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Hi, Ive got a 24" x 12" x 15" tank, which i bought of someone i know. As it was my first tank and was a bargain i just bought it, not thinking about a hood. So then i bought a hood, which doesnt fit exactly ( couple mm round the edges ) also it doesnt cover the sides of the tank so you can see the calcium ( i think?! ) build up at the water line. AND i've got two 18" tubes which have nowhere to fix into, so they're resting on my condensation tray... bla bla... think before you buy! i know i know learnt the hard way

anyway to the point... i want to make a custom built hood from wood, i have rough design drawn up, which when done properly i could up-load if any one is interested. what i want to know is if there is anything that a inexperienced hobbyist might not think about, so i dnt make any more mistakes!

I would like to have a built in reflector, will i need to buy one or is there a cheaper 'home-made' alternative?

the varnish i use will need to be fish safe, does any one know of one?

has anyone done a similar project with any tips or tricks?

Ummmmm i think thats it... thanks in advance!

You can really make a nice hood very easy. Check this out.

There are some kind of aluminum mirror-like reflectors for fluorescent tubes, go get the 24" model, for 1 or two fixtures, depending on the amount light you want.

Pictures of the reflectors:

http://store1.yimg.com/I/lamps-now_1806_2970836
http://www.lightinglouvers.com/images/reflectors/specularref.png
http://www.lightinglouvers.com/images/reflectors/xrfp240.gif
http://www.saveonretail.com/images/newfixture.jpg (this one has the temporary blue film to prevent scratches)

There are the reflectors for retrofitting on existing gabinets (usually painted white), or the fixture with the mirror reflector, either model would be usable.

Buy the aluminum mirror hood, get the lamp tube, the electronic ballast, some meters of cable 18 AWG (cable thickness), the power plug, and a switch to fit it in the cable (ask for it like this).

I used the mirror only, then bought the lamp, the electronic ballast (more efficient, turns on instantly) and the bases for connecting the lamp. One tube might be enough if you dont have real plants and you can use any aquarium tube bought on lighting stores, or an Aqua Glo if money is no objection... like $15 or so, for the lamp.

The lamps have a code printed on them. The tube for my aquarium is FT24-12AQ or something like that. The AQ at the end means its an aquarium tube. The only difference is that aquarium flourescent lamps give a different light spectrum than regular lamps, more red and blue to enhance fish colors.

Install the ballast over the aluminum cover, connect the cables as labeled in the ballast, fit the switch on only one side of the power cable by splitting it, fit the power plug, and youre done.

GO GET A GLASS COVER WITH THE CORNERS CUT FOR ANY CABLES FOR POWERHEADS, TUBES OF CANISTER, OR WHATEVER YOU NEED TO GET INTO THE TANK. Glass helps not letting moisture go out....

Its very easy and it will cost 1/4 or 1/3 of a plastic hood that usually are not very efficient on transmitting light.

Good luck!




[span class="edited"][Edited by Sharpix 2004-08-26 02:56][/span]

We used the glass tops and then built a wood canopy that sits on top of our tank. We nailed in wooden cleats on each side (inside) and then put our light (a shop type light fixture from Home Depot) on a board and put the ends of the board on those cleats. (With the light pointing down of course). The light fixture itself is white so it acts as a reflective surface. If you want to build a canopy as described above then paint the inside of the top white and it will reflect any extra light. Also, we used regular stain on the outside of our canopy, you want to apply it away from the fish, of course (we did ours in the garage) but after it is completely dry there is no danger to the fish. Some ppl suggest using marine varnish but we figured that we'd eventually make another one if needed. Oh, and our glass tops mentioned above we purchased at a LFS for $12 each-we needed 2 for our 55g. The whole thing costs us about $50, including light bulbs and decorative trim. Let me know if you want more details and I'll have my husband post-he's the woodworker, I just help.

HTH,
Beth

this glass cover is quite a popular thing then... ive never heard of that, its just like a condensation tray? I was thinking of a wooden hood, and was going to stain it.

So yours beth, is just like a wooden box sat on top of your tank on top of two pieces of glass? ... and if im understanding everything correctly, sharpix is just those reflectors sat ontpop of a piece of glass? Btw those reflectors look great, i think one of those double ones in my hood would be awesome.

arent the glass tops a bit of a pain to move at feeding times?