ClearView Tsunami - The modular bulletproof lid that grows with your tank.

[ClearView Lids Verified Sponsor]

ArtFully Acrylic & ClearView Manufacturing is proud to finally unveil the

ClearView TSUNAMI Aquarium Lid
It very well may be the last aquarium lid you ever buy.
It's Modular. It's Future Proof. It's PATENT PENDING.

Built and screened by our in-house professionals.


Lexan is all we use and the only thing we've seen remotely as tough as Lexan is the punishment we've subjected the Tsunami's interlocking joints to during it's development to ensure it would stand the test of time.

Head over to www.clearviewlids.com to check it out in full detail for yourself and start building out your very own Tsunami. ​

 

[Birddog]

Nice... Going to look on the website!

 

[Ezeke1]

I’m slightly confised. Are these lids only available for red sea reefer tanks? I don’t see dimensions for each choice.

 

[ClearView Lids Verified Sponsor]

I’m slightly confised. Are these lids only available for red sea reefer tanks? I don’t see dimensions for each choice.

Hi Ezeke, yes they are currently only available for Red Sea tanks.

"Currently, Tsunami is limited to the Red Sea lineup with inventory on the shelf ready to go for almost 100 lids. We will be expanding the Tsunami library in stages to bring the other popular tank players into the fold but it will take some time."

 

[tautog83]

So for a red sea 750 with 2 light cutouts and to go around the overflow .. it would cost an additional 70 bucks ?

 

[ClearView Lids Verified Sponsor]

So for a red sea 750 with 2 light cutouts and to go around the overflow .. it would cost an additional 70 bucks ?

Not at all. Going around the overflow requires the Overflow Bridge upgrade which is $12.00. Your light cutouts, if they fit in small cutout dims (up to 6x1 7/8), as most do, are $9.00 each which would be a total of $30.00.

 

[293482398]

Looked at Reefer 170 options, I see feed door cutout + feed door, but nothing for a cable cutout. Need space for a single gyre electrical cord.

What tools do we need? Do we need to purchase the tool used for screening?

 

[ClearView Lids Verified Sponsor]

UPDATE:

We've revamped the entire ordering interface and product descriptions to simplify the ordering process. This post contained old instructions and was edited to alleviate confusion.

 

[ClearView Lids Verified Sponsor]

So for a red sea 750 with 2 light cutouts and to go around the overflow .. it would cost an additional 70 bucks ?

This screenshot shows what your cart should look like after adding the parts needed for your custom Tsunami Lid. The added cost for these options is only $30.00.

Looked at Reefer 170 options, I see feed door cutout + feed door, but nothing for a cable cutout. Need space for a single gyre electrical cord. What tools do we need? Do we need to purchase the tool used for screening?

This screenshot shows what your cart should look like after adding the parts needed for your custom Tsunami Lid. The 1/4" screen, spline, and splining tool are included with the kit.

 

[tautog83]

cool thanks , and with this way ya dont need exact measurements of where the lights are going to go since you just put the cutouts where you need them

 

[293482398]

This screenshot shows what your cart should look like after adding the parts needed for your custom Tsunami Lid.

Ordered. I was going to order the Red Sea lid, but let's see how this works out. Looking forward to it!

 

[ClearView Lids Verified Sponsor]

cool thanks , and with this way ya dont need exact measurements of where the lights are going to go since you just put the cutouts where you need them

If you will be ordering a custom cutout on the section then you would need to provide the cutout measurements for the desired cutout size. One great benefit of the Tsunami is that you can replace independent sections easily to meet future needs/changes to your lids setup. So, if you will possibly need a different cutout configuration in the future, you can order the custom section replacement at a later date and use your new configuration.

The 'Customize Your ClearView' page has CAD representations of all section pieces. On that diagram there is an area framed in a red box.

The area shown in red on the part section image shows what area of the section can be customized. Custom cutout length cannot exceed the dimension shown below red area under any circumstances (24" in this case). The width cannot exceed 1 7/8" without having ordered a Large Custom Cutout. These require the part to be modified to extend into the mesh area. Any large custom cutouts requiring extension into the mesh area must be at least 5" off the nearest inside corner or any other extended cutout area (such as the bump out from the overflow bridge).

Here is an alternate diagram providing an example of the 3 main measurements that will provide the most accurate information for us to program your custom cutout. Simply substitute your numbers for those shown below and we will have that added to your custom section.

 

[Cherub]

so will this fall apart if I'm taking the lid off for maintenance? The one I have now is already questionable when I move it alone and the screen is off on parts.

 

[Mark Derail]

It would be a cool video where you show how the lexan is shaped / cut.

Also assuming it won't warp due to heat/humidity over time? Curious Why?

I've DIY'ed some with acrylic 3mm and even cemented some risers perpendicular, to make a lid. And warped it did!
I was thinking of going aluminium + netting... this product is way sexier.

Is shipping to Canada an arm + leg?

 

[ClearView Lids Verified Sponsor]

so will this fall apart if I'm taking the lid off for maintenance? The one I have now is already questionable when I move it alone and the screen is off on parts.

Is this a new development/problem with your current ClearView 'Classic' Lid or a different tank/lid? Just confused, as you posted on the main ClearView thread just last Wednesday saying "Still love my lid! I hear a fish slam into it every now and then and am grateful to have it... "

Screen coming out is certainly not a common problem with our lids whatsoever. It generally would require a sharp impact or heavy weight to cause this to happen.We certainly want to know if there are any issues with our product so we can see how we can help with your problem in addition to ensuring we are providing the best aquarium lids on the market. If you are having an issue please email us at [email protected] with some pics/extra details of what you got and we can assist further.

To answer the question you posted about handling, no it most certainly won't. We have tested the Tsunami Interlock (patent pending) to the extreme and then some. It's been put through a gauntlet of stress testing WAY beyond the levels it will experience under typical use. The sections lock together extremely securely and this security is only aided by the tying in of the screen. You can also check out the 2nd video we posted above in the first post where we show a number of the stress tests we subjected the Tsunami Interlocking frame and screening to.

 

[Cherub]

Is this a new development/problem with your current ClearView 'Classic' Lid or a different tank/lid? Just confused, as you posted on the main ClearView thread just last Wednesday saying "Still love my lid! I hear a fish slam into it every now and then and am grateful to have it... "

Screen coming out is certainly not a common problem with our lids whatsoever. It generally would require a sharp impact or heavy weight to cause this to happen.We certainly want to know if there are any issues with our product so we can see how we can help with your problem in addition to ensuring we are providing the best aquarium lids on the market. If you are having an issue please email us at [email protected] with some pics/extra details of what you got and we can assist further.

To answer the question you posted about handling, no it most certainly won't. We have tested the Tsunami Interlock (patent pending) to the extreme and then some. It's been put through a gauntlet of stress testing WAY beyond the levels it will experience under typical use. The sections lock together extremely securely and this security is only aided by the tying in of the screen. You can also check out the 2nd video we posted above in the first post where we show a number of the stress tests we subjected the Tsunami Interlocking frame and screening to.

I do love my lid, I am just wondering how this new one would hold up being moved. My screen has been off the frame a couple of times on certain sides. I have the tool to fix it so never mentioned it but I have to fix it yet again so that is getting to be a pain for me. It just doesn't have much slack for bowing when it's being moved. It slips right out. It will be interesting to see how this new one does.

 

[ClearView Lids Verified Sponsor]

I do love my lid, I am just wondering how this new one would hold up being moved. My screen has been off the frame a couple of times on certain sides. I have the tool to fix it so never mentioned it but I have to fix it yet again so that is getting to be a pain for me. It just doesn't have much slack for bowing when it's being moved. It slips right out. It will be interesting to see how this new one does.

No, that shouldn't be happening at all. I have a 72x24 lid here that we've used for flex and resistance demos for almost 2 years now. It has been bent corner to corner along the long side till the tabs from opposite short ends touch each other countless times numbering in the thousands of repetitions. We've only had one screen edge pull out from the spline channel on one short side 4 times in all of these demonstrations. Each time it's been resecured pretty easily with the same spline and demo continued. We replaced the spline on that short side towards the end of the year and haven't yet had any additional issues. It's even still running on the original mesh though it has certainly seen better days.

Classic and Tsunami Lids have both been tested fully assembled with over 30lbs of dead weight resting entirely in the screen center without the spline/screen separating in almost every test. Leaving the weight for an extended time would stretch/disform the mesh itself at the point where the weight sat, but this quickly returned to normal following a little light heat from a heat gun.

Spline isn't consistent in thickness/firmness all the way through a roll. As we are screening lids you can feel the variation in the level of pressure needed to seat the spline into the channel when you come across these random areas. It's pretty common across spline brands as we have tested a number of them to see if the grass was greener with others and find varying levels of this variation in most all of them. If you are having the problem with a specific set of sides we can send you a section of new spline to see if it fixes the issue. Just shoot us an email with your particulars and we will continue to assist.

 

[ClearView Lids Verified Sponsor]

It would be a cool video where you show how the lexan is shaped / cut.

Also assuming it won't warp due to heat/humidity over time? Curious Why?

I've DIY'ed some with acrylic 3mm and even cemented some risers perpendicular, to make a lid. And warped it did!
I was thinking of going aluminium + netting... this product is way sexier.

Is shipping to Canada an arm + leg?

All ClearView Lids begin their life as a 4'x8', 3/8" thick, UV Resistant, solid sheet of Lexan muscle. The bulk of the labor involved in machining the parts is done on our large Camaster Cobra 5x12 CNC which contains 3 independent spindle/router heads on the gantry for the various machining operations. Not sure I could say it would be much of a cool video to watch however as lexan is a tough material to machine and involves a number of toolpaths at a pretty slow feed rates compared to many other materials or larger pieces. A single sheet of parts takes anywhere from 4-10 hours to machine depending on how many/what pieces are contained on it.

The magic that creates the unique Tsunami Interlock mainly happens on the computer. This system has been under development for nearly a year with hundreds of hours spent programming and dozens of tested and rejected designs....all to culminate to the end product that we now have for you today. It's so good that we held the release date back until we were able to secure a PATENT PENDING status on the design.

An acrylic lid, under the worst conditions, will bow/warp towards the heat source pretty dramatically in a few weeks time. If the lid is flipped over, the bow will go away and it will begin to reverse. We have solid lexan lids that have been in use over a couple of sumps for over 5 years and never experienced bowing/warping. We've also never had a single customer in roughly 2000 lids shipped that has reported an issue with our ClearView Lids warping or bowing. Due to Lexan's makeup we don't expect this to ever be a concern or issue.

Acrylic is a hard plastic and lexan/polycarbonate is a soft plastic. Their only common shared trait is being a thermoplastic. When in an environment where the heat/humidity is so dramatically different you will certainly find acrylic will begin to curl up towards the dry/heat. This same response can be seen in wood. Leave a wet piece of plywood outside and it will dry out faster on top and curl up towards the dry/heat. Due to lexan's makeup it will draw moisture from the surrounding environment and it does a great job of distributing this moisture throughout it's core. This allows it to maintain a balance and minimal variance to the conditions experienced on each side which prevents it from curling up towards a dry heat source. Using the plywood example again...if you were to keep misting the top side exposed to the dry/heat it would not curl up as it is never reaching a significant enough deficit between the two sides to cause the curling. throughout to prevent this from occurring.

As for shipping to Canada, not even an arm. Shipping to Canada in almost all cases has been equal to or cheaper than shipping to California. The shipping calculator in the shopping cart will give you an expected shipping cost before you complete the checkout process. If you are ordering a Tsunami Kit to assemble yourself then shipping becomes even cheaper since the lid is not fully assembled in this case.

 

[Mark Derail]

@ArtFully Acrylic That, Sir, is an excellent response. Kudos. On my bucket list for my DT as of now.

Logical next step: Building an entire 120g aquarium with your CNC'ed parts + glue + instructions, shipped low-cost in a box that fits through the front door and carried by one person and built by one person with help (think Ikea). Repeat for sumps. Tada - you've turned the market upside down.

Legos for Grownups

 

[ClearView Lids Verified Sponsor]

@ArtFully Acrylic That, Sir, is an excellent response. Kudos. On my bucket list for my DT as of now.

Logical next step: Building an entire 120g aquarium with your CNC'ed parts + glue + instructions, shipped low-cost in a box that fits through the front door and carried by one person and built by one person with help (think Ikea). Repeat for sumps. Tada - you've turned the market upside down.

Legos for Grownups

Thanks for the support. As for the 'logical next step', ironically, we explored this avenue pretty heavily a few years ago. Parts were all cut with shallow channels where the connecting pieces needed to attach in order to make the welding process easier for the DIYer. We tested this concept on 2 tank models and 2 sump models. The problem is that no matter how you spin it...building acrylic aquariums is an art form which requires diligence, practice, and a very keen attention to detail. For the average DIYer, results in joint quality....structurally and cosmetically....would vary greatly. Without the ability to empower the DIYer and greatly improve their chances of success it just wasn't something we were comfortable bringing to market.

That said, we believe we have nailed it where it pertains to the ClearView Tsunami. The Tsunami is very simple for the average DIYer to assemble and screening is no more difficult than on the lesser preferred option of the customary aluminum profile frames that we've all seen/used since the 1970's.