DIY Hoods

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acewiza

Aquarium Advice Freak
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Aug 11, 2015
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Needing a little advice on projects to upgrade a couple of tank hoods in the near future. I suppose I'm a fairly competent all-around DIY'er, but this will involve water and electricity in close proximity, so mistakes are going to be pretty much verboten, at least from a fishy health standpoint! :fish2:

There's no shortage of design ideas available, but my biggest worry is the aforementioned lighting issue. I want to re-use a pair of LED modules that seem to provide plenty of light and been working great for almost a year now over the big tank. They look like this:

LED's.jpg


Mounting and integrating them into the new hood should pose little problem, except I'm not sure what if any, separation or water barrier is required. They presently sit atop a crappy glass cover that's got to go. I guess my questions are: Do I need to make a plexi or polycarbonate surround barrier to shield them from moisture inside the new hood as they are now above the glass top?

I thought maybe a couple small fan extractors would do the trick, or maybe just RTV'ing the assembly cracks around the units. Dunno.

I like to keep things simple, but never at the expense of safety. TIA!
 
You guys are just waiting to see how long it takes to electrocute myself, aren't you! :lol:
 
Still thinking :)

Just checking but there is a glass top between the water and lights? Kind of out my field as always gone safe. Couple of fish shops here that ring a bell on this but rare to go to now.
 
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I used to have a tank with a wooden hood and the light was mounted on the inside
and it was exposed to moisture , and it rusted till it fell apart , yes I'd figure find some sort of barrier.
 
...and it rusted till it fell apart
Yes, this is what I'm anticipating. :rolleyes: And even with mitigation, I suspect equipment lifespan will be shortened by the environment.

So I'm going a different direction with 1/4" Lexan. The big issue for me is having a top opening larger than what you get with the standard glass tops. I have some large pieces of driftwood that simply don't fit through the openings. It makes cleaning a real PITA.
 
I use a router to cut a groove around the hood, I then slide a piece of glass into that groove, that way the lights are shielded from water.

There is a rabbet cut also, to rest the hood on the tank's frame
 
I use a router to cut a groove around the hood, I then slide a piece of glass into that groove, that way the lights are shielded from water.

There is a rabbet cut also, to rest the hood on the tank's frame
I imagined something like that would be the right way to do it, Wish I was a more skilled woodworker.
 
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