Making the junp!

[5uperman]

Long time aquarium junkie in freshwater and making the jump to saltwater.

Budget is an issue. That being said, I dont want to skimp on equipment. My goal is a reef display with a few fish. So metal halide is the option here. I dont want to spend my money on a ready made hood. I want to build my own.

Can someone direct me to the right fixtures... ballasts and bulbs that I will need.

Is it safe to build from wood?

the tank i will attempt my 1st saltwater venture is 33 gallons. Is this too small?

Its the standard 36x18x12

ps. great site. kudos to all involved.

thank you!

[dakar]

Welcome Aboard! You've come to the right place, many of us here are avid DIY'rs (short for cheap!) for just about everything. 33g is not too small, though smaller tanks allow for a little less room for errors, things can happen fast in smaller tanks.

But wooden canopies are the norm for a SW tank... Half a sheet of plywood, some polyurethane (sp), and a bit of paint/stain and you'll be set. With a little ventilation they work excelently for halides.

Do you have a particular halide in mind? I'd guess you'd want to be in the 250w range, so magnetic ballasts can found for cheap which makes them far more attractive in the $$$ department over prefab fixtures.

Let us know what you are looking for and I'm sure we can help point you in the right directions!

Again welcome to the salty side of the force!

[Dirt4dinner]

Salt makes you float better....I have no idea what that has to do with anything, but it came to mind.

I recently bought a retro fit light kit, I didn't get halides but I can recommend a good site that has some great package deals for your application. www.reefgeek.com.

I don't know if they are still available but Davejnz had some halides for sale recently...Dave, you still got that stuff laying around collecting dust?

Welcome to the site, you should find your stay pleasant! :D

[lReef lKeeper]

welcome to CR, we are here to help. IMO if building your own hood, i would go with mogul socket MH. you might want to check out our want ad forums. there is usually a lot of nice stuff for sale there. http://www.captivereefing.com/forumdisplay.php?f=22
or
http://www.captivereefing.com/index2.php?
if you need more help, give us a shout