Thought I'd post my diy screen tops. Very inexpensive and super easy to do.
I found most all the parts at Lowe's and Joann fabrics. For under $25 I built mesh screen tops for two 20long aquariums and still had enough leftovers to make another screen top (25"x12").
The framing is lightweight plastic with metallic finish. Measured properly it will fit snugly on the inside of your bracing and not get knocked off by jumping fish. The mesh screen is thin yet strong and there is no shadowing or diffusion of lights.
Completely corrosion free and looks very clean.
I chose to do two tops that sit side by side instead of one long rectangle cover for two reasons:
1) have partial protection against fish jumping out while working in the tank whether it be frag and coral placement or regular maintenance
2) didn't want to cover my overflow box/build around the overflow box due to the U-tube and keep a symmetric look to the cover.
List of parts& prices (may differ from city to city):
Screen railing: $4/8ft stick @Lowe's
Corner pieces: $2/4pack @Lowe's
Spline: $5/25ft bag @Lowe's
Mesh screen: $1.50/yard @Joann fabrics (72"x36")
Tools needed:
Mini hacksaw
Razor or exacto knife
Scissors
Marker or scratch awl
The build:
Measure the inside diameter of your aquariums bracing ring. The cover will sit on the inside lip of the bracing frame.
Be sure to subtract 3/4" from the ends of the screen frame 'railing' to allow for the slide in corner pieces.
Once all pieces are cut to desired length, snap in the corner pieces and assemble frame.
Make sure the rabbit/channel that the spline goes in are all on the same side. But this shouldn't be an issue as the corner pieces only slide in one way(one side of the clip is wider than the other)
Cut your mesh material(tulle fabric) to the size of the frame leaving about 1-2" larger than the area of the frame to allow for tightening or tautness.
Cut a length of spline to match the total length of the frame.
Starting at one end of the frame, push in the spline with your fingers or a spline roller. A spline roller isn't really needed as the spline snaps right into the rabbit easily with finger pressure. Rollers are good if you want to mash the spline into place. The spline is diff rubber and will deform to fill the rabbit but you really don't need to, the spline stays in good without it.
Work your way around the frame keeping the mesh tight as you insert the spline all the way around. You may want to slightly pinch the mesh material at the corners to avoid wrinkles in the final project.
Trim the excess mesh away using a razor blade or exacto knife. Cut along the outside of the spline carefully to remove excess mash and for a clean look.
If you feel that you want a more permanent frame, you can place a small thin bead of silicone in the rabbit/groove before inserting the screen and spline. Don't use super glue or you may get blushing on the frame( cloudy residue). You can, however, place a thin layer of super glue on the ends of the corner pieces before snapping into place in the frame.
Pretty much that's it! You're done.
Place on the inside lip of your aquarium's plastic brace and enjoy the peace of mind that none of your jumpers will end up on the floor.
I built two of these frames, for pieces in all, in under a few hours.
I found most all the parts at Lowe's and Joann fabrics. For under $25 I built mesh screen tops for two 20long aquariums and still had enough leftovers to make another screen top (25"x12").
The framing is lightweight plastic with metallic finish. Measured properly it will fit snugly on the inside of your bracing and not get knocked off by jumping fish. The mesh screen is thin yet strong and there is no shadowing or diffusion of lights.
Completely corrosion free and looks very clean.
I chose to do two tops that sit side by side instead of one long rectangle cover for two reasons:
1) have partial protection against fish jumping out while working in the tank whether it be frag and coral placement or regular maintenance
2) didn't want to cover my overflow box/build around the overflow box due to the U-tube and keep a symmetric look to the cover.
List of parts& prices (may differ from city to city):
Screen railing: $4/8ft stick @Lowe's
Corner pieces: $2/4pack @Lowe's
Spline: $5/25ft bag @Lowe's
Mesh screen: $1.50/yard @Joann fabrics (72"x36")
Tools needed:
Mini hacksaw
Razor or exacto knife
Scissors
Marker or scratch awl
The build:
Measure the inside diameter of your aquariums bracing ring. The cover will sit on the inside lip of the bracing frame.
Be sure to subtract 3/4" from the ends of the screen frame 'railing' to allow for the slide in corner pieces.
Once all pieces are cut to desired length, snap in the corner pieces and assemble frame.
Make sure the rabbit/channel that the spline goes in are all on the same side. But this shouldn't be an issue as the corner pieces only slide in one way(one side of the clip is wider than the other)
Cut your mesh material(tulle fabric) to the size of the frame leaving about 1-2" larger than the area of the frame to allow for tightening or tautness.
Cut a length of spline to match the total length of the frame.
Starting at one end of the frame, push in the spline with your fingers or a spline roller. A spline roller isn't really needed as the spline snaps right into the rabbit easily with finger pressure. Rollers are good if you want to mash the spline into place. The spline is diff rubber and will deform to fill the rabbit but you really don't need to, the spline stays in good without it.
Work your way around the frame keeping the mesh tight as you insert the spline all the way around. You may want to slightly pinch the mesh material at the corners to avoid wrinkles in the final project.
Trim the excess mesh away using a razor blade or exacto knife. Cut along the outside of the spline carefully to remove excess mash and for a clean look.
If you feel that you want a more permanent frame, you can place a small thin bead of silicone in the rabbit/groove before inserting the screen and spline. Don't use super glue or you may get blushing on the frame( cloudy residue). You can, however, place a thin layer of super glue on the ends of the corner pieces before snapping into place in the frame.
Pretty much that's it! You're done.
Place on the inside lip of your aquarium's plastic brace and enjoy the peace of mind that none of your jumpers will end up on the floor.
I built two of these frames, for pieces in all, in under a few hours.