DIY lid idea

[minorhero]

Hello folks,

Going to be making a pico tank soon and wanted to make a lid to go with the tank. Due to the size of the tank, I want to limit evaporation as much as possible, so I want a solid lid, not mesh.

My plan right now is to use 1/2 acrylic and cut it into strips about 1 inch wide. I would cut slots into those strips and then assemble them into a picture frame of sorts where the middle of the picture frame would be a piece of 1/8" thick glass. In the woodworking world we would call this design a floating panel. Here is some pictures I found online of someone building a floating panel out of wood (not as a lid but as a door).

Sooooooo my question is, do people think this will work? My main concern being the acrylic outside frame warping and breaking the glass.

Thoughts?

 

[thatone08]

Why not just a single piece of acrylic? That’s what I am going to do. Cut it to cover most of the Aio filtration and cut a section for the skimmer sticking out. That way there’s no weird difference in lighting also.

 

[minorhero]

Why not just a single piece of acrylic? That’s what I am going to do. Cut it to cover most of the Aio filtration and cut a section for the skimmer sticking out. That way there’s no weird difference in lighting also.

A solid piece of acrylic will warp pretty quickly (months not years) allowing significant gaps. If it were to keep fish from jumping it wouldn't be so bad, but this will be for evaporation, so I will care about the gaps.

 

[crusso1993]

A solid piece of acrylic will warp pretty quickly (months not years) allowing significant gaps. If it were to keep fish from jumping it wouldn't be so bad, but this will be for evaporation, so I will care about the gaps.

Have you looked into using polycarbonate instead of acrylic? I believe it will be ideal for what you’re looking to accomplish.

 

[minorhero]

Have you looked into using polycarbonate instead of acrylic? I believe it will be ideal for what you’re looking to accomplish.

Did you hear a thumping noise? It was me smacking my head against the table.

I don't know why, but for some reason I thought polycarbonate lid would have the same warping issues. A quick search showed that was not the case. Thanky, I will just go with a polycarbonate lid.

 

[crusso1993]

Did you hear a thumping noise? It was me smacking my head against the table.

I don't know why, but for some reason I thought polycarbonate lid would have the same warping issues. A quick search showed that was not the case. Thanky, I will just go with a polycarbonate lid.

I have your post a “two thumbs up” emoji but also wanted to give it a “laughing” emoji for the thumping comment. We’ve all been there or, at least, I have been guilty of not being able to see the forest for the trees!

A quick suggestion: take many pictures along the way of building your project to completion. Then post a thread in the DIY section detailing your accomplishment. I’m sure there will be others that will be appreciative!

 

[thatone08]

I have your post a “two thumbs up” emoji but also wanted to give it a “laughing” emoji for the thumping comment. We’ve all been there or, at least, I have been guilty of not being able to see the forest for the trees!

A quick suggestion: take many pictures along the way of building your project to completion. Then post a thread in the DIY section detailing your accomplishment. I’m sure there will be others that will be appreciative!

Like me, who was planning on doing acrylic, and didn’t give much thought to possible warping.

 

[rhizotron]

Yeah polycarbonate won't warp at all with exposure to moisture the way acrylic does.

I built a fitted polycarbonate top for this terrarium setup in a 12G bookshelf tank comprised of a shorter piece on the left with ports for wires, tubes and a little DC motor along with a longer rectangular section covering the rest of the enclosure. There is a groove matching the glass thickness all around the outside edges to nest the top securely in place.

Polycarbonate can be difficult to cut. I made these pieces on a CNC router with a 1/8" end mill, but you could achieve the same thing with a regular table router and drill press. Polycarbonate can start to melt and make a mess with regular twist drill bits. Step drill bits generally will do a better job.