look awesome. great job and thanks for the journal __________________ 55 Gallon Tank: Fish: 4 Blue Gourami \| 3 clown loaches \| \| 4 Australian rainbows \| 6 trillineaus \| 3 spotted jullis \| 18 Neon Tetras \| 2 spotted raphael catfish \| Plants: anubias, small amazon sword Substrate: Flourite Filtration 2 aquaclear 70 hob's with 2 bio bags per unit

01-10-2007, 01:12 PM	#27
christinap Little Fish Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 221	That looks nice! Great craftsmanship!

05-07-2009, 04:53 PM	#28
hwg013 Teenie Weenie Fish Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 1	Hello Maha: I just ran across your terrific canopy thread. AAAAPLUS on the idea and excellant constuction work. You built this for a 75 gallon tank which is roughly 48"x18". I want to build this canopy for a 55 gallon tank which is only 48"x12". In losing the 6" in width, will the 2 shop lights with 4 bulbs fit, or will they be too close? I have several 48" aquarium bulbs of different hues which would give me 160 watts of lighting for my heavily planted tank. Would appeciate your imput. Howie G. hwg013@aol.com

05-07-2009, 10:24 PM	#29
Whiskers Medium Fish Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: central Michigan USA Posts: 425	i think you've done a very nice job Maha. its good to see creation in process, since i think it can inspire others that are crafty to give it a try. So what do you plan on using to seal the wood with? the screws you used are they 2" or 2 1/2" ? did you predrill the holes or just sink them into the wood ? i've been playing with 2x2's myself and just wondering what method you used. For some of what i have done i've used a numatic nailer with 2 1/2" 16 gauge brads and it seemed to work well. after seeing your post, and if i can find the time, i might consider giving it a try myself but that will be down the road aways since i have alot on my plate already. again nice job maha.