I know this is an old video, and I'm not pointing @ you Cory. Use Eye and Ear protection! Always! I'm an old school auto mechanic and have learned the hard way about that. I haven't had long term eye damage, but I've had tinnitus for over 10 years now and it really sucks ( on a good day). A trip to the local Med Center or ER to get plastic removed from you eye(s) is no fun and with the cost of Healthcare nowadays can really hurt financially too. When you are picking up, or ordering, your cover material, get some goggles and ear protection. Thanks for the DIY ideas and stay safe out there people.
I agree to both comments 100%, I love the video's that Cory and others make ... but I have noticed the same thing from multiple UA-cam video's such as this made by others. Maybe UA-cam should make it a mandatory requirement for proper safety protocols to be followed if they are to be posted on here for others to view.
Learned from my favorite auto body man to use masking tape or scotch tape to get that backing off the two-sided stuff. Just press it on there and then peel away.
Definitely going to be making some custom covers now. I used to drive a lowered Celica too! Such wonderful cars while they last (I'm in the rust belt).
Was just pondering getting a lid to cut back on evaporation. I'm liking this idea much more than buying a lid for an aquarium that will eventually get replaced! Thanks again you are the man!
hi just use a blade or knife to peel the other side of the tape or bend the tape in half to get a crease in the tape so when you put the tape on the handle it should be easy to peel.hope this helps love the videos got tonns of info from your videos.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have broken several glass lids (butter fingers :). I was looking for this. Sadly this is not carried in my area. I found it on Amazon though. I might take my handles off my broken lids to use on the new lids and silicone them. Getting a 75 gallon today. switching all my tanks to these lids.
Great idea. I'm switching over to these panels for my fish room. I actually prefer them over glass tops. Home Depot doesn't carry the panels in my area. I can get 4' x 8' panels from Menards for $50. Harder to handle and less factory edges than the 2' panels, but cheaper per lid when done.
I know this is an old video but in case you need to know the best way I have found to get that other side off is to tilt your scissors and yes sometimes a razor blade comes in handy.
I'm from the UK with a bow front 180 litre with a failed light unit which costs new around £300 so I'm giving this a go with a cheap light refit . Thanks for the video really like the idea of the hinges
I love my table saw I use it alot for aquarium diy. I bought the freud diablo for acrylic and non ferous metal. They cost 60 bucks but worth it I love the table saw with good blade.
I deal with double sided tape a LOT as a merchandiser. Simplest way- stick a piece of something that you can grab under the edge and then do as you did. the 2nd piece of peel-able paper will come off easy.
LMAO Cory your freaking awesome your so much like so many of us when it comes to some items like installing the knob where we believe eyeballing the center is close enough love it thank you for all the info you provide, i'v learned so much from you and i appreciate all you do for the community
This is an awesome video to go through your playlists and find! The multi-layer would add some good strength AND the ridges help to prevent it from bowing, like you demonstrated. #AquariumCo-Op
Loving the oldies... but you gotta wear eye protection...! As a fellow diy-er, wear eye protection...! Stuff in eyes really sucks...! Keep up your awesomeness...!
9$ a sheet at Home Depot in Douglasville Georgia. They are discontinuing this product. The trim is 2$. Silicone the trim on the sides for less algae and mildew. Less cleaning = more time to watch the fish. Love your videos
Love your videos, really helping me dive into the hobby. i have two 55 longs (one will be aquascaped in a dutch style, and the other a mbuna tank) and got the tanks used with no lids. thanks for saving me a boat ton of money (lexan would have been $30/tank) and the oceans worth of water that would have evaporated out of the tank. and yea i bend the corner on the sticky tape, works 60% of the time all the time.
Works well at keeping the moisture in the tank, too. My tank with a standard lid has to be topped off every few days where I never have problems with these lids. BTW, not all Home Depots carry them in stock but maybe Cory could post the bar code information from one of the panels so you could then ask the manager of your local store to carry them. I told them what I used them for and reminded them that there were a lot of people in the hobby.
Thanks a lot for the diy. I have a problem with this type of implementation as the aquariums we get to buy here come bare without any brackets. They are just 5 pieces of glass bound by silicone. Can you suggest ideas as to how can we built lids In such cases
Hi Cory, thanks for all the help you have given through these videos. Do you think you could do an update on tank lids and feature Master breeder Dean's clear tank lids?
Hinges DEFINITELY keep your loose tops from falling to the floor (beakage/cracking) or falling inside the tank (splash and mess) . Bought a 4x8 from Menards for about $60, making new tops today!! .
I think it would be easier to work inside the tank if you use left and right side pieces instead of front/back. No hinge, just a handle to slide it to the side. Cut out feeding hole maybe instead of having to lift lid.
Wanted to buy an acrylic sheet for my braceless but read that it warps once it exposed to moisture. Glass is a bit heavy so a polycarbonate will do perfect, though it is more expensive than acrylic.
SAFETY GLASSES!!!! Corey should have had them on. When using a table saw, you can have little chucks fling out at you ez af. Had that been my saw, I would have taken you off of it as soon as you turned it on without glasses.
Ok so its a very old video but the way you want the ridges lined is not the way for maximum strength. For maximum strength you want as many ridges and having them as short as possible. The strength is in the ridges so the more you have, the more strength you have. You could argue that it gives less insulation but really it will be so little difference that you will never notice it and if insulation is so important you could close the holes for better insulation but really if that is a big concern you most likely go for a different type of lid
You can use a razor blade to remove the other side of the double sided tape. Or you could just drill and bolt the handle on to the lid. I didn’t realize I could have used my CNC mill/router skills to make aquarium tanks and equipment.
The trick to using that specialty industrial tape is to simply use silicone instead... Lol. Or a stainless bolt and washer into the bottom of the knob. Great video overall though... I've got a super awkward lid/lighting system I need to replace along with a couple 10g quarantine tops... unfortunately these panels are $76 per 8' length in Canada, still cheaper than glass tho. Thanks!
I repair cellphones every day... We use industrial adhesives when replacing the screens.. .I found the best tool for removing tape backing to be an X-ACTO knife.
Made a lid of this material...due to me being rather tall, the lid is reflecting the light directly into my eyes :c otherwise it's rather good looking and has very very little effect on the illumination inside the tank. Just make sure to get straight panels at the store. I got a slightly warped one due to it being stored vertically at an angle. So one corner is constantly lifting up but a little piece of scotch tape does the trick.
HI Cory. Thanks for this. I have a glass tank lid that came with my Full View Aquarium from Lifegard. The lid practically covers the entire tank. So imagine how difficult to feed the fish. I'm thinking of buying a glass cutter and cutting the lid in half and then adding hinges to facilitate lifting the front half of the lid for feeding and for tank maintenance. I wanted to know what I could use as hinges. Thanks. By the way, the face group page is a favorite!
Hey Cory thanks for another great tip from just a guy to a guy nothing technical. Question, couldn't you just use a very small drop of 100% Silicone for the hinge and knob.?
Wait a minute... I'm a bit confused. At 3:00 you state the ridges should go front to back. perpendicular to your body, but at the 10:00 demo, the ridges going the side to side, lengthwise of the tank. So evidently, the 10:00 demo is for 10 or 20 gal tanks, which go the complete length of the tank..
How strong are these? Do you think they're strong enough to support about 40-50lbs of cat on a 12x30 aquarium? My cats are convinced the aquarium is for their personal entertainment.
Use a reversed plywood blade to cut these. receommended several times in the Q & A section of the product. Also this does block UV rays. Hopefully the Home Depot can do the cutting for me.
High Tech Aquatics it depends on how you make the lid. If it's a single piece it doesn't matter. If you do a 2 piece lid like the video, the lid will not be strong enough. The ridges add the support for the panel and should have both sides resting on an edge.
Is mold/mildew growing in the panel cells ever an issue after they have been in use? How long is the lifetime of these panels in your experience? Love the videos, so informative! Thanks
+Aquarium Co-Op i have a habitat for humanity resale shop near me; they have the prismatic lighting diffuses from florescent lights i think they are thick enough to be used; or silicone 2 together to make them thick enough . i can make slider tops out of them ... hang on i think i just found some closer :-) 41miles i also found a LFS there not the usual ones you know of :-)
Hi Cory: I made covers for the holes on the top of my acrylic aquarium. The covers don’t lay flat but turn up slightly at the ends. Will they eventually flatten out? Thanks.
Just curious about how you level your tanks/ support as I understand that is critical to non-leakage which is particularly important inside a regular wood floor apartment? Thanks!!
Thanks for vid! We just added this type of lid to a 24L Betta tank. Do you ever drill ventilation holes in the polycarbonate? Wondering if I should drill some for my Betta tank?
If I use this for a topfin 40 gallon with opening dimensions if 35.5×14.5 will it bow? I don't have a center support. Amd I can't find lids for my tank anywhere
Just wondering...since you are drilling holes for air hoses and heater cord, why not buy stainless steel screws and drill another hole for your knob and true it up nice.
I only have a Lowe's in my area and they do not carry these panels for greenhouse use but they do carry the plain versions will that do or should I still try to find the version you used in this video ?
Will these Polycarbonate lids make lighting worse? diffuse it in any way? make it not as bright in the tank it self or will plants suffer over using a clear glass lid? Thanks.
Robert treboR I believe they do, even a little bit will make it not worth it for me. I went the route of the DIY Glass sliding lids. about 25 bucks total for the parts on a 55g. cheaper if you need less glass. Lowes cuts glass. These poly lids are good for BULK tanks, like a fish room imo, to same tons of cash. but for one tank? go the glass route. :)
So i cant find the big sheets anywhere i ordered a 2x4’ for 50$ on amazon and that was the only one i could find not only that but i need a 3 foot and they cut it with the lines going long ways 😪
*Support us by buying on our online store:* bit.ly/2DBHg6D
I know this is an old video, and I'm not pointing @ you Cory. Use Eye and Ear protection! Always! I'm an old school auto mechanic and have learned the hard way about that. I haven't had long term eye damage, but I've had tinnitus for over 10 years now and it really sucks ( on a good day). A trip to the local Med Center or ER to get plastic removed from you eye(s) is no fun and with the cost of Healthcare nowadays can really hurt financially too. When you are picking up, or ordering, your cover material, get some goggles and ear protection. Thanks for the DIY ideas and stay safe out there people.
He should probably have a mask on to keep that dust out of his lungs as well.
I agree to both comments 100%, I love the video's that Cory and others make ... but I have noticed the same thing from multiple UA-cam video's such as this made by others. Maybe UA-cam should make it a mandatory requirement for proper safety protocols to be followed if they are to be posted on here for others to view.
Mask, ear, eye protection, and NO loose fitting clothing.
So many accidents happen with machinery catching clothing.
Learned from my favorite auto body man to use masking tape or scotch tape to get that backing off the two-sided stuff. Just press it on there and then peel away.
Great tip!
Definitely going to be making some custom covers now. I used to drive a lowered Celica too! Such wonderful cars while they last (I'm in the rust belt).
You make some of the best "how to" videos., because you get into the Details.
Like Tommy on This Old House says "The money is in the Details"
Cut orientation was the most valuable tip for me. Hinge was a brilliant unexpected mod. "Ghetto 3m" was hilarious.
I love that you kept the tape backing struggle in. So relatable. Keep up the great job with the videos
That Celica in the back instantly makes you even cooler than you already were! Super informative vid! Cheers
Was just pondering getting a lid to cut back on evaporation. I'm liking this idea much more than buying a lid for an aquarium that will eventually get replaced! Thanks again you are the man!
Excellent solution to avoid the costly glass tops. Thanks
hi just use a blade or knife to peel the other side of the tape or bend the tape in half to get a crease in the tape so when you put the tape on the handle it should be easy to peel.hope this helps love the videos got tonns of info from your videos.
This is what I did when I was a professional stickerer.
Every man/boy used to carry a pen knife or pocket knife, nowdays you'd get kicked out of school
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have broken several glass lids (butter fingers :). I was looking for this. Sadly this is not carried in my area. I found it on Amazon though. I might take my handles off my broken lids to use on the new lids and silicone them. Getting a 75 gallon today. switching all my tanks to these lids.
Awesome :)
The tape fight was EPIC!
You’ve come a long way buddy. Congrats to all your successes!
Man! Keep dem videos long. Most people tuning in appreciate the detail in the videos. Great material choice.
+Mike's Fish Room Yeah, I figure there is enough content out there who want quick videos, but not nearly as much for detailed long winded videos :P
Easiest way I have found for that tape is to use another piece of tape. Stick it to the paper side and it peels the paper off for you pretty easy.
Did thiis today but used a jigsaw.
Great advice and a very cheap and convenient idea.
Thank you
Great idea. I'm switching over to these panels for my fish room. I actually prefer them over glass tops. Home Depot doesn't carry the panels in my area. I can get 4' x 8' panels from Menards for $50. Harder to handle and less factory edges than the 2' panels, but cheaper per lid when done.
+tnnsman7 Yeah that is cheaper. You can also have Home depot order them.
Great tips, thank you :)
Will try it on my tanks this weekend.
btw, yeah im the "you didn't even measure" guy, lol
I know this is an old video but in case you need to know the best way I have found to get that other side off is to tilt your scissors and yes sometimes a razor blade comes in handy.
I love using the greenhouse panels. Great idea adding the hinge. I can't wait to add to my tanks.
I'm from the UK with a bow front 180 litre with a failed light unit which costs new around £300 so I'm giving this a go with a cheap light refit . Thanks for the video really like the idea of the hinges
I love my table saw I use it alot for aquarium diy. I bought the freud diablo for acrylic and non ferous metal. They cost 60 bucks but worth it I love the table saw with good blade.
Yeah, I haven't upped my game with a diablo blade yet :)
I deal with double sided tape a LOT as a merchandiser. Simplest way- stick a piece of something that you can
grab under the edge and then do as you did. the 2nd piece of peel-able paper will come off easy.
Dude I'm a noob to the fish tank coffee but I enjoy watching your Channel I've learned a lot I started with your basic convict cichlid
Still using this to this day. Best lids I've ever used lol
Great video. Thank you for putting this together.
Thank you for showing people how to make a top for a aquarium ..
LMAO Cory your freaking awesome your so much like so many of us when it comes to some items like installing the knob where we believe eyeballing the center is close enough love it thank you for all the info you provide, i'v learned so much from you and i appreciate all you do for the community
I use that type of tape with the red film at work all the time I use metal tweezers with a fine point
how much this affect the lighting for a planted tank?
It's for green houses so it shouldn't affect it at all.
This is an awesome video to go through your playlists and find!
The multi-layer would add some good strength AND the ridges help to prevent it from bowing, like you demonstrated. #AquariumCo-Op
Loving the oldies... but you gotta wear eye protection...! As a fellow diy-er, wear eye protection...! Stuff in eyes really sucks...! Keep up your awesomeness...!
9$ a sheet at Home Depot in Douglasville Georgia. They are discontinuing this product. The trim is 2$. Silicone the trim on the sides for less algae and mildew. Less cleaning = more time to watch the fish. Love your videos
Wow, $9 a sheet is a great deal!
Love your videos, really helping me dive into the hobby. i have two 55 longs (one will be aquascaped in a dutch style, and the other a mbuna tank) and got the tanks used with no lids. thanks for saving me a boat ton of money (lexan would have been $30/tank) and the oceans worth of water that would have evaporated out of the tank. and yea i bend the corner on the sticky tape, works 60% of the time all the time.
Some nice "Classic Cory".
Great job on the lids.
Just to confirm, these panels allow sufficient lighting through for plants?
Works well at keeping the moisture in the tank, too. My tank with a standard lid has to be topped off every few days where I never have problems with these lids. BTW, not all Home Depots carry them in stock but maybe Cory could post the bar code information from one of the panels so you could then ask the manager of your local store to carry them. I told them what I used them for and reminded them that there were a lot of people in the hobby.
GLUE THE FIRST PIECE ON THE THE SHEET THEN USED A PIECE OF REGULAR TAPE ON TOP AND PEEL OF THE TAPE WILL PULL OUT THE FILM
Yep, try another piece of tape to pull the backing off.
Thank you for this! Great idea and good demonstration
A blade (razor, box cutter) usually helps to remove that backing from the tape.
Thanks a lot for the diy.
I have a problem with this type of implementation as the aquariums we get to buy here come bare without any brackets. They are just 5 pieces of glass bound by silicone. Can you suggest ideas as to how can we built lids In such cases
Definitely doing this this year so I can hole saw some spots to grow strawberries out of my fish tank
Hi Cory, thanks for all the help you have given through these videos. Do you think you could do an update on tank lids and feature Master breeder Dean's clear tank lids?
Do you seal the edges were cut, with Aquatic sealant..otherwise water will get in and turn the lid green over time.
Dude I was about to build a whole wooden canopy!!!!!!!! #lifesaver
Thank you for this! even 7 years later
Hinges DEFINITELY keep your loose tops from falling to the floor (beakage/cracking) or falling inside the tank (splash and mess) .
Bought a 4x8 from Menards for about $60, making new tops today!!
.
I think it would be easier to work inside the tank if you use left and right side pieces instead of front/back. No hinge, just a handle to slide it to the side. Cut out feeding hole maybe instead of having to lift lid.
awesome video as allways!! special kinda methods you use to teach us , like it much! a simpleton like me could understand. =)
+gemstarr1 Thanks for watching :)
I need some little panels to cover the back of my tank since the hobs are in the way of the glass tops.
I love it...
Thank you for the videos! 🙏
Wanted to buy an acrylic sheet for my braceless but read that it warps once it exposed to moisture. Glass is a bit heavy so a polycarbonate will do perfect, though it is more expensive than acrylic.
SAFETY GLASSES!!!! Corey should have had them on. When using a table saw, you can have little chucks fling out at you ez af. Had that been my saw, I would have taken you off of it as soon as you turned it on without glasses.
Love this idea keep them comming
Has anyone used this material as a lid on a planted aquarium? Wondering how much light is lost.
Ok so its a very old video but the way you want the ridges lined is not the way for maximum strength. For maximum strength you want as many ridges and having them as short as possible. The strength is in the ridges so the more you have, the more strength you have. You could argue that it gives less insulation but really it will be so little difference that you will never notice it and if insulation is so important you could close the holes for better insulation but really if that is a big concern you most likely go for a different type of lid
Great Vid Bro...I needed this replacement idea :)
greatest tool for peeling off double sided tape is the tip/point of an Exacto blade....gets right under there quick.
You can use a razor blade to remove the other side of the double sided tape. Or you could just drill and bolt the handle on to the lid. I didn’t realize I could have used my CNC mill/router skills to make aquarium tanks and equipment.
The trick to using that specialty industrial tape is to simply use silicone instead... Lol. Or a stainless bolt and washer into the bottom of the knob. Great video overall though... I've got a super awkward lid/lighting system I need to replace along with a couple 10g quarantine tops... unfortunately these panels are $76 per 8' length in Canada, still cheaper than glass tho. Thanks!
not critizing the video (direction of sheet ribbing) just an observation/correction. keep up the great d.i.y.videos!
I repair cellphones every day... We use industrial adhesives when replacing the screens.. .I found the best tool for removing tape backing to be an X-ACTO knife.
Made a lid of this material...due to me being rather tall, the lid is reflecting the light directly into my eyes :c otherwise it's rather good looking and has very very little effect on the illumination inside the tank. Just make sure to get straight panels at the store. I got a slightly warped one due to it being stored vertically at an angle. So one corner is constantly lifting up but a little piece of scotch tape does the trick.
HI Cory. Thanks for this. I have a glass tank lid that came with my Full View Aquarium from Lifegard. The lid practically covers the entire tank. So imagine how difficult to feed the fish. I'm thinking of buying a glass cutter and cutting the lid in half and then adding hinges to facilitate lifting the front half of the lid for feeding and for tank maintenance. I wanted to know what I could use as hinges. Thanks. By the way, the face group page is a favorite!
Great vid! i have beveled corners. how can i make the cut?
Hey Cory thanks for another great tip from just a guy to a guy nothing technical. Question, couldn't you just use a very small drop of 100% Silicone for the hinge and knob.?
+Russell Beach Yeah, I totally could. Mostly I don't want to wait for the cure time. It would totally work though.
Wait a minute... I'm a bit confused. At 3:00 you state the ridges should go front to back. perpendicular to your body, but at the 10:00 demo, the ridges going the side to side, lengthwise of the tank. So evidently, the 10:00 demo is for 10 or 20 gal tanks, which go the complete length of the tank..
lol you could use single sided industrial tape as hinge.
thanks for this video I've been looking for a great way to make a top for my tank and this is awesome🤓
Glad I could help
How much will this material affect PAR?
How strong are these? Do you think they're strong enough to support about 40-50lbs of cat on a 12x30 aquarium?
My cats are convinced the aquarium is for their personal entertainment.
Naias Raj My cats think so too! It’s also a “water fountain”!
Yes needed this video
Use a reversed plywood blade to cut these. receommended several times in the Q & A section of the product. Also this does block UV rays. Hopefully the Home Depot can do the cutting for me.
Yes, it has a uv blocking layer.
Where do you get the clear hinges ? Doesn't moisture get in the channels & get gross ?
Are you happy with the orientation of the channels? if you had it to do over again, would you rotate the lids 90 deg. or keep them as they are?
+High Tech Aquatics I would keep them as they are.
High Tech Aquatics it depends on how you make the lid. If it's a single piece it doesn't matter. If you do a 2 piece lid like the video, the lid will not be strong enough. The ridges add the support for the panel and should have both sides resting on an edge.
Use a Dremel Sawmax. We did that for two lids on my 60 gallon
Is mold/mildew growing in the panel cells ever an issue after they have been in use? How long is the lifetime of these panels in your experience?
Love the videos, so informative! Thanks
I've never had a problem yet, going on 7 years at this point. Not sure what the life span will be, but at least 7 years, and no mildew issues.
You could seal the ends with silicone.
Love your site, need advice , I am a novice, equipment, filters, air pump, etc? Can you advise me.
i like these as well but the closest stores that carry it are 90 to 100 miles from me :-(
i'll have to look for alternatives to this type ...
+greywolf de'lacey Bummer, yeah if there are any places around that deal with green houses. They should have some leads.
+Aquarium Co-Op
i have a habitat for humanity resale shop near me; they have the prismatic lighting diffuses from florescent lights i think they are thick enough to be used; or silicone 2 together to make them thick enough .
i can make slider tops out of them ... hang on i think i just found some closer :-) 41miles i also found a LFS there not the usual ones you know of :-)
for the double sided tape use a razor blade cut it in half and sort of lever the back off
Yeah, thats essentially what I do now, thanks for the tip.
I'm between these and the sliding glass tops. I have a planted tank. Which one lets more light through?
from my testing, these provide more light.
Hi Cory: I made covers for the holes on the top of my acrylic aquarium. The covers don’t lay flat but turn up slightly at the ends. Will they eventually flatten out? Thanks.
I know with window tint, it comes apart by putting tape on both surfaces then pull both pieces of tape away from each other.
Thanks. You just saved me about $40.00!
Just curious about how you level your tanks/ support as I understand that is critical to non-leakage which is particularly important inside a regular wood floor apartment? Thanks!!
Thanks for vid! We just added this type of lid to a 24L Betta tank. Do you ever drill ventilation holes in the polycarbonate? Wondering if I should drill some for my Betta tank?
If I use this for a topfin 40 gallon with opening dimensions if 35.5×14.5 will it bow? I don't have a center support. Amd I can't find lids for my tank anywhere
Just wondering...since you are drilling holes for air hoses and heater cord, why not buy stainless steel screws and drill another hole for your knob and true it up nice.
I may have missed it in the video.
How is it with light getting to plants?
Try scoring a corner of the tape with a razor blade and just fold it to then you will be able to peal then covering off a lot easier
Anyway to make these with rimless tanks?
Link for the hinge?
What's your opinion for screen cover lid on a 40 gallons breeder Aquarium?
Trying to look for this stuff in 2021 is a nightmare. Both cost & availability are all over the place.
Glad I found this video to avoid spending $50+ on a glass lid.
I only have a Lowe's in my area and they do not carry these panels for greenhouse use but they do carry the plain versions will that do or should I still try to find the version you used in this video ?
Will these Polycarbonate lids make lighting worse? diffuse it in any way? make it not as bright in the tank it self or will plants suffer over using a clear glass lid? Thanks.
Robert treboR I believe they do, even a little bit will make it not worth it for me. I went the route of the DIY Glass sliding lids. about 25 bucks total for the parts on a 55g. cheaper if you need less glass. Lowes cuts glass. These poly lids are good for BULK tanks, like a fish room imo, to same tons of cash. but for one tank? go the glass route. :)
So i cant find the big sheets anywhere i ordered a 2x4’ for 50$ on amazon and that was the only one i could find not only that but i need a 3 foot and they cut it with the lines going long ways 😪