DIY Tank Canopy

Set the plywood down and draw two 24-inch by 9-inch rectangles to make the front and back of the canopy. Draw two 11-inch by 9-inch squares for the right and left sides. Draw one 13-inch by 24-inch rectangle for the top of the canopy and one 19.5-inch by 7.5-inch rectangle for the door. Cut the pieces out with the circular saw.

Place the pieces together, clamping the right and left side to the front and back rectangles. Nail the sides together with finishing nails to create the frame of the tank hood. Place two nails, one close to the edge of the top or bottom of the corner and the other 1 inch away from it. Do this on every side and corner of the frame, using 32 nails in all.

Nail the top of the hood onto the frame. Drive a nail at each corner and one nail part way between the center and the corner. Do this for all sides of the hood edge so that there are 5 nails on each side.

Set the frame on its side with the top of the hood facing away from you and the open bottom facing you. The back panel is now on the top side of the hood. Draw on the back panel two lines that are 2 1/8 inches in from each side and one long horizontal line that is 1 3/8 inches down from the top of the hood. This is going to be the door of the hood.

Clamp the front of the hood onto your work table. Cut out the door that was drawn in Step 4 with a saber saw. Sand down the rough edges of the wood.

Paint the hood and door with a stain in a color of your choice. Cover the stain with two coats of polyurethane clear coat sealant to protect the hood. Seal the hood both on the outside and inside to protect it from moisture. Set the hood aside to dry.

Nail the hinges to the top of the door, about 1 inch in from either top corner of the door. Drill a hole for the cabinet knob in the center bottom of the door, 1 inch up from the bottom. Screw the knob in place in the hole.

Cut the wood scraps that were left over from the sheet of plywood into two 12-inch by 1-inch spacers. Mark the center of the top interior side of the hood. Measure 6 inches out on both the left and right side of the center and make a mark. Draw a 12-inch line on the 6-inch measurement marks, with the mark being at the 6-inch or half-way point of the line you draw. These are the guidelines for the spacers.

Drill holes for the spacers on the guidelines drawn in Step 8. Drill the first hole 1 inch down from the top of the lines. Drill the second hole 1 inch up from the bottom of the lines. Drill the third hole at the 6-inch or halfway point of the lines. Hold the spacer up to the holes. Drive three screws into each spacer. Place one screw into a hole that you drilled from the outer finished side of the hood, not the interior, to prevent the wood from splitting as you drive the screws into the spacers.

Insert the reflector into the hood and center it on the spacers. Drive the screws provided with the reflector into the spacers and hood to secure it into place, using the pre-drilled holes as a guide.

Measure the dimensions of the back surface of the door latch. Transfer the measurements to a piece of scrap wood and cut it out. Nail the block of wood on the inside of the hood. Position it near the bottom center of the door where the door knob is located. Attach the bottom of the latch to the block. Nail the door latch's metal flash plate to the inside of the hood door near the bottom edge so that it will come into contact with the latch and hold the door shut.

Drill a 1-inch hole 1 inch down from the top of the hood in the right top corner for the lamp wiring. Insert the wire clamp into the hole you just drilled and screw it into place. Install the fluorescent light ballast according to its package instructions into the wire clamp. The hood is now ready to be placed on your aquarium.