Canopy and Sump designs

Hello everyone /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/smile.gif
I'm looking for any suggestions or tips anyone has for canopy and sump designs. Building both at home. 
Canopy will fit over a standard 90g RR with LED's inside. I'm thinking solid all the way around but with two large circles either drilled out of the back wall or the ceiling. For access, I want to be able to get into my tank better than I can now. Was thinking of making the whole front wall on hinges on the upper edge so I can flip it up and over for deep cleaning/rearranging in the tank. Then a couple small stylish doors on that same panel for easy access like feeding and such. Any other ideas?? I know what color and trim I'm going to do. Just working on the raw structure now that is most beneficial for a short person playing in a 90g tank /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/wink.gif
Sump is going to be out of a 30g standard tank. 36" x 12" x 16" tall. I'm on a Mac laptop and don't have any sort of 'paint' program (as far as I'm aware) to draw what I want to do like I did last time around. I'm thinking first chamber being the largest where water flows in on the left. That'll hold filter socks, skimmer, probes, and return for GFO/Carbon reactor. Then two barriers directing the water so it has to enter through the floor into the second chamber where I'd like rubble and chaeto. I have about 3" of sand in my current sump in that chamber and I don't know how it would be doing anything useful. Educate me if you think otherwise /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/smile.gif Then I think I should have a bubble trap but I'm not sure how to arrange it. I could either make the first divider very tall so the water is forced under it. That would mean if I did the traditional 3 wall bubble trap then the water would enter the third chamber on the bottom. This is all find and dandy for the bubble issue but that seems like it wouldn't get optimal flow through my second chamber. There would be a lot of semi-still water in the upper portion of that second chamber where the chaeto would be growing. If I inverted the bubble trap, then the water would arrive at the top of the third chamber which is fine, unless the ATO malfunctioned and my water level was low in that chamber and then it would make a waterfall and create bubbles instead of avoiding them. In any case, the third chamber will have my return pump and pump for my GFO/Carbon.
I really hope that makes sense haha. If anyone knows of a 'paint' like program I can do on my Mac, that would be awesome! Also, any suggestions, edits, tips, whatever, I am all ears. Thanks everyone!!!
Kylie

 

Just saw another idea. Could do 4 chambers, first of which is full of rock that gets the drain from the display, then to equipment, then chaeto (and sand??), then return. Not sure if the tank is long enough but thought I'd throw that out there for discussion

 

I think there's still some pics in the gallery of the canopy I built for.my 120.....it sounds like what your describing

 

google sketch up works good and its free!

 

Sweet. I'll check out the Google sketch and the 120 build. Do you have any changes/recommendations since you built yours?

 

i made my own for my 120g RR and drilled two 2" holes in the back above the overflows. the front is designed so when i open it the front panel and 8in of the top open upwards, its a basic L shapped front and the hinges are on the top to allow this. i made it out of solid red oak. i plan on making a new one soon and instead of having the holes in the back i am going to have a 1"-2" tall slot across the back and towards the top, this allows more airflow and its higher up incase i get a jumpy fish. As for the sump, the sand is not needed and you can do the bubble trap either way, i have noticed that if the outer 2 walls are fastened to the bottum of the sump instead of the middle one that it works better but you do need to keep ur last chambers water level high enough not to have the large waterfall effect you were talking about. hope this helps and i did have pictures of my canopy also in one of my build threads

 

i always had the idea to make the stand out of 2x4s and make the "skins" held on by rare earth magnets. 1 side perm. attached and the other 2 removable (as one piece). it would give you full access to the sump without and light bleed from the front and no pesky door to mess with. it would also let you add/remove the sump if you ever needed to. with trim and mouldings you can make it look completely seamless.

 

The L shape to the lid sounds like it would be stronger. I'll have to look at the trim design I was hoping to do and see if I can alter it so it would be able to bend like that a few inches back. I'm sure we could do it that way. I'm definitely going for a 'grand' look with this one. Learned my lessons on the basics for the first stand/canopy. Now going pro! haha, not really but thanks for the advice everyone!

So, no sand bed. If I were to do four chambers (drain into rocks, then equipment, then fuge, then return), would you just have chaeto in the fuge or are there other plants that would you have in there? I currently just have a clamp on light from lowes.

 

The L shape is stronger but you will need 2-3 rectangle shaped peices to help support it in its L shape or you can put hinges on the corner of the L also to allow you to open just the front part or both the front and some of the top. As far as programs to draw plans i would just say use some graphing paper and a pencil LOL so much easier and faster. I run my fuge at the end and have my return line T'd to it, I did this so i could use the FULL height of the sump for the fuge and control the water flow in the fuge. I put some rock in the fuge with sand and chaeto, i have mine set up so i can put fish and coral frags in their and keep them seperate from my display if needed.. Your sump is a lot smaller than mine so idk how big the fuge section will be for you but if all you are going to use it for is algae then chaeto is all you need to put in there since you already have rock in your first chamber. As far as the light goes the clamp is enough. It's what i use right now but i am going to switch to an LED system that will make it look nicer, give me more room, and allow me to grow coral frags down there.

 

I always find the old methods best for conceptualizing: scratch paper, pencil, straightedge, and engineering paper