DIY Basic Aquarium Canopy Plan
Here is
a plan for constructing a Basic DIY Aquarium Canopy. You can use plywood
(1/2" or 5/8" treated works best) T-111 as in Jordy's
300g Reef Tank, or any other wood you like. Plywood sheets are 4' wide,
so if your tank is 48" wide (like your basic 55g tank), you can save yourself
a few saw cuts during construction.
Darryl Craig's 180g Reef Tank is an example of what your canopy could look like with a little work and not much money. Darryl used painted plywood and stained trim on his canopy. Some other examples of DIY canopies which may give you some ideas for yours:
We will start with a simple canopy base here, then work through adding a top, ventilation, trim, lighting and access doors, one step at a time. Below is an "exploded" view of the 4 base pieces of wood.
Now that you know what you want your new canopy to look like, let's get started.
Tools needed:
- Tape measure
- Wood saw
- Screwdriver
- Hammer
- Wood
- 8 2" "L" brackets.
- 32 1/2" screws (for the brackets).
- 1 nail (for starting screw holes
- Paint (for plywood) or stains (for wood).
- Brushes.
- Measure the outside distances of the top of your tank, side to side, front to back.
- Accuracy is important.
- You will probably want the front panel to run the entire width of the canopy, with the side pieces inside the front and back panels (see "exploded" view above).
- Determine how high your canopy will be.
- Take into consideration how high off the water your lighting will be.
- How are you going to access the tank for feeding and maintenance? Examples are:
- Jordy's tank access is from the side/rear.
- You can also access the tank from an open top canopy.
- You can install hinged doors in the front for access.
- You can have a hinged (at the back) top on the canopy.
- This works well if you are going to attach your lights to the canopy lid (See Canopy Lighting Illustration).
- Add 2 3" butt hinges and screws to your Parts List.
- You can have a Front Access Door, hinged at the top.
- Add 2 3" butt hinges and screws to your Parts List.
- Here is another Method of Hinging The Entire Canopy Front Panel.
- Determine how much wood you will need and add it to your Parts List.
Measure and cut the wood to the dimensions determined above.
- Check to make sure that the fromt and rear cabinet panels are the right length.
- Should be the exact width of the outside of the tank.
- Check to make sure that the end panel lengths are correct.
- Should be the exact depth (front to back) of the tank, minus the thickness of the front and rear panels.
- Lay the side panels down on a clean, flat surface.
- Measure for the bracket placements, marking with a pencil. (See Bracket Placement Illustration)
- Hold each bracket in place and make a pencil mark in the center of each screw hole.
- Place the nail on each screw hole mark and tap it approximately 1/2 way through the wood.
- Hold the brackets in place and screw the screws into the holes.
- Lay the front panel down on a clean, flat surface.
- Align each of the side panels so that the edges are flush and pencil mark the screw holes on the front panel.
- Place the nail on each screw hole mark and tap it approximately 1/2 through the wood.
- Hold the side panel in place and screw the screws into the holes.
- Repeat the proccess for the rest of the panels.
You still need to:
- Put a top (lid) on the canopy (optional)
- Install Lighting
- Lid Mounting
- Bracket mounting
- Install trim
- Trim only on the front and sides.
- On this canopy design, this also secures the canopy on top of the tank.
- It is usually easier to paint or stain the trim prior to installing on the cabinet.
- Install vents, as needed.
- Install fans as needed.
- Make sure that the lights are not plugged when doing this to prevent shock.
