All you DYIers out there come help me with building a canopy for my 46 gallon bow.

flatzboy

flatzboy

Active Member
Hello, first off This will be for my 46 gallon bow front and if anybody has plans I will pay you for them. I want it to be about 10 inches high so I can mount metal halides in it. I am not asking for anybody to design it I just want some help because I am only 14 yrs. and my dad is gone away for work early monday morning to late friday night every week so I try not to ask him for a lot considering he is only home for 2 days a week and the rest of the time he is in a hotel. How should I go about building this? I would like the front to open up because I don't think I can have the top open up because all the lights will be mounted on the top. Would I build a frame first then but the plywood around it and on the front I would have to use thin plywood so I can bend it along the bow part. So please just give me some ideas on how I could go about doing this. I am really good with power tools and have access to all the tools I'll need like drills, table saws, jig saw, roto zip and all kinds of other stuff. I'm am open for suggestions.
 
squidd

squidd

Active Member
A couple "tips" to get you started...
Get a large piece of cardboard and trace and cut out a "D" shaped pattern to fit the top of your tank...
This will be the pattern you will use for the top piece of plywood as well as the lower front "frame" piece...
Build the back and two sides as a basic "box" and attach to top piece...
Attach lower front frame piece (curved) as well as the inner lower "lip" for the canopy to sit on the top of your tank...
Next attach the thin ply "front", curving it over the "D" shaped top piece and the lower curved frame piece...
Cut out your front doors and brace them with additional curved pieces (made with pattern) and hinge and hasp to suit ...
Finish...add lights...fans if desired...and your good to go...
 
adhoc

adhoc

Member
Hey Flatboyz, I'm working on the same project! Got home from Home Depot tonight with my first batch of materials.
I am trying for a slightly different exterior skin look, I'm going to try to build a 1/4" framework with a thin wood ******** (1/8"), and an exterior of black acrylic. If it works I'll definitely be posting... within 2 weeks hopefully.
I'm planning on making the structure out of acrylic, no reason really, but could easily use 1/4" wood for that. I bought a 1/8" thick sheet of "white board" for the ******** skin that I'm debating covering with paint/laquer... regardless, they make the same thing without the whiteboard coating. It's wood particle board basically, thin enough that it will bend to the tank curve without cutting or scoring. Like $6 for a 2x4 sheet. I bought the whiteboard because it's glossy white already, I might not have to paint it, just seal the edges.
I bought 1/2" plywood for the back wall and for the top lid, something solid to hang the lights from. I'm going to paint it with glossy white latex.
I'm going to try to make mine so that I don't have doors on the front, but so that the top has two hinges -- one right in the very back so I can access the whole top of the tank, and one up near the front near the start of the bow. (Depends on how I lay out the lights). I envision that front hinge lifting up the entire front of the canopy, not just the roof. To keep the sides stable I'm going to try to connect them with a curved piece of acrylic that sits right on the front of the tank, that the front lid sits on...
man that's probably confusing. wish I had photos or plans for you.
Hey, two thoughts. One, I travel almost as much as your dad. This might be the kind of project he would really enjoy doing with you. Good relaxing/bonding time. Second thought is shoot me an email, we can exchange plans and learn from eachother's mistakes. Hopefully not too many of them!!!
jimckinney01 at yahoo.com
 
flatzboy

flatzboy

Active Member
Thanks squid and adhoc this info helped me a lot. I am going to get some wood this weekend. Also I'll shoot you a email when I get my supplys. My email is flatzboy@hotmail.com I can't wait to get started. I am not sure about asking my dad though, he owns a construction buisness that is state wide so usually he sleeps in till 2:00 pm satarday then wakes up and has lunch then takes a nap till dinner then goes back to sleep until the morning where he usualy tries to go out on his boat and fish or cruise around so I'd rather not bother him. Also adhoc have you thought about what kind of lights your gonna get yet. Is yours gonna be a reef to? I was thinkin two 150 watt de metal halides. I am not sure if I am gonna supplement them though and I am still trying to find a place where I can get the ballast, sockets, and bulbs all together.
 
adhoc

adhoc

Member
I bought some 10,000K 175's from a member here, waiting for them to arrive... I'm going to supplement them with 2 96W PC actinics I currently have on the tank. I'm hoping that will get enough light to the bottom of the tank for a clam at some point.
 
offshore80

offshore80

Member
Here's an Idea just on a bigger platform. I bought a stand and placed it upside down on top of my BF. I have lighting storage shelves and fans in mine. I got the stand for 250 bucks from my LFS. Here's a pic.
 
phreakemup

phreakemup

Member
Nah.. It's sitting on the rim.. I climb around 125 gal tank rims all day long.. We just got done setting up a new LFS, and had to do a lot of construction. Now when I have to clean the top 125's, I have to climb and stand on the one's that are on the bottom of it, and my weight is all centerd to one point on the tank, instead of the whole tank, like his stand/canopy is..
Chad
 
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