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So I ordered 2 nerite snails.
then I realized with my franken-tank, Iāve got some (one) opening where the snails can crawl out. I heard that was a thing... I purchased an Aqueon lid that was the best fit for my tank, similar to the one Iāll have a picture below for. Difference is my light has two led bulbs, but itās the same one essentially, just bigger. The picture below is looking at the bottom. The light canopy is actually separate and only sits on top of the lid.
I love the hinged opening at the front, but the lips that are designed to hold the light canopy are I think reducing the amount of light that gets into the tank. The bulbs I have are great, but they to be focused in the center.
the lid also comes with knock-outs to run your filter and accessories etc. The depth of the knockouts for where I put my filter hoses, are whatās causing concern for the snails to get out.
so Iām thinking of making my own lid.
I sourced some 1/4ā acrylic sheets at Home Depot for about $95cad (trying to find cheaper). I can get a set of clear acrylic hinges that can be solvent welded to the sheets in order to create a permanent bond for a hinged lid at the front. I can use off cuts to create a guide for the light canopy to sit perfectly in place as well. I can also be super precise in cutting out holes for hoses and cords for equipment.
in theory, this should give me almost zero clearance for anything to escape the tank via jumping or climbing. The other benefit will be that my light wonāt be restricted by the black plastic of my current lid. Width wise, my current lid is not an exact fit either, so I do have about a 1/4ā of play front to back, I can correct that as well. Custom is always better, but thatās the contractor in me speaking.
I think that the size and my ideas for reinforcement of the acrylic are good enough that I wonāt have to worry about the acrylic dropping over time, my tank has a center brace on the trim. The 30 gallon I have to replace this tank doesnāt, but I can add a support if needed and thatās probably 5-6 months down the road.
I thought about using glass for the lid. But Iām set on the hinged opening at the front. And I also like the idea of using the transparent acrylic hinges. Bonding acrylic to glass seems to be a tedious effort for mediocre results at the best of times and I donāt want a hinge to glass bond break and have glass shatter over the aquarium. Especially with three young boys at home....
So the other option would be to go with a different hinge, One that would need to be bolted. That means drilling glass and finding stainless steel hardware that wonāt rust. As well as plastic washers so the metal doesnāt crack the glass (if you have installed showers with glass doors you know what Iām talking about).
Glass does appear to be cheaper, for the sheet and I do have glass cutter, so I could easily cut the the pieces to size. However, Iām having a hard time finding sheet glass in my area, thanks Covid.
I also would need to buy two different sized glass cutting bits to create the knockouts for plumbing hoses, cords and holes for bolting hinges. Hinges would also be more expensive.
Drilling glass is pretty straight forward, but if you make one mistake or stop paying attention for one second, itās easy to chip out and/or crack it. That could instantly double your sheet good cost.
Iām not sure Iām ready to pull the trigger on this project just yet, but the tiny idea started with 2 snails. Iām not even sure why Iām posting this but maybe getting it all written down and sharing is part of the journey and a glimpse into how my brain works....
$6 in snails is potentially costing me $140 bucks and an experiment with plastic and glue...
then I realized with my franken-tank, Iāve got some (one) opening where the snails can crawl out. I heard that was a thing... I purchased an Aqueon lid that was the best fit for my tank, similar to the one Iāll have a picture below for. Difference is my light has two led bulbs, but itās the same one essentially, just bigger. The picture below is looking at the bottom. The light canopy is actually separate and only sits on top of the lid.
I love the hinged opening at the front, but the lips that are designed to hold the light canopy are I think reducing the amount of light that gets into the tank. The bulbs I have are great, but they to be focused in the center.
the lid also comes with knock-outs to run your filter and accessories etc. The depth of the knockouts for where I put my filter hoses, are whatās causing concern for the snails to get out.
so Iām thinking of making my own lid.
I sourced some 1/4ā acrylic sheets at Home Depot for about $95cad (trying to find cheaper). I can get a set of clear acrylic hinges that can be solvent welded to the sheets in order to create a permanent bond for a hinged lid at the front. I can use off cuts to create a guide for the light canopy to sit perfectly in place as well. I can also be super precise in cutting out holes for hoses and cords for equipment.
in theory, this should give me almost zero clearance for anything to escape the tank via jumping or climbing. The other benefit will be that my light wonāt be restricted by the black plastic of my current lid. Width wise, my current lid is not an exact fit either, so I do have about a 1/4ā of play front to back, I can correct that as well. Custom is always better, but thatās the contractor in me speaking.
I think that the size and my ideas for reinforcement of the acrylic are good enough that I wonāt have to worry about the acrylic dropping over time, my tank has a center brace on the trim. The 30 gallon I have to replace this tank doesnāt, but I can add a support if needed and thatās probably 5-6 months down the road.
I thought about using glass for the lid. But Iām set on the hinged opening at the front. And I also like the idea of using the transparent acrylic hinges. Bonding acrylic to glass seems to be a tedious effort for mediocre results at the best of times and I donāt want a hinge to glass bond break and have glass shatter over the aquarium. Especially with three young boys at home....
So the other option would be to go with a different hinge, One that would need to be bolted. That means drilling glass and finding stainless steel hardware that wonāt rust. As well as plastic washers so the metal doesnāt crack the glass (if you have installed showers with glass doors you know what Iām talking about).
Glass does appear to be cheaper, for the sheet and I do have glass cutter, so I could easily cut the the pieces to size. However, Iām having a hard time finding sheet glass in my area, thanks Covid.
I also would need to buy two different sized glass cutting bits to create the knockouts for plumbing hoses, cords and holes for bolting hinges. Hinges would also be more expensive.
Drilling glass is pretty straight forward, but if you make one mistake or stop paying attention for one second, itās easy to chip out and/or crack it. That could instantly double your sheet good cost.
Iām not sure Iām ready to pull the trigger on this project just yet, but the tiny idea started with 2 snails. Iām not even sure why Iām posting this but maybe getting it all written down and sharing is part of the journey and a glimpse into how my brain works....
$6 in snails is potentially costing me $140 bucks and an experiment with plastic and glue...