Dixon1990 Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 I intend to make a Hood for my latest and final tank. The tank will have glass lids on it aswell, But im not sure if the small holes for the filters and heater cables will let out enough moisture to make the hood swell if i make it out of mdf(or whatever the stuff is :lol: ) so what should i do? I have made a model on Sketup, but photobuckets not working for me so i cant upload it(if someone can do it for me i can email it to them ) TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deno Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 I would not use MDF for a tank hood. Use real wood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishandchips Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 I would use plywood then coat it with a sealer, will last alot longer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie841 Posted April 28, 2009 Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 I would use plywood then coat it with a sealer, will last alot longer I second that. It is thinner and lighter than MDF and will now swell if you seal it (painting it is fine to do that) This is one I put together with 2 energy saver lights and glass under it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted April 28, 2009 Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 I second that. It is thinner and lighter than MDF and will now swell if you seal it (painting it is fine to do that) like mdf you can get various thicknesses of ply from about 4mm to 30mm i think. it is alot stronger & as it is actually wood it will perform alot better when wet. I made a top for a AR620 out of 2 layers of 17mm h3 treated ply, i cut it to match the curved shape of the tank then did two cutouts for plumbing on the back edge of it & another in the centre for a aquaone light. It worked out really well, i laminated formica on the bottom & painted it black on the top & edges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted April 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 Ok, now i dont know what it is that we have. Its the stuff commonly laminated and used in kitchen pantry, cabinets etc. I realy dont know what im tlaking about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted April 28, 2009 Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 Ok, now i dont know what it is that we have. Its the stuff commonly laminated and used in kitchen pantry, cabinets etc. I realy dont know what im tlaking about if you can post a pic i'll tell you what it is & if it's any good for a hood. if its melteca or mdf don't waste your time making it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopia Posted April 28, 2009 Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 Ok, now i dont know what it is that we have. Its the stuff commonly laminated and used in kitchen pantry, cabinets etc. I realy dont know what im tlaking about Same sort of stuff a regular black tank cabinet it made of do you mean ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted April 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 Same sort of stuff a regular black tank cabinet it made of do you mean ? Uhh, yeah i think so :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted April 28, 2009 Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 Uhh, yeah i think so :lol: melteca, avoid it if you can. i will most likely deteriorate very quickly as the substrate is mdf or particle board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted April 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 So what would you recomend then? Im trying to make the Hood on a small budget (just like normal :lol: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted April 28, 2009 Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 stick a piece of poly on a glass sheet and chuck it on the tank :lol: works a dream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted April 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 stick a piece of poly on a glass sheet and chuck it on the tank :lol: works a dream. -.- You should give me your email and il send you the picture so you can see how much that idea would fail :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted April 28, 2009 Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 o0oOo.. it would fail? [email protected] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted April 28, 2009 Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 Go to your local wall board merchant (place makers,bunnings etc), and ask them if they have ply cover sheets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted April 28, 2009 Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 dIXON'S planned hood. notice the crafty use of sketch up, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted April 28, 2009 Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 make it out of wood or plywood, it will be worth it in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted April 28, 2009 Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 how much would acrilic or perspex cost? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted April 28, 2009 Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 how much would acrilic or perspex cost? 10mm perspex is around $800 per 1200x2400 sheet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted April 28, 2009 Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 how many of those hoods can i make out of one sheet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted April 28, 2009 Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 how many of those hoods can i make out of one sheet? how long is a piece of string? twice as much as half of it. if you give sizes we may be able to help, ply is generally 2400x1200 or 2700x1200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie841 Posted April 30, 2009 Report Share Posted April 30, 2009 The lit d I made was a $25 (from Mitre10) sheet of ply and a $4 can of paint Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopia Posted April 30, 2009 Report Share Posted April 30, 2009 The lit d I made was a $25 (from Mitre10) sheet of ply and a $4 can of paint you made that paint stretch nicely but yeah -- i agree that ply is probably the best option at the right price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie841 Posted April 30, 2009 Report Share Posted April 30, 2009 Sorry I forgot to mention that it was a half sheet 1200x900 9mm thick and it was actually 2 cans in their discount bin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted April 30, 2009 Report Share Posted April 30, 2009 Oh, BTW...Put the lights towards the front of the hood, the tank will look better with everything lit more from the front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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