Fitting a Rim to a Glass Lid?

[Melinda P]

The title kind of summarizes it but long story short: my cat broke the lid for my TopFin 5.5g (fat feline thinks the fish tank is his pedestal, but that’s another issue). 

Since this is a betta tank, I quickly found the dimensions of the tank and found an Aqueon lid at my local Petco that was for a 5.5g. I knew there was a probability that the lid wouldn’t fit because it’s not the same brand (and of course, Petsmart doesn’t offer replacements for any of their TopFin products) but I felt kind of pushed for time because I didn’t have much that I could use to cover the tank to keep my betta from making a suicidal jump to the fishy underworld. 
 

Unsurprisingly, it’s not an exact fit, but it’s pretty close (pictures attached). It measures a little less than 3/16” off. My question is: has anyone done some DIY mastery thing to increase the width of a rim of a tank whereby I could shimmy this in?

Or am I out of luck and should try something else?

Or should I simply leave it sitting on top and secure it there (not preferable as I live in the atrium to Hell a.k.a Arizona and top off is a major chore if I don’t have a sealed glass lid)?

Many thanks in advance🙂

[CT_]

If evaporation is your only issue I bet leaving it slightly ajar like that is fine. 

 

It looks like it would be hard to modify the rim, but perhaps you could cut the glass down?  or pay a frame or glass shop to cut it? 

[Andy's Fish Den]

My inclination would be to leave it. If one side is up on the rim like that and other is in the channel where its supposed to sit, the glass should be at a slight angle, and any condensation on the underside of the lid will just run down and drip back into the tank. If you need it to fit perfectly, I would see about having a glass shop cut it down for you. I have never had luck just taking a small amount like that off.

[MammaG]

 Is the lid just a piece of glass? You could take it to a glass shop and ask them to cut it down for you. Or, return the lid and get a custom piece of glass cut for you. I've made several of my own lids using custom cut glass and it was very inexpensive and easy way to deal with adding lids to my tanks. There are a few videos out there on how to make your own sliding lids using vinyl shower track and glass - they are very cool and would work with your tank. 

 

[Pete]

I second the suggestion to let a glass shop trim it down for you. They should have no trouble fitting it to your tank's dimensions.

I've had my local Home Depot make tank lids before. Just measure out the inside dimensions and tell them what you want and they'll cut a piece of glass to fit. I think my 10 gallon's lid was $8 including the cost of a Command hook for a handle. 

[eatyourpeas]

I agree with having it cut, but you could also consider a silicone shower door trim and run all around the lid.

[Wonder Boy]

I did a DIY with acrylic from HD and my miter saw. Since you have the glass, +1 for getting it cut down. 

Edited July 8, 2021 by Wonder Boy