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Glass Tops

Tony

Tony

Alligator Snapping Turtle/Past Pres
$10-$20 each online for 16"-30"... It adds up quick when starting up a room.

Any DIY solutions that work?
Lexan maybe?
Any good shop recommendations to get tempered glass cut to length?
 
dogofwar

dogofwar

CCA Members
Clear rubbermaids - the low under the bed kind work great as above the tank dump filters (or covers) as do the lids


Tony said:
$10-$20 each online for 16"-30"... It adds up quick when starting up a room.

Any DIY solutions that work?
Lexan maybe?
Any good shop recommendations to get tempered glass cut to length?
Click to expand...

Posted via mobile.capitalcichlids.org
 
maddog10

maddog10

Members
To me, it is worth the investment to get the glass tops. As long as you are careful with them, they will last forever. All the other alternatives that I have seen eventually sag or bow. I like a solid tight fit that helps keep evaporation to a minimum. I also like to keep the humidity down (always a plus in a house). You can often get good deals from your LFS if you buy them in bulk (that is how I got mine).
 
DiscusnAfricans

DiscusnAfricans

Past President
Plexiglass is much easier and cheaper to have cut than glass. You can cut to exact size for a good, solid fit, but eventually it may bow or warp like Mike mentioned.
 
DonkeyFish

DonkeyFish

Members
Though I wouldn't buy a tank bigger than 40 gallons from them, glasscages.com has stupid prices on glass. Dunno if buying the cut pieces and getting a $3 60" strip of hinge would be cheaper than just buying the pre-made tops, but worth looking at. I got replacement hinge from BigAl's or Drs Foster & Smith online awhile ago, was waay cheaper than getting a whole new top when my hinge split.

I'm with Mike and whomever else though, get glass. Unless it's a small piece of lexan/plexi/lucite/whatever it will probably bow. The heat from lights takes its toll too, don't forget that. If you go the plastic route you'll have to get a substantial thickness, which may wind up being more expensive than glass anyhow.

A good guy to buy plexi from online (if you do decide to go that route) is delvie's plastics http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Delvies-Plastics__W0QQ_armrsZ1 I was looking for some totally random colored stuff for a project and he had it in stock and shipped it out cut to my specs the next day.

Good luck!
 
T

TheWire

Members
DonkeyFish said:
Though I wouldn't buy a tank bigger than 40 gallons from them, glasscages.com has stupid prices on glass. Dunno if buying the cut pieces and getting a $3 60" strip of hinge would be cheaper than just buying the pre-made tops, but worth looking at. I got replacement hinge from BigAl's or Drs Foster & Smith online awhile ago, was waay cheaper than getting a whole new top when my hinge split.

I'm with Mike and whomever else though, get glass. Unless it's a small piece of lexan/plexi/lucite/whatever it will probably bow. The heat from lights takes its toll too, don't forget that. If you go the plastic route you'll have to get a substantial thickness, which may wind up being more expensive than glass anyhow.

A good guy to buy plexi from online (if you do decide to go that route) is delvie's plastics http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Delvies-Plastics__W0QQ_armrsZ1 I was looking for some totally random colored stuff for a project and he had it in stock and shipped it out cut to my specs the next day.

Good luck!
Click to expand...


Ya, I was thinking the same thing..buy a sheet of plexi and cut to specs.
 
BevN

BevN

Members
Plexi will warp over time...been there, done that.

Hubby, being the equivilent of Tim the tool man in the fish room, salvaged window glass (check with applebee or one of those replacement window places) and cut the glass to fit. We use that plastic track that you get at Lowes for putting those wall panels together. Like the ones they use for bathrooms(yuck). I think there is a whole diy thing on the Lancaster site for this...or maybe that got lost in the move. Anyway. You cut the track to fit the tank. Then cut two pieces of glass. One site inside the track and that covers the back of the tank. The second piece rest on top of the track. That one slides back for opening. You can cut a small triangle out of the back piece to leave an opening for tubing and cords. We silicone small knobs on the front piece to slide than back and forth. Keeps the evaporation down which is less stress on the airexchanger.

Kurt might be able to help direct you to the thread on how this is done with pictures.
 
George

George

CCA Charter Member and person in charge of the we
Acrylic warps - Lexan does not. The generic term plexi is often used to refer to both but they are not the same. I build my tops out of Lexan (costs more) and it does not warp.

George
 
Lively

Lively

Members
I needed something quick and had some of that plastic that's used as light cover. I used it on a 20g long - no lights on the tank and it's done a pretty good job so far. It has actually done a far better job at stopping evaporation than anything else I've ever used.

Downside, it is a bit brittle so you have to be careful when you cut. I screwed up two pieces before I got it right.
 
T

TheWire

Members
Tony
It was nice to meet you today. Let figure which material for glass top alternative we should use....

1) plexi
2) office light cover
 
Pat Kelly

Pat Kelly

CCA Member
Staff member
Most of my tanks have glass tops. Yes I have to replace them at times.
My 10 gallon tanks are on the rack on end so I can not use the glass tops since the light sits right on the tank. Because of this I took Plexi and cut to fit the lip on the 10. Because of different brands of tanks, some fit better than others. I had them cut to size rather cheap. Then I took a door lock drill bit,( the type to cut the hole the door to put the lock assembly) and cut a hole in the front of the plexi. While this makes it so some moisture gets out, I can feed with out removing the top plus I made them big enough that if I am doing a quick partial water change, my python fits in there.
They do warp, I just pull them off when I clean and flip them over.
I even made a few extras that I take to shows or tops on the tanks instead of the plastic wrap most people use.
 
Tony

Tony

Alligator Snapping Turtle/Past Pres
TheWire said:
Tony
It was nice to meet you today. Let figure which material for glass top alternative we should use....

1) plexi
2) office light cover
Click to expand...

Nice to meet you as well, Kam. Shoot me a PM about those fish you're trying to offload.

This thread has really made me waver though... not sure which way to go. Think I'll stop by the LFS in Rockville and see if they can hook me a deal for bulk glass tops....
 
Sonny Disposition

Sonny Disposition

Active Member
I have a sheet of plexiglass on my lone killifish tank. It's cut exactly to size. It does bow after awhile, and when it does, I just turn it over and let it start bowing in the other direction. All things being equal, though, I like the glass covers best. (Plexiglass is better for clumsy people like me, though, who drop stuff all the time.)

DiscusnAfricans said:
Plexiglass is much easier and cheaper to have cut than glass. You can cut to exact size for a good, solid fit, but eventually it may bow or warp like Mike mentioned.
Click to expand...
 
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