# Can you make an Aquarium lid with anything besides glass & Acrylic?



## DaveK (Jul 10, 2010)

Some people have used polycarbonate plastic, since it doesn't tend to warp as bad as acrylic. Other than that, it's similar to acrylic.

I have also heard of people using mesh screens as covers, but this is usually used to keep fish in, and will not do much to slow evaporation. 

How large a tank are you talking about? If it's a large tank you might want to invest in an ATO system. That could keep the tank full.


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## Robin Conor Sallade (Jan 26, 2017)

I use polycarbonate panels its super cheap and you just cut to size with scissors. 

Suntuf 26 in. x 6 ft. Polycarbonate Roof Panel in Clear-155030 - The Home Depot


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## jboone82590 (Jul 4, 2015)

I use glass on one tank and mesh on another. 

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## lksdrinker (Feb 12, 2014)

Merriallynchian said:


> Can you make an Aquarium lid with anything besides glass & Acrylic?
> 
> Possible something sold at home depot?
> 
> ...


You can buy glass and acrylic at places like home depot


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

I have a window and door company I get as much glass as I want from. If you give almost any window and door place a call and ask for an old window I don't think you will have any trouble getting as much as you want for free. I used to build a lot of smaller tanks 50g and under like this.

Dan


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## Merriallynchian (Apr 25, 2017)

Dman911 said:


> I have a window and door company I get as much glass as I want from. If you give almost any window and door place a call and ask for an old window I don't think you will have any trouble getting as much as you want for free. I used to build a lot of smaller tanks 50g and under like this.
> 
> Dan


You mean doing some dumpster diving? Like those youtube videos where the people find like hundred of dollars worth of video games in the dumpster outside Gamespot? :grin2:

I do know that companies waste a lot of materials.



Robin Conor Sallade said:


> I use polycarbonate panels its super cheap and you just cut to size with scissors.
> 
> Suntuf 26 in. x 6 ft. Polycarbonate Roof Panel in Clear-155030 - The Home Depot


Does polycarbonate panels allow light in? Can I put it on the light and the surface of the water? 

Is polycarbonate panels like a cheaper version of acrylic? What is the downside? Is it not as strong or something? 


Thanks.


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## Robin Conor Sallade (Jan 26, 2017)

Poly let's light in if you get clear, it does block some uv (never affected my plants as of now). It does a decent job holding in stuff but bigger fish need heft added. It's biggest 2 pit falls is it's ugly and it doesn't come small I have like 6ft of the stuff lying around.

And it's PVC like material just cut with scissors.


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## dealend (Oct 29, 2016)

I have seen people are using a clear plastic food wrap to cover the Top and minimize the evaporating.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

Covers need to be adapted to fit what we each need. I find wood canopies serve me best. They let me use all kinds of lighting as it gives me a place to hang stuff and the back opening can be adjusted to allow more or less air circulation as needed. Some tanks need more air movement to get evaporation to cool them better, while others need less. I like to let as much light go straight into the water without the hassle of constantly cleaning the glass covers. How often the glass needs cleaning may change depending on how hard the water. I often have very hard water so any glass or plastic is more trouble than I want. 
A point to keep in mind on any cover is how quick it may start to cut the light. Any plastic type is more prone to this than glass.


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

Merriallynchian said:


> You mean doing some dumpster diving? Like those youtube videos where the people find like hundred of dollars worth of video games in the dumpster outside Gamespot? :grin2:
> 
> I do know that companies waste a lot of materials.


Hey if you want to dumpster dive that's on you . What do you think companies do with the glass they replace? They have to dispose of it. So if you call them usually they are more than willing to let you pick out whatever you want from the old glass they remove. They do not throw it in dumpsters and its not wasted material from cutting. I'm not talking going to window and door manufacturers, I'm talking about the installation companies.

Added: But hey if you rather go pay for material you can get for free by all means as it was just a suggestion

Dan


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## JJ09 (Sep 11, 2014)

I have a tank with a sliding lid I made from Lexan- it's a type of polycarbonate I think, smooth panes like glass. Can't cut w/scissors though, I got mine cut when bought at the Home Depot but guy did it a fraction of an inch too long so I had to cut again at home and now the edge is all scratches. Oh well. It's not really noticeable. 

Downside is it does bow a little bit at end of week- from the moisture- but I just wipe off and flip the panes each week when do my maintenance. It does cut 30% of the light, but for me that's a plus because I want low light anyway.


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## Haeun (Mar 9, 2007)

I had a 20 long dropped off at a window and glass shop and they made me a two piece class cover to fit perfectly for about $10-15.


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## AbbeysDad (Apr 13, 2016)

You can get window glass cut at Lowes or HD inexpensively. There's also an inexpensive plastic molding that serves as an excellent slider - all very inexpensive.


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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

JJ09 said:


> I have a tank with a sliding lid I made from Lexan- it's a type of polycarbonate I think, smooth panes like glass. Can't cut w/scissors though, I got mine cut when bought at the Home Depot but guy did it a fraction of an inch too long so I had to cut again at home and now the edge is all scratches. Oh well. It's not really noticeable.
> 
> Downside is it does bow a little bit at end of week- from the moisture- but I just wipe off and flip the panes each week when do my maintenance. It does cut 30% of the light, but for me that's a plus because I want low light anyway.


Lexan is to polycarbonate what Kleenex is to tissue 

You can easily sand down the edges so they aren't so rough. I sand all edges of mine so I don't get cut.

The bowing depends on thickness, but it is definitely far better than acrylic. I can't remember my thickness, but the guys at Tap Plastics actually calculated required thickness for me so there would be no bowing.

You shouldn't be losing that much light either unless you didn't go with clear, standard polycarbonate. Usually, light transmittance is around 90% - just a hair worse than acrylic.

I just love the stuff because I can drill holes and make cutouts exactly where I want them. If I had the skills to do that with glass, then I would finally be willing to switch.


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## Merriallynchian (Apr 25, 2017)

jboone82590 said:


> I use glass on one tank and mesh on another.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk


Can the light travel pass the mesh? Do you think it cuts the light out more than glass or acrylic top? 

Thanks.


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## natemcnutty (May 26, 2016)

Merriallynchian said:


> Can the light travel pass the mesh? Do you think it cuts the light out more than glass or acrylic top?
> 
> Thanks.


Just like a window screen, light goes through the openings. It all depends on how big the openings are, but I would think most mesh will reduce light more than glass.


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## FishEggs (Mar 19, 2017)

Mesh won't stop evaporation.


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## AbbeysDad (Apr 13, 2016)

Mesh and window screen will act like shade cloth and reduce the light passing through AND do nothing for the prime objective of reducing water loss from evaporation.

Food for thought: In some cases, excessive tank evaporation may be a sign that your home is too dry. This is often the case in many homes in the winter or in very arid climates. A humidifier may be a healthy addition to the home.


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## Mattb126 (Nov 13, 2016)

I think I've heard someone say something bad about it before, but I used plexiglass on my tanks in the past before going open top. 

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## dealend (Oct 29, 2016)

Most people had used this during their dry start carpeting.

Some might have forgotten, you could still using those cheap and easy to find DIY cover for your tank.


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## TheUnseenHand (May 14, 2017)

I echo those who said to go to a local glass shop. It's should be pretty cheap to get a couple cut-to-size glass pieces. I've always done that to construct my overflows and sump baffles. 

That said, coming from a marine reef background, I would 100% recommend an ATO. One of the best purchases you could ever make for any aquarium.


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## Merriallynchian (Apr 25, 2017)

AbbeysDad said:


> Mesh and window screen will act like shade cloth and reduce the light passing through AND do nothing for the prime objective of reducing water loss from evaporation.
> 
> Food for thought: In some cases, excessive tank evaporation may be a sign that your home is too dry. This is often the case in many homes in the winter or in very arid climates. A humidifier may be a healthy addition to the home.


I live in sunny south Florida which is basically a swamp land and extremely humid. I do have a filter rated at like 700 GPH so maybe it's the flow rate in the tank that is causing the evaporation. 

The output is underwater but still, maybe this is the cause along with not having the top.


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