Stand & Hood

The stand and hood are constructed from solid maple and maple plywood. Plans originated from standard floor models and then beefed up a bit for insurance. The front pieces of the base and all trim is solid 3/4" maple. The rest is 3/4" maple plywood except for the top and front of the hood which is 1/4" to reduce weight. The bottom of the stand was constructed  1.5" down from the door opening and laminated. Then a 1.5" rubber strip was glued and sealed around the bottom, this created a bathtub effect and will hold spills of about 4 gallons.

The hood can be removed by simply unplugging 5 cords on the back of the tank. 2 are for the MHs, 1 for the atinics, one for the moon lights and 1 for the fan power.  Also the front panel of the hood swings up for routine feedings and maintenance. The VHO atinics are mounted on acrylic stands and are easily removed with 4 prong quick disconnect computer plugs. Just unplug them and lift them out. This gives me a lot of room and about 99% of all the maintenance is performed this way. 

There are 4 fans mounted in the hood, 2 blowing out from the back directly behind the MHs and two intake fans from the top in each front corner. This setup really keeps the heat out of the hood. The fans used were 12vdc fans designed for computers.

 

Hood during construction.

Stand during construction.