custom hoods

[BigFish]

when people talk about making thier own glass tanks what about hoods/lids?

[Pegasus]

Hi BigFish,

Question

when people talk about making thier own glass tanks what about hoods/lids?

[Caryl]

Glass tanks can have all sorts of different hoods on them. They can just have sheets of glass across the top, metal lids, plastic or wooden lids. You have to be careful with wood as it warps easily.

Our 4ft tank has a large sheet of glass covering 3/4 of the top with a strip of glass about 2" wide siliconed along the front. This means we only have to lift the strip of glass to access the tank for feeding. (I must confess here that we currently have a 2" gap as the silicone gave way ages ago and before I got around to reattaching it, I broke the strip of glass )

On top of the glass lid I have a couple of fluorescent lights just sitting on top with reflectors. There is then a large wooden lid covering all. This is because my tank is built into a huge rimu wall unit covering the end wall of our lounge. It is floor to ceiling and 12ft wide. Have a look at my photo album (under FNZAS Clubs - conference photos) as there is a pic of me kneeling beside it somewhere there (under tank parade 2002 if I remember correctly).

Some of our members make cheap lids using a sheet of glass and sitting a piece of guttering (you know, that Marley fancy stuff) on top. You can sit a small fluorescent under those and cap the ends, with a gap made for the power cord. They use those little fluorescents that look like 4 prongs folded over. These do not give off much heat. You can line the guttering with tinfoil to reflect the light more.

The guttering can be picked up free if you sidle up to a builder on a job site as they often have small offcuts of the stuff.

If you have a standard sized tank, lids can be bought from a retailer.

Metal lids can be made by engineering firms.