cost for wood for canopy (110 Oceanic)

[ems3411]

I am looking to make my own canopy that will allow 2 X 250 MH and PC/VHO I was thinking of making it 12" H and of course 60 X 18 for footprint. Until I upgrade the lights from NO shoplight, the shioplights will stay inthe canopy lighting my rocks and fish.

I was wondering if anyone made a canopy anywhere near those dimensions and if they had a guestimate of the cost.

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer. I have been searching RDO and Reef central looking for plans/pictures to help with ideas.. ugh.. too many choices. I like the ability to open the majority of the top for maintenance, and also like the ability to open the front panel to do minor work in the tank. I was thinking maybe a double hinge-one to open the front panel back over onto the top piece that will also lift up like a fiberglass tonnaeu cover. (hope that doesn't confuse anyone)


Any ?'s, just ask me

 

[dtiedke]

Hard to say what the cost is, as the price of the type of wood you choose can vary greatly....


A few words of advice though... I have a 135 Oceanic (6' X 18") and I built a temporary hood to house my 2 MH and 4 36" VHO....

I learned this:
1. Two MH over a 6 foot tank is not enough (regarless of what the "Spider Light" reflector people say (they are nice but not all they claim).

2. Make sure that you build the hood with doors in the front for tank access. I didn't on my prototype hood, and I cannot reach the bottom of my tank now (I am 6'5" and have caveman-knuckle-dragging long arms)


My .02


Dave

 

[ems3411]

Thanks for the input Dave.

My tank is the screwed up 5 footer.. with a 12 inch plus glass brace in the middle. 2MH will have to do or else I risk breaking the glass in the center.

I was looking at pine today at HD just to get ideas. the 1X12X6 was 6$ a piece. I firgured 3 at the most. Prices dropped depending on how wide 1X 4 was like 2$

I guess I would need a list of what was used by people, not so much $$$ spent. If I knew what was needed I could price off that.. 1 1X12 3 1X 4 whatever...

 

[liquid]

My canopy design can be found here: http://www.liquidreef.com/ in the Equipment section. I used either #1 or #2 pine (primarily 1x8's and 1x12's) for mine and I think I paid about $1/linear foot for 1x12.

Shane

 

[smlacy]

I'm building a canopy for my 30g now out of 3/4" hardwood (oak, maple, or birch) plywood. Its easy to work with, and reasonably cheap (~$42 for 8'x4' at Home Depot).

Basically, imagine an open front box with vertical corner brace strips on it. The design was modeled after a friends custom-made hood of the same design, modified to have front-opening cabinet doors.

Steve

 

[Tangboy5000]

Don't make it 12 inches tall. It looks funny when it's that high. I had 2 250 Watt Iwasaki's over my 120 with only 7 inches of clearance with fans and it was fine. If you have splashy returns just router notches and throw a piece of picture glass in there.

 

[ems3411]

I currently already have the glass tops on the tank with NO shoplight sitting on them (lifted by 1x1s to keep from rusting)

If I use 1X12 and drop it almost 2 inches to cover the top strip.

too many choices.. I an thinking it would be easier to cut 2 inches off the tank at a time then try to lift it 2 cause of the heat.

Thanks for all the good advice.

 

[Anonymous]

My question (as a carpenter building the hood) would be "What does your stand look like? Do you want the hood to match?" Then I could give you a better estimate.

If you only want a smooth white hood, with a couple of doors, it could be built for under $75. If you want nice oak, trim, and handles, it could cost a couple of hundred. The price all depends on what you're looking for.

HTH
B

 

[Anonymous]

i decided on a DIY stand and canopy. the projected cost for the stand was a tightly budgeted $60....... :lol:

we are well over a hundred now and i have yet to finish.

 

[chart]

i'm in the process of building an extension to the oceanic stand that came with my 75gal. the 'hood' portion extends only a few inches above the surface of the water so i needed to extend it enough to allow for 2x250 mh. i'm going the route of 3/4" oak plywood because i had some leftover from another hood on my 45 gal. i would estimate that i've spent around $100 on the materials (plywood, hinges, oak trim, paint and other assorted hardware)

i wanted my extension to mimic the style of the current stand as much as possible. there aren't any hard edges...every corner is rounded over. this requires a little more effort and more tools. plan it out first and measure 2-3 times before cutting. it will save you money in the end!

the most expensive part of building the hood are all of the tools! i've purchased a table saw, circular saw, jig saw, router, palm sander, router table, etc.

good luck and have fun! i will try to post some pictures of the stand when i'm done with it this week.

-chris

 

[Anonymous]

the most expensive part of building the hood are all of the tools! i've purchased a table saw, circular saw, jig saw, router, palm sander, router table, etc.
-chris

I'm really glad I'm not the only one who figures that into the final price of what I'm building!

B