# DIY canopy (square/rectangle)



## jaydoubledub (Jun 28, 2011)

There's a lot of good info on this forum. I decided to add another nice Do It Yourself project, for your aquarium. I've made a simple and effective canopy that looks great and does the job well!

Here goes...

Altogether, this cost me less than $50. That's assuming you have a saw and a screwdriver at least. You can get some wood glue to add more stability. 

I don't like heavy and bulky canopies on my aquariums. I know that the glass is very strong and if it can support 60lbs of rock and gravel then 20lbs+ of a canopy would be fine, but, still...

I'm going to leave most of the explaining to the photos. 

The biggest piece of lumber is 8" wide by .5" thick. You can make the length to your choosing. For my tank I used a 8'x8"x.50" piece and had to hardware store do the cuts for the sides and front.
As far as screws, I used plain wood screws-both nickel and brass.

As a side note, make sure you let any paint and/or primer completely dry before putting on your aquarium. Sanding and a double coat of each would produce the best results.

1. Make sure your front and back pieces are of equal length. I made mine .25" longer than my aquarium. The back board should not be as wide as the front. This is for your pumps, tubing, and cords coming from your tank.









2. Next, cut the side panels and attach "legs". (In my case I just cut the legs/supports, since I had the store make the big cuts.) Make sure you have just enough depth to cover the plastic trim of your tank. Take note of how I turned the legs into additional support. Also, you can see a square dowel I added for the lamp support as well. To find the proper depth, I measured how thick my lamp was and added a quarter inch.
















NOTE: If you wish for a more rigid feel, you can use wood glue at the following points. This is optional, but, you should let the glue FULLY dry before painting.









3. Now, you simply need to connect the two. The sides go in between the front and back (not at the ends.) Make sure your sides are cut about a half inch wider than the tank. This makes room for being a little short mostly. I added a strip of a plumbing strap to add support for lights. Before I added it I primed and painted it and let it dry. You can cut it by bending it back and fourth several times, where you want your length.









4. From here, I simply primed it twice, let it dry a day, and painted it. 
You can use drywall caulk/filler to cover the screws and make it look more flush and clean









5. When it dried over the next day, placed it on top. I have still yet to paint the particle board cover, but, it's perfectly cut and rests on top for now. When I permanently affix it, I will just use two hinges, prime and paint it. 









I've added a couple pics to show how the inside looks. 









Since taking these pictures, I've also upgraded to the proper lighting (48".)









This is the final look for today...









I hope this is helpful! If anyone has any questions, feel free to drop a reply.


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## Mr_Pat (Apr 13, 2010)

very nice.. i was actually just working on something similair for our 90.. My plan is to make the internal section hinged so i can lift the light upward when i want to access the tank.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Looks good.


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## jaydoubledub (Jun 28, 2011)

Thanks guys!
I was and still am debating that as well Mr Pat. I'm still rolling with the same lighting. When i get another dual T5, 48" or a quad then i will mod the lights to be affixed to the top. When i do i will throw a couple 1"x2" supports on the top and add locking hinges.


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## jaydoubledub (Jun 28, 2011)

Check this out... 

They've grown so much since making my canopy. Of course it isn't the canopy to give 100% of the credit. Just wanted to show off


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## steelholder (Jun 17, 2012)

Hey dj this is very nice and inspiring. Did you ever make the hinge modification? If so pics?


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