I feel lied to

[Seisage]

I bought one of Aqueon's hinged glass tops for my new tank. I got the 30"x12" as that's the size of my aquarium, but upon unboxing... it's too short. The lid itself, even with the little plastic attachment that you're supposed to put on, is only 11" wide... Nowhere on any of the packaging does it say this. In big bold font on the front of the box, it says "30" x 12" Hinged Glass Top". One would assume, then, that the width of the lid is 12". Well, apparently Aqueon likes misleading its customers, I guess. It's also not an issue of this tank not being Aqueon brand. I have an Aqueon 20g long and the lid is still too narrow for it. I'm not even sure how purposeful this is on Aqueon's part because I found a youtube video of someone putting on one of the 20"x10" glass lids and it seems to fit snugly on all sides.

Now, I plan on putting hatchetfish into this tank. Not anytime very soon, but I would like to have them eventually. There's no way I'm putting them in a tank with a 1" opening in the top. I'm frustrated that I'll now have to improvise something to cover that gap. I might be able to locate some mesh screening stuff, but it's not rigid and might be difficult to secure in a long-lasting way. I could also buy some of those plastic embroidery canvases. Those might work better. Does anyone have any other ideas?

I guess I could also just try to buy a screen top, but considering I don't know the brand of the tank I have, I worry about buying one and having it also not fit. Sigh... I might have to just make my own lid for this tank, even if it's uglier than the glass one...

 

[Seisage]

Well, someone suggested in my journal thread for this tank suggested getting one of those aluminum window screen kits and using bird netting to make my own lid (thank you, noahm!). Not excited to have to spend more money, but the kits aren't too expensive, so I think this will be the direction I take. I can still eventually use the glass lid for the actual Aqueon 20g long I have, which won't have hatchets in it.

I'll let this thread exist as a outlet to grumble about product advertising and as a word of caution to those looking to buy these lids

 

[Fishyfreeonz]

One option if the hinge on this lid is just pressed onto the glass you could get a glass shop to cut you a new piece the correct size to make it fit.
That is annoying when things are not what they state.

 

[Magnum Man]

Not at all familiar with the listed equipment, but full covers ( in the old days ) had a piece of plastic that fit in that gap, and could be cut around hang on tank filters, and the old test tube style heaters that clamped on the back, that the controller was above, out of the water… am I understanding correctly??? That there is a gap along the back???

 

[Fishyfreeonz]

Have you contacted aqueon maybe it's defective? I wouldn't be surprised in this modern era of no quality control if they just didn't cut the glass the right size or put the wrong pieces in the box.

 

[Seisage]

One option if the hinge on this lid is just pressed onto the glass you could get a glass shop to cut you a new piece the correct size to make it fit.
That is annoying when things are not what they state.

That's true. Unfortunately, it seems the only glass shops in my area specifically do auto glass repairs/replacements. Maybe one of the local hardware stores could? I'd have to look into it.

Not at all familiar with the listed equipment, but full covers ( in the old days ) had a piece of plastic that fit in that gap, and could be cut around hang on tank filters, and the old test tube style heaters that clamped on the back, that the controller was above, out of the water… am I understanding correctly??? That there is a gap along the back???

This is roughly what the lid looks like (this image is of a different size than mine). The plastic piece on the back is 2" wide and the glass itself is only 9", so 11" width total, meaning that even with the plastic bit that's meant to be adjustable to your aquarium... it's still too short..

 

[Fishyfreeonz]

That's true. Unfortunately, it seems the only glass shops in my area specifically do auto glass repairs/replacements. Maybe one of the local hardware stores could? I'd have to look into it.

This is roughly what the lid looks like (this image is of a different size than mine). The plastic piece on the back is 2" wide and the glass itself is only 9", so 11" width total, meaning that even with the plastic bit that's meant to be adjustable to your aquarium... it's still too short..
View attachment 334086

My local glass shop is part of the ace hardware.

 

[Seisage]

Have you contacted aqueon maybe it's defective? I wouldn't be surprised in this modern era of no quality control if they just didn't cut the glass the right size or put the wrong pieces in the box.

So, here's the thing... when I did my initial search online to see if anyone else ran into this problem, I did find a listing or two on a couple small business websites that did list the true dimensions of the lid (30"x11"), so it's not defective as far as I can tell. And... in looking at the amazon listing for this product, I am seeing reviews that say the lid is too small and leaves a gap... Ah well, that'll be a lesson learned in doing more product research in the future.

 

[MuddyWaters]

I recently busted one of the glass lids on my Aqueon 75 gallon tank (there are 2 split by the brace in the middle. Of course the store I bought it from was out, so I went to another and found a different brand - Top Fin I think. The box had the right dimensions and it had a note on it to "make sure it will fit your aquarium" next to where it said it's for 55/75 gallon tanks. It's the only one I could find, so I bought it with a prayer LOL.

It fits- not as well as the Aqueon, but it does the job. The funny part is that the aqueon lid has the hinge 2/3 of the way to the front, whereas the Topfin one has the hinge 1/2 way to the front LOL. I have 2 lights, so when I open the tank I have to move a light- a bit of a nuisance if I have to open the new lid, but whatever....

Reading your post made me realize I got lucky and to hold out next time to make sure it's going to fit. Thanks for posting!

 

[WhistlingBadger]

An auto glass shop could probably help you out. It would cost you a quick phone call to find out! Another option is stainless mesh. Cut it to size and attach it to your existing top with a bead of fish-safe silicone. I did this for my paludarium, replacing the plastic backs to my lids to give the frogs some ventilation. Works great!

Amazon.com

 

[Fishyfreeonz]

I hope it's ok to share this link.

Anyone Can Cut Glass. Here's How.

The thought of cutting glass may stop you in your tracks, but it shouldn't. All you need are a few simple hand tools and some practice.

www.popularmechanics.com

Apparently it's actually really easy to cut glass. I just put a glass cutter in my Amazon cart so I can cut some mirrors.

 

[Colin_T]

send it back and get one with a properly fitting cover.

contact the manufacturer too and let them know they screwed up

 

[WhistlingBadger]

send it back and get one with a properly fitting cover.

contact the manufacturer too and let them know they screwed up

That would be the first thing to do, you're right.

 

[be4con]

I think this is a common problem - I bought a Hygger light, which clearly stated in the Amazon listing and on the packaging that it would fit a 31-60cm tank. My tank is hexagonal, 43cm across corner to corner and 37cm side to side. The light was at least 5cm too long to fit across my tank in any direction. Very irritating and completely unnecessary if they were just accurate with their dimensions.

 

[Alice B]

Glass lids made for non top-fin tanks don't fit top fin tanks - they are too long, the newer topfins are shorter, or the available lid space is shorter. I gave up and just a 1/4 inch up on the rim on one end. I don't have time to chase down a perfect fit, and the top fin tanks came with really bad LED lights embedded in their plastic lids. I sold those off this winter. not sure about different brands though. I have used plastic hardware cloth over a hangon filter opening. I've used plexiglass over an opening or to extend a lid. Couple of dots of silicone to secure it. Hatchet fish do jump