DIY Canopy (58g, MH, ventilated)

ok, so after the death of a goby to jumping I decided I need a canopy. Not seeing any pre-made designs I like I am designing my own. I have a 58g tank which didn't leave me with many options anyway.

I designed this in Google Sketch up, the original file is here:

On 3D warehouse: http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=33dbb3ff09a205adde06994d9954d354

On my site: http://www.greymatter.org/fish/canopy.skp

If you don't have sketch up here's the jpg...


Ok, so top holes are for 2 MH pendants, they will sit above, but attached to, the canopy.

Small hole in back is for heater cords

Left hole is for a high power 120mm fan/filter

Right hole (12x3") is for filtered intake

Front hole will have a panel over it, not in the drawing. It will key into the hole for removal rather than a hinge arrangement.

The blue band around the base is 1/4" acrylic to keep it all centered.

I'm going to use 3/8" or 1/2" furniture grade plywood w/ a cherry veener outside and white paint inside. Drawing was done with 1/2", but 3/8" would probably be fine. I could probably get away with 1/4" on the back. the door panel will be made of either dark smoked acrylic or a thin cherry panel.

Anyways, I will add construction pics when that phase begins after the next pay check... next week some time.

Any comments/advice/suggestions are welcome as always.

-Doug

 

looks good.but one thing to keep in mind is maybe adding another fan for cross venting..I had made a canopy for my 55gal with 2x175 halides and 2x65 watt pc`s with slightly open back and one fan...heat was an issue so I added another fan across from each other.one blowing in and the other out,so they are blowing across the water to reduce heat..the fans I used were 2x4 inch..also if you use any type of sealer let it sit outside if you can so it can cure and not smeel any more then it will be safe to put on..hope this helps..

 

I can add additional fans no problem if needed. My current design calls for a single high power muffin fan (not a typical PC fan) on a thermostat. While lights are on it will run at 25% speed, and as needed according to water temp will boost to 75% power.

The other question is, should the fan push air in, or draw air out? I am thinking drawing air out would be better.... negative pressure on the canopy would help with evaporative cooling and gas exchange, while positive pressure (blowing in) would force gases back into the water. The only pro of positive pressure would be keeping dust out.

Any thoughts?

-Doug