Need a hood for my tank....suggestions?

GermanShepherdGirl · Post by **GermanShepherdGirl** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 10:22 am

I have 75 gallon with a black wood stand but I don't have a hood/canopy. I really need one. I would like to either build one or find one for a good price. Does anyone know where I can either buy one (looking to spend under $100 hopefully), or know where online I can find some blueprints to build one? It needs to have a closed top so I can mount my new lights....I've seen some where the top is open.

Post by **snoopdog** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 11:10 am

Might check with Rich at Progressive Marine to see if he can get one from Ocean View at around that price. Might be a little over $100 though.

GermanShepherdGirl · Post by **GermanShepherdGirl** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 11:11 am

Yeah I was thinking of asking him too...gotta go by there after work today.

NM354 · Post by **NM354** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 1:48 pm

what kind of lights did you get?

GermanShepherdGirl · Post by **GermanShepherdGirl** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 2:02 pm

The Coralife Aqualight Pro. My parents got it for me for Christmas. It has 2 metal halides, 2 flourescents, and 3 moon lights. It's awesome! I have it sitting on my aquarium on the legs that came with it. I left the cover on my tank to minimize evaporation and prevent the fish from jumping out. But with this new light ballast being so big I can only open my hood a few inches. It's a pain in the ass. I want to get a canopy and some brakets to hang it. And 2 of the high heat silicon rubber bands were snapped so I'm gonna have to go see if Rich has 2 he can give me. I checked Home Depot last night but they didn't have any of those rubber bands....not that I saw anyway.

I can't wait to get some corals!

But gotta wait until I get paid! Karen was so sweet to give me a few frags when I bought some live rock from her last month. I always said I wasn't gonna do corals but I've maxed out the number of fish for my tank and now I want something new. So I decided to start doing corals.

NM354 · Post by **NM354** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 3:04 pm

They seem to be nice units. The only problem I have seen with them is that usually one of bulbs always ends up loosing it spectrum before the other does. That’s just something I have noticed from the ones we use at work. I would be a little worried to put one in a canopy due to the heat they put out. Just be willing to add some fans to the canopy unless it’s an open top so the fan they include can actually vent out. You also want to take the glass top off because it will heat that tank up real quick if it can't evaporate correctly. The canopy also won't stop fish from jumping out; they will just jump out the back.

GermanShepherdGirl · Post by **GermanShepherdGirl** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 3:09 pm

A friend of mine came over last night and also told me I should take my clear cover off. I went back and read on the box that those lights should only be used on covered aquariums and shouldn't be installed in a canopy. I would be worried if the water evaporation would harm the unit. So what should I do? Take off the cover or leave it on like the box says?

How do I know when the lights lose their spectrum? How do I know when I need to replace the bulbs?

NM354 · Post by **NM354** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 3:14 pm

I would take off the glass top on the tank or you will run into bad heat problems. Leave all the glass shields on the halides because they are HQI and have to have that glass shield to diffuse the UV rays, single ended bulbs have it glass around the bulb so you don't have to have that piece. And leave the plexi over the pc's so you don't get salt in the fixture. It will be fine running without the top on the tank. As for the canopy, I think you will have heating problems. But I am sure there is a way to make it work just need to make a custom canopy maybe.

NM354 · Post by **NM354** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 3:17 pm

As for the bulbs one will look more yellow than the other if that happens. It has happened on at least 2 of the four at work and my friend has that fixture over a 125 and he said that it happened. Next time you’re in just look at the bulbs you will see what I am talking about.

GermanShepherdGirl · Post by **GermanShepherdGirl** » Wed Dec 28, 2005 3:18 pm

Thanks for the advise!

I'll take off the cover.