Transparent eggcrate for lid?

[puffy127]

That's what I did. I cut the eggcrate to fit the tank, then cut out the middle part and ziptied mesh to the eggcrate.

 

[Idoc]

That's what I did. I cut the eggcrate to fit the tank, then cut out the middle part and ziptied mesh to the eggcrate.

Nice idea!

 

[Vin's Reef]

I can’t find this transparent egg crate anywhere? Anyone have a link?

 

[hejjo]

Maybe this will help.

 

[Vin's Reef]

I'm planning my 25 gallon reef tank, and plan on keeping some gobies, which are known jumpers, because of that I wanted a lid, a mesh lid preferably because of better air flow, but my tank has curved edges (like a biocube), which makes it quite difficult to make a mesh lid with conventional diy kits. I then came across this acrylic material similar to eggcrate but transparent. Would that work well as a lid without reducing light output like normal eggcrate would? If not, does someone know how to diy a mesh lid for a tank with curved edges? (It's worth notting that I don't live in The States, so hobbyists who sell lids are out of my reach)


Here are some images of the material:

Where can one find this clear egg crate version?

 

[BitFix]

Where can one find this clear egg crate version?

Honestly I don't know. I live in South America and found it on a local website, I have no ideas where you could find this in North America. Maybe Amazon?

 

[Katrina71]

Just my opinion here. Why not let a pro do your screen? I mean, how much have you spent on the tank? Are you going to be happy with a DIY?

 

[Philipgonzales3]

Just my opinion here. Why not let a pro do your screen? I mean, how much have you spent on the tank? Are you going to be happy with a DIY?

What do you mean by pro? For him to contact a company? Just curious. I myself am intrigued be either paying someone or making one. I'm almost sure that paying someone will look better. As I am not very handy. I am kind of OCD with neatness and cleanliness, etc so in my situation I am leaning towards buying one.

 

[Philipgonzales3]

That's what I did. I cut the eggcrate to fit the tank, then cut out the middle part and ziptied mesh to the eggcrate.

Looks really nice. How long did it take? Was it difficult to do? How do you feed the fish?

 

[Katrina71]

What do you mean by pro? For him to contact a company? Just curious. I myself am intrigued be either paying someone or making one. I'm almost sure that paying someone will look better. As I am not very handy. I am kind of OCD with neatness and cleanliness, etc so in my situation I am leaning towards buying one.

Look at Octoaquatics. That kind of quality.

 

[Philipgonzales3]

Look at Octoaquatics. That kind of quality.

Just found the thread. Looks like he can do it all. I'm going to look into it for my tank. Sounds like a good way to go.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/octo-lids™.292438/

 

[Katrina71]

Just found the thread. Looks like he can do it all. I'm going to look into it for my tank. Sounds like a good way to go.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/octo-lids™.292438/

We have several Octo-goodies. The highest quality!

 

[Temp]

Or you can buy the screen door kits at Home Depot and online to find mesh and make your own custom lid that has the net top and fits snug

 

[Philipgonzales3]

Or you can buy the screen door kits at Home Depot and online to find mesh and make your own custom lid that has the net top and fits snug

The OP mentioned having curved edges where a kit may not work well in this situation.

 

[puffy127]

Looks really nice. How long did it take? Was it difficult to do? How do you feed the fish?

Not difficult at all. Just cut eggcrate and zip tie mesh to the eggcrate. I've tried the DIY screen kits before and had a diffcult time rolling the mesh into the frame. Zip tieing onto egcrate was much easier. The picture is just for one of three sections on my tank. My middle section is in two pieces (cut across horizontally). I just remove one of those pieces during feeding time.

 

[NFO]

Im in the same boat..i have a 29 Biocube that i made rimless and went with the BRS style mesh lid and yes where the tank bows out in the front there is around a inch or so of gap.

I was thinking of 3D printing a filler piece( or cutting acrylic) possibly on hinges that could be opened for feeding.. Other than that the fact that mine is the exact width of the tank means its really easy to bump into the tank..im going to add a few small vertical tabs to stop it from moving side to side..

But i have seen a few people/company's that make custom acrylic/ mesh tops for biocubes etc..