Trying to decide on a lid

[ZzyzxRiver]

I am having a hard time deciding on a lid for my tank upgrade (Waterbox 50.3 AIO) which arrives soon. This all seems more complicated than it needs to be. What am I missing? I just want to keep my fish in and my cat out.

I know Kraken Reef is considered the gold standard, but isn’t that open mesh going to allow a ton of evaporation? And the price… I’ll pay for it if it’s worth it but that’s so much higher than other companies.

I was also looking at Walter Lids and realized a low-evaporation lid has its own concerns- will condensation on the lid cause problems with light passing through?

Then there’s Clearview Lids which has a lot of different styles that I don’t understand the difference between.

Anyway, someone just tell me what to do, LOL. Thanks!

 

[braaap]

Kraken is far from the gold standard. Ocotaquatics is. They made the first lids of this style. Kraken took all their ideas and undercut the pricing.

The mesh is what you want. Allows oxygen exchange and keeps your tank inhabitants safe.

Clearview makes a good product but their service is lacking. Same with Top Lids.

 

[Kingsley_Reef]

Agreed with comment above octo aquatics is the way to go

 

[Fish Fan]

Agree with mesh lid. Trying to contain evaporation may be problematic. Salt creep can build up and block light, and then you have the maintenance of cleaning it all the time.

There are some decent looking DIY kits and options available. You don't necessarily need to drop half a kidney on a polycarbonate lid just to keep the fish in and the cat out, which I fully understand the need for both ;-)

 

[cobraz]

Interesting thread as I am looking for a custom as well...but its a big turn off to me when a vendor (Octoaquatics) will not post prices.
I will shop one of the others as above.

 

[luis angel]

There is always the cheapest option and if the tank arrives, it can get the work done while you decide which of the customized ones to buy. This is the one I have. I bought the materials on Amazon for $30 more or less.

 

[Kingsley_Reef]

Interesting thread as I am looking for a custom as well...but its a big turn off to me when a vendor (Octoaquatics) will not post prices.
I will shop one of the others as above.

It’s cause he makes them to order it states in his site they start at $125min. He’s a stand up guy always been honest with me and has made a ton of crazy ideas I’ve thrown at him if you shoot him a email with your size and needs he’ll send you a quote

 

[Kobkobico]

Hey nice congrats on the new tank. I’m also considering getting a new lid and was doing research. Kraken seems the best if you can stomach the price for the combination of quality and customer service. I noted they do have an add-on evaporation cover you can buy, though I’ll probably keep it an open mesh.

Note you can use KRAKEN10 for 10% off.

 

[Kobkobico]

The water box lid isn’t bad either. On the water box 190.5 it comes in three pieces which is an issue because the thick rims cause shadowing in the center with point lights like the kessils. But if your tank comes in one piece it should be fine and a reasonable price.

 

[Dr. D]

I have a custom Walter lid on order for my 48” Mariner 100. I need something that’s beefy enough to keep my fat cat out of the tank. You can design these lids any way you want. Mine was $190, vs more than $500 for a Kraken with evap covers.

I’ll post my review after the lid arrives.

 

[EliMelly]

I’ve had kraken and top lids, I would suggest kraken.

 

[PR_nano]

I built mine with the Innovative Marine mesh kit. I’m pretty happy with it and how it came out.

 

[ZzyzxRiver]

I had a bad experience with the Walter lid I ordered- 6 week processing time and then it was three weeks later than that before it even arrived. Then it arrived not as described in the product page, not even close. Hopefully it won’t be too hard to get a refund. Now I’m back on the market, so I’m glad to have the recommendations here.

 

[Dr. D]

That stinks. Can you post pics? What went wrong?

 

[ZzyzxRiver]

That stinks. Can you post pics? What went wrong?

The product page said it would have a hinge for the AIO back chamber area, and it didn’t. It also didn’t have the cutouts for wires. And the ventilation holes in the top of the lid (it was an evaporation lid) were at bizarre locations- not centered, not over the display tank, nada. Totally bizarre, I can’t imagine what happened, my experience doesn’t seem consistent with reviews on here.

 

[Dr. D]

That is weird. I’m one of the people who had a good experience. Let us know how they handle it.

 

[dMiles]

My Toplids turned out great. No issues so far. Customer service was good to me also.

 

[Waters]

I have tried them all and prefer my current which is Kraken. In addition to very good quality, they already have all the dimensions for all the major aquariums so you don't have to deal with measuring and approving drawings. The clearview lids are good also but stay away from the modular design they offer. Every little gap just gets filled with salt....hard to keep clean.

 

[pgr7]

You can also get a cover for the mesh on the @Kraken Reef lids I have one on mine. It's not air tight so it's got room to exchange some air but overall super clean and sealed up.