Homemade tank hoods..........

[pete]

OK how many of us out there have either made our own tanks or bought secondhand tanks of an odd size that you cannot get readymade hoods for at the lfs?

Well i have bought several new set ups but being a family man with limited finances i very often buy s/hand tanks without hoods and alot of the tanks i own are of odd sizes so im gonna have to make my own hoods for them........

I have done several already using marine ply screwed to a strong wooden framework but these are heavy and time consuming to build so im wondering if any of you can give me advice on a quicker lighter way to build a hood? :what:

The tank im really stumped on is my 6x2x2 or 72x24x24 tank as it must be of light construction and at the same time be quite rigid as it will have to be drilled for the filter pipes etc to run into...........any advice greatfully recieved

 

[Davy Reynolds]

Faced chipboard. I say faced cos it's chipboard but it's a smooth faced side.6x4 sheet of it will be fine.

Cut it length wise at the 2ft mark. One bits the lid  and the rest is for the sides and ends.

Sides and ends. Cut 4 6inch strips. two of them will be front and back then cut on of the strips into 2ft lenghts (for the ends) Use the wee plastic blocks to screw the front, back and ends together, then hinge the top on at the back of course

Hay-presto 8) a cheep easy tank hood

 

[Great Lakes]

Davy has a good reply for your lightweight solution.
 But, any hood you devise for a six foot tank is still gonna be pretty heavy. My suggestion would be to consider building a larger hood. This way, you can incorporate big enough access doors on the front to do almost all your normal maintenence needs.
  I made mine out of 2"x 2" framing, then put 1/4" plywood around it. Some corner trim, and a couple doors in the front.
You can usually find really nice doors at a discount cabinet shop.
  There is one thing most hood builders agree on though.
Your third hood looks better than your first.

 

[Great Lakes]

Pete, also meant to add that when you are all done, you should paint the inside. If you have Krylon paint available where you are, that seems to be the paint of choice. Otherwise, any good white enamel would do. This will ensure you will have a minimum of moisture problems. Plus, it adds to your light reflection.

 

[pete]

TY m8 that is how i thought id end up building it lmao :laugh:

oh well maybe a heavy hood is better in some ways lol

Thank you all for your help :grin:

 

[Great Lakes]

One more word of advice on tank hoods. Build them for your largest tank first. This way, when/if you decide to redo it, you can cut your old one down to size for a smaller one

 

[whacky]

Confession time. I have had the wood sat there for about two weeks now to rebuild the hood for my tank. Hood mark one fell apart when i moved the tank. To that end dont build it out of mdf cos the screws pull out.

 

[Davy Reynolds]

:laugh: Yeah and water loves that stuff

It's great when it don't cost much

 

[Great Lakes]

Always use stainless fasteners

 

[whacky]

Nah im gonna use wooden dowels on my next lid thats what the companies use. Dowels and glue

 

[Davy Reynolds]

Good Idea m8

 

[Great Lakes]

The lighting is the part that always causes me the trouble. When I did my reef canopy, I have 7 lights, 5 ballasts, and three switches. Wife walked in whilst I was in the midst of wiring it and said I looked like I was a mad scientist. Then she asked me if I was sure I knew what I was doing
I answered confidently.."we'll know when YOU plug it in!!" :laugh: