DIY aquarium hood for a Cardiff Bullet

connor g

Member
I am wanting to make a DIY aquarium hood that will contain my 18" 178watt MH/T5 Actinic blue light fixture. Here is the part I'm having trouble with, it's a Cardiff Bullet system so it is rounded for 180 degree view.......
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated
 

acrylic51

Active Member
Could you post a pic.....Not familiar with the system your speaking of, but quite sure with all the genius minds around here, there's something that could come out of it......
 

acrylic51

Active Member
A quick google search of the system your referring to....Acrylic jumps out at me being probably the easiest to work with making a rounded sleek hood.
 

connor g

Member
How should I bend it? I wanted to do it kinda like the stand that came with it. The stand is a larger diameter but still the same shape. If I decided to do acrylic would I be able to make a full hood? And just leave the back open?
 

acrylic51

Active Member
You would need to use an acrylic heater and bend the acrylic to that radius.....To make the canopy fit, there are several ways I could see doing it making it sit on the tank.....1 way would be to route a dado on the inside where the canopy would sit on the tank before bending....The other option way I'm thinking is glue a strip/support inside the acrylic piece that would act as your lip for the canopy to sit on the tank, but either way the 2 methods would have to be done before the piece is bent....
I'm assuming....but it appears the tank is cylindrical or pretty close......I wouldn't leave the back open.....Just me, but I would seam it using WeldOn 40. Once the seam is complete and sanded and buffed you would have a hard time telling were it was seamed......A bit of work, but worth it......
 

connor g

Member
About 1/4 inch thick laminted wood for the top and bottom horizontal peices, there are some sort of supports on the inside and another thin peice of laminated wood bent around to make the rounded section. That's what I was gonna do for the top but I don't know how to do it and how I can rig the lights into the hood also.
 

2quills

Well-Known Member
I'd try to match the material of the stand if I could. I'm thinking it could be with some plywood, a sheet of black formica and some pieces of 1"x2" or 1"x4" lumber. Basically you make a templet of the shape of the tank and cut you out two horseshoe shaped pieces so to speak out of the play wood for your frame (but in the true shape of the tank). Figure out how tall you want it to be and cut some pieces of 1x4 for virtical supports. Cut your formica to size. Wrap it around the frame. And finish it off with some flexible molding around the top and bottom painted black. Then you just have to add some supports to hold whatever lights you're running for the fixture to sit on The hole thing could be done with pretty much just a jig saw. Just an idea.
 

2quills

Well-Known Member
That's pretty much what I was thinking, yeah. Contact cement between the laminate and the wood will help as well. But some flat head nails or staples will hold to shape while it dries.
 
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