New DIY Canopy Set-up

[Sancho Panza]

Hi Folks, I am building up a web-site devoted to my aquairum, and my first page shows the ligting canopy I recently built. Please take a look, and I'd be happy for some comments.

DIY Canopy

The site is definitely in its rough draft, so please bear with me as I struggle to work with MS Front Page. Anyway, after years of idle planning and thinking, I am VERY happy with my canopy, and so far, my plants and fish seem to like it too!

Thanks!

 

[marks69]

nice job, it's nice to see someone finish a project on budget.lol
i tend to keep adding more power to things.

 

[chefkeith]

Fine Job. I'm impressed. Original, creative, and not expensive. If I didn't have cats, thats something I might want to do.

 

[virangos]

Thats pretty cool. I built a hood for a 29 and I think I might just change it. Nice idea.

 

[jeffro426]

Very cool and original! Its nice too see something different every now and then!

 

[Captain Hook]

Interesting to see all you need to do to raise the lights is pull the chain. Good idea! I made a nice wood canopy for my 20 gallon but didn't design it very well, I am always having to take the whole thing on and off.

 

[Sancho Panza]

Thanks for the comments! The chain pulling was a spur of the moment change in my plans. I had orginally planned the canopy to hang in a sort of "upside down Y" sort of way, but as I was putting it up, I suddenly became inspired and realized the "upside down V" offered many more possibilites.

And if I need even more space, I can just un-hook the corners on two sides and rehook them higher up the chain, thereby raising the lights as high as I need them. Oh, and the lights can stay turned on and shining into the tank, so I never have to work in the dark.

The other great part of the design (which I didn't go into too much detail about due to my fingers tired of typing) was the felt. I had originally planned on a plastic or hard foam for the sides, but the felt and velcro is SO easy to use, and it really does look good.

The whole success of this canopy is in its ease of use. Feeding, cleaning, changing filters, evn catching unruly fish can pretty much be done without any unplugging, light removal, or time-consuming adjustments. I will try to update the page with the rest of the plans soon, and thanks for the comments.