Dkmoo
Valuable Member
It all started b/c i upgraded my 2 Lumi Lite 50/50 strips to 2 xho actinics so everything was "bluer". then when the missus came back, the first thing she said was "why the heck is my entire living room blue??". Therefore, a canopy was in order so that the missus can be happy or i'll be sleeping on the couch.
fast-forward a week later after the thanksgiving dinner i decided to work off the extra calories and went to home depot on friday to build this thing. Since i already have a light rack i though i'd just add some cardboard and use the existing rack as a frame to keep it light weight instead of drilling into walls and turning it into a big project. so, total cost for the material came out to:
1) $5 for a roll of black cabinet adhesive cover to match the stand
2) $2 for a roll of clear packing tape
3) $2 for a sheet of black window mesh.
4) Free - an endless supply of cardboard boxes from our building's compactor room from all the holiday orders.
Before and after:
Some Work in progress pictures:
1) ALL the materials
2) Cut to the pieces:
3) glue on some printing paper on the inside to better reflect light:
4) apply the cabinet adhesive cover on the outside, and then cover the entire inside with clear packing tape to add to the light reflection and moisture resistance.
5) staple the mesh on top to prevent overheating, and staple/glue all the pieces together, let set:
I gotta say it turned out better than i thought. I know this is not going to last that long but for $10 it will hold for the next year or so until i buy my new house and upgrade to a bigger tank with a real canopy.
Happy Holidays!
fast-forward a week later after the thanksgiving dinner i decided to work off the extra calories and went to home depot on friday to build this thing. Since i already have a light rack i though i'd just add some cardboard and use the existing rack as a frame to keep it light weight instead of drilling into walls and turning it into a big project. so, total cost for the material came out to:
1) $5 for a roll of black cabinet adhesive cover to match the stand
2) $2 for a roll of clear packing tape
3) $2 for a sheet of black window mesh.
4) Free - an endless supply of cardboard boxes from our building's compactor room from all the holiday orders.
Before and after:
Some Work in progress pictures:
1) ALL the materials
2) Cut to the pieces:
3) glue on some printing paper on the inside to better reflect light:
4) apply the cabinet adhesive cover on the outside, and then cover the entire inside with clear packing tape to add to the light reflection and moisture resistance.
5) staple the mesh on top to prevent overheating, and staple/glue all the pieces together, let set:
I gotta say it turned out better than i thought. I know this is not going to last that long but for $10 it will hold for the next year or so until i buy my new house and upgrade to a bigger tank with a real canopy.
Happy Holidays!
