Makeing Own Hood ?

[jaysoc1]

hay i was wondering about makeing my own hood
as the hood in my tank can only take one light
but i was wanting to add more ?
if any one has plans or advice
manythanks
jay

 

[jaysoc1]

anyone ?

 

[Aqua Tom]

Can we have the size of the tank & surface dimensions?

 

[Mikaila31]

I can help, but need more info... what dimensions, what lights do you want it to run(how many watts), and what you hope to use it for(ex. planted/cichlid)?

Also what are the dimensions, brand name, and wattage of the current hood? there is always the option of retrofitting.

any experience(even minor) with wiring or possibly wood working... do you also have basic tools available?

 

[OldMan47]

I have sometimes made my own hoods. A simple box that fits over the top of the tank is easy enough to fashion from light weight boards. I use a double cover in a situation like that. I start by covering the water itself with a hinged glass cover and then build the light box over the top of it. That way the light fixtures stay dry and the tank's water evaporation is held to a minimum. I tend to hinge the box cover so that I can simply open it for feeding rather than remove it each time. Don't forget to drill some large vent holes where the light from your fixture won't shine out the hole. You do not want a heat build up inside a closed cover. I tend to drill very large holes high in the back of the cover where the reflector keeps the light from shining out bu the air can move freely.
As a way of ensuring the cover stays firmly in place, simply rabbet out the cover so that the top frame of the tank fits inside the cover. This is one I was working on and decided to leave it white to reflect light better.
The cover open showing the piano hinge that allows it to open easily.

A cover closeup showing the rabbet that holds it firmly on the tank top.

In that last picture you can see that I have also rabbeted the moving and stationary parts of the cover to prevent light leaking out.

This is the cover closed and in place.

 

[Atoonfan]

I'm after something similar I havent got a new tank yet, but I'm looking at something something between 4 - 6 foot to house a community setup

I have a pal who can build it, I just need some plans for him to work from

something that kind of shape, will I have to put a reflector in for a light, or would painting the inside with some kind of paint do the trick

any help would be

Cheers

 

[OldMan47]

It turns out that simple white paint gives almost as much benefit as a high tech reflector. If you paint the inside of your cover a stark white, you will get almost as much benefit as having the best high tech reflector. Any cover that must hold a light fixture needs to meet some basic requirements. It must allow the fixture to work without excessive heat build up, it must provide an efficient use of the light produced by the light tubes, it must continue to work after the first few months (which means it must not get the fixture wet). As far as plans, I know that some kit manufacturers, like AHSupply, do provide basic plans for a person to follow. What I do not find is that the plans offered are meeting any industry standards. I feel that the particular plans from AHSupply are decent enough that I would follow them with few reservations. That does not mean that they meet any particular national building standards, but merely that I find their plans adequate for me to use personally.

 

[Mikaila31]

If that is the general shape you want, google "rain gutter aquarium light" for lots of DIY examples.

I've used AH supplys basic square plan before. Wooden hoods are more expensive to build though. I have not had any problems with mine at all though. It even passed the drop test from getting torn off a 4' tank with bulbs intact. Their 2x55watt kit. Currently 2.5 years old. I can't do the white paint. I like openings in my hood for heat release. A 10 foot by 6" roll of aluminum sheet metal costs $5. Just cut it to lenght and it works really good if you copy the shape of the mirror AH supply reflectors.

 

[OldMan47]

Rain gutter aquarium light setups do work fine Mikaila. It happens to be a configuration that I have yet to try so I often forget the possibility. The white gutters are their own reflector and gutters are always produced with available matching end caps that you can use. The essence of a rain gutter lighting arrangement is to use the gutter as the reflector and light strip. You mount the fluorescent tubes inside using readily available end caps and place the ballast on the back where it won't be seen. When all is said and done, they are very sheap to build and can be any custom size that you need.