# ***custom canopy***5.5 gallon***



## tyler79durdan (Jan 23, 2010)

Very NICE... thumbs up for you! Nice workmanship.

-Aaron ​
You need to put the specs up for others to follow... in the DIY section! heck just display them here


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## NJAquaBarren (Sep 16, 2009)

Looks great. Very nice.


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## thewesterngate (Jan 22, 2010)

That looks amazing, nice work! It'll look great once you paint it.


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## jreich (Feb 11, 2009)

i actually like the raw wood look because it matches ur cabinets. i would not paint it atless its cheep wood with imperfections.


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## tyler79durdan (Jan 23, 2010)

jreich said:


> i actually like the raw wood look because it matches ur cabinets. i would not paint it atless its cheep wood with imperfections.


+1 on the matching


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## jreich (Feb 11, 2009)

i want one for my 5.5! i'm just a little jellous.


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## tyler79durdan (Jan 23, 2010)

I think you found a niche! sell'em... Or post the schematics so I can


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## jreich (Feb 11, 2009)

reminds me of a fluval edge but much nicer.


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## jake1337 (Jan 9, 2010)

WOW! This looks amazing! if you ever wanted to sell one PM me! serouisly very cool, will you post scmantics if your not will ing sell one?


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## matthew.shelly (Dec 1, 2009)

wow! very nice. i think i might have found a project for this summer.


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## ES4 (Jun 9, 2009)

tyler79durdan said:


> I think you found a niche! sell'em... Or post the schematics so I can


 
I was thinking that too. not too many nano stand/canopy looks. Not too much material...but a lot of work...


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## ES4 (Jun 9, 2009)

I was thinking about getting the matching material the same as the countertop. I would like to paint it, not too many imperfections in the raw look, but I would prefer either black or the granite look.


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## ES4 (Jun 9, 2009)

jreich said:


> reminds me of a fluval edge but much nicer.


 
Thank you all for the comments... but the Fluval Edge is just plain sexy... no comparison.


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## tyler79durdan (Jan 23, 2010)

Can u post the specs?


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## ES4 (Jun 9, 2009)

tyler79durdan said:


> Can u post the specs?


To be honest, I had some scrap left over from my cabinet build from my 90 gallon, decided to make this a Sunday project for the kitchen counter... and voila! It took me a couple hours, I had the picture in my head and pretty much just sawed away at the wood... a quick visit to home depot for some finishing material... and now you see the finished product. Before final touches... I am contemplating cutting out a sliding drawer in the bottom section for storage.

here is the another shot with canopy open... enough clearance for lighting fixture. I bought the infamous home depot dest lamp which will be totally dismantled and wired in here... rewiring the switch to be mounted within the cabinet for easy access.. in other words... all you'll see is the switch.


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## pmd5700 (Oct 27, 2007)

Very nice craftsmanship! I really want to do that to my 5.5 now.


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## ES4 (Jun 9, 2009)

jake1337 said:


> WOW! This looks amazing! if you ever wanted to sell one PM me! serouisly very cool, will you post scmantics if your not will ing sell one?


 
PM sent


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## tyler79durdan (Jan 23, 2010)

Bump for one of the coolest posts ive seen in a while.


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## ES4 (Jun 9, 2009)

will install the light this weekend and post up some pics of that. Gonna disassemble the infamous home depot light so that it all fits within the canopy and route wires to bottom.


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## nazspeed (Dec 19, 2008)

wow i like it might even try the same with my ten gallon shrimp tank thanks for sharing


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

That wood HAS to be painted. Any touch of water will make it swell up like a balloon. It is not designed for wet applications.


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## tyler79durdan (Jan 23, 2010)

How about an epoxy coating? Or a Thompsons like seal.


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## jreich (Feb 11, 2009)

tyler79durdan said:


> How about an epoxy coating? Or a Thompsons like seal.


 i think the problem there is it would have a glossy look to it. would look kind of odd IMO.


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## ES4 (Jun 9, 2009)

Yes... it must be painted or sealed in some way... I am first going to prime it with white primer... inside and out, sand it again and then gloss black paint the outside. So the inside will be white primer and the outside will be black gloss after all is said and done. I will tackle it this weekend.


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

ES4 said:


> Yes... it must be painted or sealed in some way... I am first going to prime it with white primer... inside and out, sand it again and then gloss black paint the outside. So the inside will be white primer and the outside will be black gloss after all is said and done. I will tackle it this weekend.


I'd give the inside multiple coats of primer and possibly put silicone in screw holes and seams where water could get in. A tiny amount would be fine. This would soaks up water like a sponge and I'd hate to see a great looking hood end up looking nasty!

Waterproof paints and primers would be helpful.


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## Lotto (Apr 9, 2009)

Very nice canopy! I'm definitely inspired to attempt one of my own for my 5.5 gallon.


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## ES4 (Jun 9, 2009)

over_stocked said:


> i'd give the inside multiple coats of primer and possibly put silicone in screw holes and seams where water could get in. A tiny amount would be fine. This would soaks up water like a sponge and i'd hate to see a great looking hood end up looking nasty!
> 
> Waterproof paints and primers would be helpful.


definitely agree...


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## ES4 (Jun 9, 2009)

For the most part... the exposure to splashing water will not be high unless you let your water level drop to a point where the filter is splashing water everywhere. In MOST cases, we want a current in the water with minimal surface movement, so it will be ok for the most part. I am still going to primer inside and outside, then gloss black the outside. The white primer on the inside will help with recapturing any lost light.


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## MissMTS (Oct 8, 2008)

Wow, what a great idea! I absolutely love the design of it! I would love to do something similar with my 2.5g


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## ES4 (Jun 9, 2009)

MissMTS said:


> Wow, what a great idea! I absolutely love the design of it! I would love to do something similar with my 2.5g


 
Making time to design that one this weekend for my daughter... only she wants hers painted PINK... she's 6. Gotta paint it PINK. Funny thing is she's been trained so well, she only wants live...natural...real... things in her tank, she has a 2.5 gallon, somewhat planted tank.


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## ES4 (Jun 9, 2009)

nazspeed said:


> wow i like it might even try the same with my ten gallon shrimp tank thanks for sharing


with a ten gallon... please be careful and make sure you have enough support at the bottom of the tank. the 5.5 gallons are much lighter than a 10...


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## F22 (Sep 21, 2008)

great tank, work, haha thats nicer than the expensive oceanic stands and canopies for bigger tanks!


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## timme278 (Jan 1, 2009)

wow, awsome post... might have to copy this one. maybe you should copywrite it


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## ES4 (Jun 9, 2009)

thanks for all the compliments... went ahead and painted it black this past weekend... I DON'T LIKE IT AT ALL... gonna go to home depot and get some flex stone paint in a lighter color and repaint... don't like it in black at all... I should've left it raw wood! Will post up pics after the re-paint of flex stone.


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## AlexXx (Dec 1, 2009)

cant wait to see it painted! why dont you like the black! that sounds so sick!


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