# Fish Tank hood and lights



## Dirty_Pond (Apr 26, 2009)

Hi guys,

My 65g tank has been going on for almost a year now, so far so good. the only problem is that currently there is no hood for the tank. I got the tank from a friend and it didn't come with the top. The tank is a corner diamond shape (see image) and hoods for this shape are not readily available. So decided to try to build one myself. I cut a plywood template thatfits the top perfectly but in less than an hour it started to warp. I guess bad choice for wood. My question is that what kind of material can i use that will keep it waterproof? 

I guess all aquariums hoods are made out of some sort of waterproof material as they all face the same kind of wet environment. Maybe that's what i need.

Secondly i need suggestions on what kind of lights i can put on in this hood. From what I understand I need about 200w for 65g but because of the shape of the aquarium i am not sure if i can fit 200w worth of fluorescent lights in there. I have been thinking of using LEDs. I can fit a few hundred of these in there, I built an array of 10X10 white LEDs and seem to work. of course I'll need probably 5 times as many to be actually effective. Any ideas about that??


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I assume you'll need some type of hardwood like oak or other.

Why would you think you need that many watts? Certainly don't need that much if your tank is not going to be planted. If it is, running that much lighting can bring you trouble if you're not going to be using CO2 - pressurized. A DIY CO2 system will not supply that big of a tank effectively.

I would look into a retrofit lighting, if you want a planted tank. Look at AHSupply or catalinaaquarium lighting.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

I've seen other hoods made in plywood, I think they have to be well sealed with varnish or paint. The thickness of the ply and the frame may be important too. I'd rather use hardwood if I had the chance.


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## mfgann (Oct 21, 2010)

Not all hardwoods are good choices for wet environments and most will still warp. You need to look at woods like white oak(not red), cedar, and redwood. I would honestly aim for a plywood or material meant to be house-siding. Almost all paints/varnishes will breath (allow water through) so painting may slow it down but won't stop it. One that might block it would be shellac.

That all said, you might want to research cutting acrylic to fit your top, and then making something wood on top of that if you need. Acrylic IS possible to cut, but you have to do it slowly or it will melt. Never done it, but I've looked into it.

Another possibility is to find a glass shop and give them the dimensions you want and see how much they charge. Make sure they "break" the edges over for you (remove the razor sharp edges so it doesnt cut you). You COULD try breaking it yourself, but read up on it and be careful. I'd hate to give someone an idea and find out they wound up in a hospital with a laceration.

Good luck!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I would rather have glass on top. Get an easy to find hinge for the door to feed and then get a light that will work for the tank. Just the way I'd do it. I've seen some nice wooden canopies.


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