# Tank lid



## AV8TOR (Feb 23, 2019)

Curious about your setup for tank lids on your Cichlid tanks. 
Do you use traditional glass lids?
Do you use egg crates and rest your light on it? Good air water surface contact but at expense of more evaporation. 
Is your lights shining through the glass or over open water


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## wryan (Dec 6, 2015)

A few glass lids, couple of hoods, but mostly 6mm double-wall clear polycarbonate.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

Glass on all my cichlid tanks. My planted tank is currently open, and have had jumpers as well as about a 5 gallon water loss per week due to evaporation.


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## Kipnlilo (Feb 23, 2018)

I'm with wryan on the polycarbonate. It's a good alternative if you can't find glass ones to fit your tank reasonably priced. I've used it on a couple tanks.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

Kipnlilo said:


> I'm with wryan on the polycarbonate. It's a good alternative if you can't find glass ones to fit your tank reasonably priced. I've used it on a couple tanks.


Which stuff is it? Is it the same stuff that also comes in colours? I think it's called coroplast.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I am using the 6mm Twin Wall Polycarbonate normally used for greenhouse applications which is a clear product. I had to order it online since no local stores carry it.


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## wryan (Dec 6, 2015)

noddy said:


> Kipnlilo said:
> 
> 
> > I'm with wryan on the polycarbonate. It's a good alternative if you can't find glass ones to fit your tank reasonably priced. I've used it on a couple tanks.
> ...


No ... it's not coroplast, which is polypropylene from what I can see ... although it is similar structurally.

Typically clear polycarbonate is sold as "greenhouse panels" ... it's about 90% transmissive (slightly less than glass), lightweight, easy to fabricate, and not prone to warping from heat/moisture.

I got mine from Menards ... although it appears that they are no longer carrying the 6mm thickness (checking their app 8mm is the thinest they show currently)


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

wryan said:


> noddy said:
> 
> 
> > Kipnlilo said:
> ...


Cheers. I'll keep an eye out for it up here. I use the Blue coroplast behind the tanks and I lined the walls in my fishroom with the white.


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

noddy said:


> Kipnlilo said:
> 
> 
> > I'm with wryan on the polycarbonate. It's a good alternative if you can't find glass ones to fit your tank reasonably priced. I've used it on a couple tanks.
> ...


Look for under the Lexan name too, same stuff.

I used it before as a hospital lid.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

All tanks, all glass.


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## jcarson (Jun 22, 2018)

AV8TOR said:


> Curious about your setup for tank lids on your Cichlid tanks.
> Do you use traditional glass lids?
> Do you use egg crates and rest your light on it? Good air water surface contact but at expense of more evaporation.
> Is your lights shining through the glass or over open water


I am using many different things, the glass that came with my corner tanks I am using but use egg crate diffuser for the back corners to prevent jumpers.
Also using something I found at lowes next to the egg crate, its a clear plastic diffuser that works good for my acrylic tanks but it does bow and I have to flip it every other day.
Since I also have plastic totes for grow outs I use the lids that came with them.



Deeda said:


> I am using the 6mm Twin Wall Polycarbonate normally used for greenhouse applications which is a clear product. I had to order it online since no local stores carry it.


Deeda are you getting it here greenhousemegastore.com ?


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## Kipnlilo (Feb 23, 2018)

Sub-Mariner said:


> noddy said:
> 
> 
> > Kipnlilo said:
> ...


I'm not sure If it's ok to put a link here so I won't, but if you search polycarbonate roofing on Home Depot, you will find it. My local one has it in stock. I do agree glass is the best, but sometimes it's not easy to find for your tank dimensions and/or too expensive for some people's pockets. This stuff is cheap and works fine imo. You may get a little evaporation loss compared to glass also.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

jcarson, yes that is where I bought mine from, I got the 2' x 4' precut to try it out on some 10G tanks.


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## jcarson (Jun 22, 2018)

Deeda said:


> jcarson, yes that is where I bought mine from, I got the 2' x 4' precut to try it out on some 10G tanks.


I just bought a few for my acrylic 55s.
Do they bow or curl?


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

They have not for me.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

I'm having a problem with the lids chipping lately. The hinged plastic pieces have deteriorated to the point where I have tossed them out and the glass chips sometimes when the two pieces touch. I tried to replace the hinged plastic but the price I was given was ridiculous. I will look into the greenhouse stuff.


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## jcarson (Jun 22, 2018)

Deeda said:


> They have not for me.


Thank you.


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## jcarson (Jun 22, 2018)

noddy said:


> I'm having a problem with the lids chipping lately. The hinged plastic pieces have deteriorated to the point where I have tossed them out and the glass chips sometimes when the two pieces touch. I tried to replace the hinged plastic but the price I was given was ridiculous. I will look into the greenhouse stuff.


I have used silicone to hinge lids.
If you try this make sure you leave a space between the 2 glass pieces and run a heavy bead into the space and run a heavier bead on top and smooth out over 2 pieces. 
*** never done this on anything bigger than a 20 gallon tall and dont know how it will work on anything heavier.


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## punman (Oct 24, 2003)

I use mostly glass, but when I broke the glass top on my 33 gallon tank, I got a piece of "something" that my dad had hanging around his small greenhouse. It looks like corrugated cardboard in design, but mostly see-thru. I cut it with a skill saw. It is like a hard plastic but I do not know what it is called. Anyways - free for me and works. It does sag a little in the middle with the weight of the lights but otherwise fine.


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## wryan (Dec 6, 2015)

punman said:


> I use mostly glass, but when I broke the glass top on my 33 gallon tank, I got a piece of "something" that my dad had hanging around his small greenhouse. It looks like corrugated cardboard in design, but mostly see-thru. I cut it with a skill saw. It is like a hard plastic but I do not know what it is called. Anyways - free for me and works. It does sag a little in the middle with the weight of the lights but otherwise fine.


That's likely the stuff: double-wall polycarbonate ... they make it in various thicknesses (and triple wall as well)

I thought that our local Menards had stopped carrying the stuff I previously used (clear, 6mm, double-wall) but I checked on their website yesterday and they now show that they have it in stock.

About $40 for a 4' x 8' panel.


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## Ronzo (Sep 8, 2013)

Forum;

I have some experience with corrugated plastic...look up Coroplast...made of polypropylene and available in various colors, or translucent, and chemically impervious to most things (including probably acts of God) and glues (but I recently determined that Gorilla brand polyesther glue will work effectively on it, so complex, stronger assemblies are possible! Single layer, it's very light weight and only modest in strength...so I wouldn't use it to support a lighting fixture, but as an inexpensive, easily cut to fit, tank cover, it would work well to prevent jumpers from escaping...I don't think the translucent style will let through too much light...I haven't seen any what I'd call "mostly see through", so can't comment on how good light transmission of this version is.

Cheers


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## AV8TOR (Feb 23, 2019)

wryan said:


> A few glass lids, couple of hoods, but mostly 6mm double-wall clear polycarbonate.


Do you shine your light through that or light right over water and cut polycarbonate front and back of light?


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## wryan (Dec 6, 2015)

AV8TOR said:


> wryan said:
> 
> 
> > A few glass lids, couple of hoods, but mostly 6mm double-wall clear polycarbonate.
> ...


Shine the light through it:


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