DIY Hood and Lights - Input Please!

[Thaiboxer]

Hi all,

Soon, I'm going to build a hood with lighting for my new 125 gallon tank. After setting it up and moving all my fish over last night, I realized that the 2 light fixtures I have still aren't enough!

My questions?

1. If anyone has good plans for a DIY hood, with a front that lifts, I'd love to see them!

2. Lights are $$$! I'm not planning on running live plants in the short run, but would like that option. Is there anything wrong with wiring the new hood for standard lights, then running aquarium bulbs?

I'm open minded on the type of lighting I have - I'd love to hear your input! Thanks!

[GrndHog]

Heres a couple shots of my DIY canopy, I can take more if you want.

[Thaiboxer]

That's exactly what I'm planning for hinges on mine. Are the lights anything special, or just shop lights with aquarium bulbs? Is there a difference between the $20 shop light fixtures at HD and the $100 light bars at the LFS?

Thanks!

[GrndHog]

The lights are 420watts of VHO, 5 ft across. I'm sure there is a big difference, I'm not a lighting expert though.

The reflector is a sheet of roof flashing from HD.

[mgkaelen]

grndhog; may i ask about how much $$ you put into the hood? is it just a twin tube light with all that wattage? it's difficult to see and i have an untrained eye... and that's the 150 gallon in your profile?

i'm interested in making a diy hood and lights for my 30 gallon, and i haven't resorted to AH supply yet. i went to home depot today to see if i could just buy the parts separately and the lighting guy said it would be cheaper for me to just buy a hood than build it myself! he also recommended using aluminum foil as a reflector. BAH.