DIY Canopy Material?

[Justfebreezeit]

Hello Everyone.

So I have Two Kessil 160's over my Nuvo 20 and I want to add 2 T5 bulbs to the system somehow, Front and Back.

I want the Kessil's and T5's to be mounted together as one unit if possible.

So i was thinking about building and hanging a canopy. I'm Curious what material would be affordable, look good, and be durable.

I could build it out of plywood fairly easily and seal it but this tank is in my bedroom and I would like a Modern look.



So my main two questions would be. What material would you use? How would you mount the Kessils?

The t5 retrofit should be easy to mount.

Thanks in Advance.

 

[P-Dub]

Hello Everyone.

So I have Two Kessil 160's over my Nuvo 20 and I want to add 2 T5 bulbs to the system somehow, Front and Back.

I want the Kessil's and T5's to be mounted together as one unit if possible.

So i was thinking about building and hanging a canopy. I'm Curious what material would be affordable, look good, and be durable.

I could build it out of plywood fairly easily and seal it but this tank is in my bedroom and I would like a Modern look.



So my main two questions would be. What material would you use? How would you mount the Kessils?

The t5 retrofit should be easy to mount.

Thanks in Advance.

Melamine board. The difficult part would be to miter the edges so you don't see the cut. Alternatively, you could apply iron-on melamine/laminate edging. Just be sure to reinforce the corners with any dimensional lumber screwed from the inside with stainless fasteners. As for fitting the Kessils, I would route or hole saw two holes the diameter of the Kessils or just a fraction under and go for a tight, friction fit or find an out of the box method of securing. My 2c...

 

[Centerline]

Hey Man, I'm not sure if you dealt with this yet or not but if you haven't consider using HDPE (cutting board material). The stuff comes in a bunch of different colors, works exactly like wood and will outlast you or I. At my business I spend a lot of time looking for and prototyping products. I started looking at HDPE as a replacement for canvas on T-Tops for boats. Could not have been more surprised at how easy it was to work with. For small orders cuttingboard.com will custom cut to your hearts desire and their products are not bad at all. On the kessel website it looks like the 160s are 4" - say 4.5 with the cord. So a 5 or 6" deep canopy would take care of hiding the light and the cables. Lets say 5". The Nuvo 20 is 23 5/8" x 15" Adding an extra 1.5" to cover the length of the T5s and end caps that would be 2 boards @ 25.5", 2 @ 15.5" assuming a .25" dato where you want to join the boards [email protected]" and 2 @ 15" if you want to miter the edges and weld them together - this would be my preference. You would also need a board for the top of the canopy @ 14.5 x 23.5" (assuming dato for insert). For black the will cost about $160 - might seem expensive but its going to last forever. Joining it all together assumes you have a router or table saw to cut the dato joints if you plan to use screws or that you can learn to weld plastic (dead simple) from youtube. A local cabinet shop would probably cut the datos for 30-40 bucks if you don't have the tools. To float the canopy off the wall you going to PM me and Ill build you a set of hidden brackets that we sell for floating shelves, mantels etc. Essentially a 3/8" x 1.5" steel bar with a lag welded to the end. Find your studs, level and mark the placement positions, screw them into the studs and slide your canopy on. Simple as that. I don't need any money but I will need lots of good pictures - its a new product and the mor epictures I have the better. For the T5s a 4 bulb Wavepoint retro would work great but you will need to split the fixture and move the ballast - should be simple. Whatever you decide to do keep us posted.

 

[Justfebreezeit]

Hey Man, I'm not sure if you dealt with this yet or not but if you haven't consider using HDPE (cutting board material). The stuff comes in a bunch of different colors, works exactly like wood and will outlast you or I. At my business I spend a lot of time looking for and prototyping products. I started looking at HDPE as a replacement for canvas on T-Tops for boats. Could not have been more surprised at how easy it was to work with. For small orders cuttingboard.com will custom cut to your hearts desire and their products are not bad at all. On the kessel website it looks like the 160s are 4" - say 4.5 with the cord. So a 5 or 6" deep canopy would take care of hiding the light and the cables. Lets say 5". The Nuvo 20 is 23 5/8" x 15" Adding an extra 1.5" to cover the length of the T5s and end caps that would be 2 boards @ 25.5", 2 @ 15.5" assuming a .25" dato where you want to join the boards [email protected]" and 2 @ 15" if you want to miter the edges and weld them together - this would be my preference. You would also need a board for the top of the canopy @ 14.5 x 23.5" (assuming dato for insert). For black the will cost about $160 - might seem expensive but its going to last forever. Joining it all together assumes you have a router or table saw to cut the dato joints if you plan to use screws or that you can learn to weld plastic (dead simple) from youtube. A local cabinet shop would probably cut the datos for 30-40 bucks if you don't have the tools. To float the canopy off the wall you going to PM me and Ill build you a set of hidden brackets that we sell for floating shelves, mantels etc. Essentially a 3/8" x 1.5" steel bar with a lag welded to the end. Find your studs, level and mark the placement positions, screw them into the studs and slide your canopy on. Simple as that. I don't need any money but I will need lots of good pictures - its a new product and the mor epictures I have the better. For the T5s a 4 bulb Wavepoint retro would work great but you will need to split the fixture and move the ballast - should be simple. Whatever you decide to do keep us posted.

Yo thanks for the write up. I definitly havent started this project yet I've still been kicking around ideas. I love HDPE idea, i've used it for a few other projects and it works great. I think I will go with the t5 retrokit from BRS for that part of it and only do 2 bulbs, a little pricier and less light than the wavepoint but im ok with that. The kessils throw off plenty of light.

I'm actively searching for a house ATM and will have to reassess this when the Tank finds a spot in my new place. Again thanks for the Ideas and I will probably take you up on the hidden brackets!

 

[Centerline]

Yo thanks for the write up. I definitly havent started this project yet I've still been kicking around ideas. I love HDPE idea, i've used it for a few other projects and it works great. I think I will go with the t5 retrokit from BRS for that part of it and only do 2 bulbs, a little pricier and less light than the wavepoint but im ok with that. The kessils throw off plenty of light.

I'm actively searching for a house ATM and will have to reassess this when the Tank finds a spot in my new place. Again thanks for the Ideas and I will probably take you up on the hidden brackets!

Ya Man, and you are probably right about only two t5s - those Kessels produce some serious par on these tanks.