So I thought I would show my recent screen top creation. I had used mesh screen kits in the past, but I had always been envious of the custom screens I've seen using mesh and polycarbonate (?) that you can have made that I think look fabulous. However, I wanted to see if I could do a DIY that was similar. This is what I did.
I have a 72" x 24" tank, so I wanted two screens, one for each half of the tank. I purchased online 4 pieces of clear acrylic that measured 36" long x 3" wide, and 4 pieces that were 18" long by 3" wide. I purchased 0.25" thick acrylic. I then superglued the pieces together to create two borders that measured 36" x 24" (outer dimension). I also bought a small piece of acrylic that I made 8 tabs that I glued to the underside of the acrylic (to support the mesh screen). Lastly, I created my two traditional mesh screens that lay down into the open acrylic onto the tabs. Overall cost was probably $75, with the acrylic being the largest cost (and the thickness of the acrylic will drive cost the most).
The piece is made to sit on top of the tank, but it could be made to sit in the inside of the tank using support tabs (I did not go this route as my overflow box would have been in the way and would have been a lot more work).
My thoughts and observations:
(1) I'm concerned the acrylic will warp over time. I think i could have went with 0.375" thick acrylic or even 0.5" to make the border more sturdy but even then I'm not sure it won't warp over time (just not sure how much it will warp). Also, I used superglue to put the pieces together but Weldon may have been better and cleaner looking.
(2) In retrospect, I wish I had used less wide pieces. Maybe 3" for the back panel because of my overflow box but maybe 2" for the side and front pieces. I noticed I'm getting a little condensation on the lip with the 3" width, so smaller width would give more mesh screen area to breathe.
(3) Of course, my screen does not have any cutouts for cords or feed doors. The screen comes out easily enough for me to feed, and I have no need for cord cutouts since I use vortech pumps (but I could easily take a dremel tool and make cutouts I suspect).
(4) I still find the 36" x 24" length to be cumbersome. Perhaps using a thicker acrylic would make it more rigid. Or, perhaps, going with 3 sections of 24" x 24" might have been better, but I'm not sure how well the middle section would be supported without having a side of glass to rest on and just the front and back glass pane to sit on.
Anyway, just thought I'd share. I'll update in the future if there's any interest from the reefing community on how it holds up over the next few months!
I have a 72" x 24" tank, so I wanted two screens, one for each half of the tank. I purchased online 4 pieces of clear acrylic that measured 36" long x 3" wide, and 4 pieces that were 18" long by 3" wide. I purchased 0.25" thick acrylic. I then superglued the pieces together to create two borders that measured 36" x 24" (outer dimension). I also bought a small piece of acrylic that I made 8 tabs that I glued to the underside of the acrylic (to support the mesh screen). Lastly, I created my two traditional mesh screens that lay down into the open acrylic onto the tabs. Overall cost was probably $75, with the acrylic being the largest cost (and the thickness of the acrylic will drive cost the most).
The piece is made to sit on top of the tank, but it could be made to sit in the inside of the tank using support tabs (I did not go this route as my overflow box would have been in the way and would have been a lot more work).
My thoughts and observations:
(1) I'm concerned the acrylic will warp over time. I think i could have went with 0.375" thick acrylic or even 0.5" to make the border more sturdy but even then I'm not sure it won't warp over time (just not sure how much it will warp). Also, I used superglue to put the pieces together but Weldon may have been better and cleaner looking.
(2) In retrospect, I wish I had used less wide pieces. Maybe 3" for the back panel because of my overflow box but maybe 2" for the side and front pieces. I noticed I'm getting a little condensation on the lip with the 3" width, so smaller width would give more mesh screen area to breathe.
(3) Of course, my screen does not have any cutouts for cords or feed doors. The screen comes out easily enough for me to feed, and I have no need for cord cutouts since I use vortech pumps (but I could easily take a dremel tool and make cutouts I suspect).
(4) I still find the 36" x 24" length to be cumbersome. Perhaps using a thicker acrylic would make it more rigid. Or, perhaps, going with 3 sections of 24" x 24" might have been better, but I'm not sure how well the middle section would be supported without having a side of glass to rest on and just the front and back glass pane to sit on.
Anyway, just thought I'd share. I'll update in the future if there's any interest from the reefing community on how it holds up over the next few months!