DIY lid

ryanoh

ryanoh

Large Fish
#1
Mar 22, 2010
858
0
0
#1
As of now I don't have a lid on my 40 gallon breeder, so I've been adding a lot of water and siphoning out a lot of dust. I tried to make a plexiglass lid, but there's no middle support going across the tank so the pieces I cut sagged down under the weight of the condensation and were no good.

I'm looking at actual glass now, and I'm unsure of the best shape to go with. Does anyone have any suggestions about how to leave a hole for the filter and the other hoses/wires coming out of the back?

Can a glass cutter cut glass into a non rectangular shape? As in, can they cut a smaller rectangle out of the large glass rectangle so I can fit my filter through it?
 

B

blue_ram

Large Fish
#2
Jun 21, 2008
516
0
0
Florida
#2
ryanoh said:
As of now I don't have a lid on my 40 gallon breeder, so I've been adding a lot of water and siphoning out a lot of dust. I tried to make a plexiglass lid, but there's no middle support going across the tank so the pieces I cut sagged down under the weight of the condensation and were no good.

I'm looking at actual glass now, and I'm unsure of the best shape to go with. Does anyone have any suggestions about how to leave a hole for the filter and the other hoses/wires coming out of the back?

Can a glass cutter cut glass into a non rectangular shape? As in, can they cut a smaller rectangle out of the large glass rectangle so I can fit my filter through it?
Click to expand...
All my glass tops are hinged and have a 2 inch plastic strip for the back to cut for filters and stuff.
 

ryanoh

ryanoh

Large Fish
#4
Mar 22, 2010
858
0
0
#4
I ended up going to a local automotive shop, and for affordability I just had him cut two rectangles. One is 3 inches, and the other takes up the space from the filter to the other piece of glass. My idea was to make some sort of hinge between the two so that the small could be lifted up for me to feed them and whatnot. I have no idea what to make a hinge out of since the condensation de-stickied my packing tape hinge.

I've also thought about cutting plexiglass to fit the shapes in the back and then gluing it to the glass with silicon.
 

aakaakaak

aakaakaak

Superstar Fish
#5
Sep 9, 2010
1,324
0
0
Chesapeake, Virginia
#5
I was looking to do something like this with my 29 gal, but ended up buying one of the regular glass tops. The effort required to find the right plexiglass/glass then figure out some hinge was just too much for me. It's not that much more expensive either.
 

aakaakaak

aakaakaak

Superstar Fish
#7
Sep 9, 2010
1,324
0
0
Chesapeake, Virginia
#7
A plexiglass sheet big and sturdy enough to make a lid ran about 15 bucks at Lowes. The sturdy glass marineland 30x12 lid with a cutout section with rubber joint and small plastic handle was 21 bucks at Petco. It was worth my six bucks for a better lid. I have no idea about the cut glass.
 

ryanoh

ryanoh

Large Fish
#8
Mar 22, 2010
858
0
0
#8
My glass sheet cost 20 dollars, then I probably spent less than five on glass glue and two metal hinges and a handle. Getting one from Petco probably would have run me about the same, but the nearest Petco to me is an hour away and I wasn't having any luck with their website.

I have no complaints about the lid I made though.
 

ryanoh

ryanoh

Large Fish
#10
Mar 22, 2010
858
0
0
#10
Yeah, here's one of the top of the tank, the hinges, and then the gap for my chords and filters.
Here's for hoping that the gap will be big enough for my new filter, because its a snug enough fit for the one I've got now.





And also, I promise my tank doesn't look that gross when there's not a camera flash going off on it.
 

M

Meleemaker

Medium Fish
#12
Nov 17, 2010
84
0
0
Pierre SD
#12
I got a giant(like 54 by 48) peice of plexiglass from Probuild. I needed covers for all of my tanks(one was second hand with out a cover and the rest were just tanks). I bought multiple 10 gallon tanks for like 14 dollars a peice. The aquarium lid was like 25 so I said pffft no.

The plexiglass was a SOB story trying to cut with a razor. Trying to break it along a very very very scored end was not fun. And it was just a general pain. So I went out to my neighbors garage and used his dremel(Chorded is a MUST for power) and I easily cut out a cover for my 55 gallon(with space cut for my filter, feeding, and cords). Then cutting them all out for my 3 ten gallon tanks was even easier. Left 3 inch by 2 inch gaps for food. Left space for each individual filter(I have a strong filter in one and two light filters in others).

The only thing I didnt tank in account was that the plexiglass really does SAG. Its quite prevelent on my 55 gallon. The water condenses and pulls it down, but the biggest factor is the heating. The water is kept at 82 degrees and that heat is what "melts" the plexiglass creating the sag.
 

skjl47

skjl47

Large Fish
#13
Nov 13, 2010
712
0
0
Northeastern Tennessee.
#13
lid diy idea

Hello; A couple of things that I have tried and one that occured to me. I have made partial covers out of glass for the gaps in the front and back of tanks. One way to slove the problem of grasping a section of glass is to use silicone to glue rubber stopper(s) onto the section. Makes the section easier to pick up and is not affected by water. Another way to fill in the spaces around heaters and filters is to silicone a smaller piece of glass onto the larger cover. I have found that a dab of silicone squeezed between the flat surfaces of two pieces of glass will hold quite well if the surface area of the bond is adequate. That bonding area does not have to be large. The result will not be flat, but will keep your fish in the tank. I should have an example around and will try to master the technique of postiing a picture if anyone is interested. I am always on the lookout for sections of plate glass that folks throw away. Such as the sections of glass from those louvered windows that crank open. Another tip if you cut your own glass and have a concrete floor or cinder block wall handy. Before you remove your safety glasses and gloves rub the fresh cut edges of glass along the floor or wall, this will dull the edges. The thing that occured to me is a way to support plexiglass. I have not tried it. Silicone lengths of plate glass, maybe an inch or more wide, along the plexiglass as a reinforcement. Silicone is a great tool. When I started keeping fish it was not available. The tanks had an painted iron frame and were made water tight by a black tar like substance. The black stuff eventually got hard and leaked. I still have a 30 gal with a stainless steel frame and a slate bottom. I have had to run a line of silicone along the inside corners several times. You may already know this, vinegar should clean the mineral deposits left behind by evaporation off the glass top. I use the vinegar solution away from a tank. Just some thoughts
 

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