I don't. I'm pretty swamped right now quarantining some fish but if there's appetite for more information about how to do this I'm happy to help out! It's pretty simple to be honest, and since you're doing it yourself you can experiment and change things to however you like in the future. I think that if you can keep a reef tank alive, you are competent enough to make a nice polycarbonate lid in the style of those great companies with very good results.
Of course, if you're limited on time and want someone else to do it for you, the premium is worth it. Once you do this for yourself you'll realize those companies aren't really asking for a ridiculous amount of money. In the end, It has to be worth it for them to offer the service.
But for the handy or able: you don't really need any super specialized equipment to do this and can finish the project in a day.
All you need is:
- a basic router like a dewalt DCW600 or similar (you can find something like this for around ~$100 easily), a ryobi or whatever cheaper tool would be fine too unless you plan on starting a business.
- It also helps to have a drill so that you can drill a starting hole, but even this is probably not necessary. I just adjusted my router's depth adjustment while it was running to start the first hole (
please note: it's safer and better to either use a plunge router if you have it, or a drill to start the first hole, but since this is basically a once-in-a-tank project I wasn't willing to invest in a plunge attachment for my router, nor was I motivated enough to switch to a drill after realizing I could do this with just the router's depth adjustment ring)
- an o flute downcut router bit, appropriately sized to the thickness of the polycarbonate you're using. I used
this, the o flute downcut bit helps the polycarbonate extract away from the bit so that it doesn't clog and cause problems as you're routing.
- 3/8" polycarbonate such as
this
- some transparent window spline such as
this , this is used to keep the net below in place
- 1/8"
transparent netting
- clamps
- and then if you need to cut straight lines there are a couple ways you can do it (this is just general router technique, so there are plenty of youtube videos to show how to accomplish this. I ended up using a track and a guide rail and 3d printed an adapter, but there are plenty of those
available for every router too. You also don't need to use a guide rail, there are other ways such as using a straight edge.
In the end you'll likely spend less money than having someone making the lid for you, but you'll also have the tools to be able to be self-sufficient in the future, which is more my kind of vibe. The tools basically pay for themselves on the very first project, which is always a good justification for obtaining another tool ;)
note: there are probably cheaper options if you're willing to do the legwork and shop around, but for me, the convenience of amazon was worth it
