# Tank top made of Acrylic?



## testtube (Jan 23, 2014)

Anyone out there use acrylic instead of glass for a tank top? :-? I recently broke one of my glass top panels  and am thinking about using acrylic instead. Thanks


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

Acrylic will sag over time, the thinner it is, the shorter time you have before it sags. Glass is pretty cheap at the hardware store, and they'll cut it for you if you give them measurements. It'll be thinner (most likely), but as long as you don't have kids leaning on it, should be fine.


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## james1983 (Dec 23, 2007)

I tried both with my tree frog terrarium and discovered the same thing with acrylic. Also I had a piece of normal glass from Lowes shatter from the heat from the light, even though it was just your typical spiral bulb raised about 4" above the glass.


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## ntayler (Nov 27, 2014)

i made a top for my sump out of .25" acrylic...severly warped after a couple days which was disappointing. Im wondering how hard it would be to do complex cuts with glass


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

I use laser-cut acrylics for my tank lids. I only use lids for the tank with "rare" fish inside for I always prefer rimless open top 

Because I live in tropical country, the top is fully closed. It has square holes to keep the temperature lower, with the holes smaller than the fish


For small size fish, I DIYed mosquito nett to acrylic frames.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

You might want to try out the clear polycarbonate panels used for greenhouses. A speaker at my local fish club is using them on all her tanks and said they work great, easy to cut with hand tools and the light transmission is comparable to glass lids. It is a flat on the top and bottom with a small channel sandwiched in the center. It is not the curvy product usually available at home improvement stores.


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## B-rad (Mar 11, 2015)

It shouldn't be an issue. Acrylic is lighter and clearer than glass and much resistant to breaking.


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## sparky4056 (Sep 1, 2014)

I use 3/8" lexan for my top on my 24" tank. It has been in place for about a year now and hasn't sagged at all.


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