Ariel S Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 Hi! Does anyone have any experience using or helpful knowledge when it comes to using plexiglass for a tank lid? I have a big sheet left over from some COVID-19 partitions I put up and was thinking of cutting it and adding a hinge to use it instead of buying a new glass lid for my 40 breeder. will it be ok to get wet? Have algae on it? Withstand humidity? thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSH OUTDOORS Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 I bought a 1/4 inch piece of plexi to cover my 5 gallon quarantine tank as i bought it used without a lid. Its been 3 weeks and the sheet looks more like a rainbow than a flat piece of glass. The partition sheets you have might be thicker or better quality but just wanted to share my experience. Being it is leftover why not try it to see what happens. I might try again and epoxy/glue two sheets together to keep it from warping so bad as i bought a 3 pack and have only used one sheet. Best of luck to you! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickS77 Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 I've had it warp over time with the heat from lights and the tank. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ariel S Posted February 22, 2021 Author Share Posted February 22, 2021 Yes I was worried about the warping! Great! Thank you for your feedback Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Struggle Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 Mine have warped as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 maybe make tank dividers instead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 Lexan is a common window material in sailing, which stands up to UV, and can be polished. I don't know if it gets used in the aquarium hobby. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT_ Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 (edited) I used acrylic on my 5g. It cuts well with an 80t 10" saw blade (or you can buy special blades for plastic) and with a fine tooth "jig saw". It has warped on me, but not so much that I care. As streetwise points out Lexan (AKA polycarbonate ) is probably a better choice. but at least for me acrylic I use acrylic because its whats in my garage already 😉 Edited February 22, 2021 by CT_ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpsandfish Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 I had one custom cut, with hinges and a little tab on front and back to make lifting it easier, by a company near me. The first one was acrylic because I didn’t know any better and it warped. The second one is polycarbonate and it’s great! One a tiny bit of warping at the corners, cleans easily. The company was fantastic to work with. I didn’t want a glass one because of the cat. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 Pro tip: if you make the plexiglass lids symmetrical, you can flip them when they warp. 😎 That’s what I do because I couldn’t find the material I was looking for. The internet mostly recommends twinwall polycarbonate greenhouse siding. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teakae Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 I read polycarbonate was better than acrylic. This past weekend I cut some to put over my 29 gallon. I wanted to put the HOB on the side rims so I needed a new lid. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenman Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 I use acrylic on my tank covers and it works fine for me. Mind you, it's glued into place, but no warping, no discoloration, and it handles moisture just fine. Here's a photo looking through the door of my thirty high cover up at the lights/acrylic. This is just the window glass replacement acrylic sold at Home Depot or Lowes. (Probably Lowe's but it's been a while since I bought it.) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ariel S Posted March 2, 2021 Author Share Posted March 2, 2021 On 2/22/2021 at 10:37 PM, Teakae said: I read polycarbonate was better than acrylic. This past weekend I cut some to put over my 29 gallon. I wanted to put the HOB on the side rims so I needed a new lid. Do you have a picture of your lid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casual aquatics Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 I have one on my eel tank cut to go around hob and such holds good evaporation minimal. However it get like calcium build up and kinda foggy ish occasionally algae but literally almost wipes off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teakae Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 6 hours ago, Ariel S said: Do you have a picture of your lid? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 On 2/22/2021 at 6:41 PM, Streetwise said: Lexan is a common window material in sailing, which stands up to UV, and can be polished. I don't know if it gets used in the aquarium hobby. Works great for us. Yes, it bows, but every few weeks, we flip it around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 (edited) Here is an example of how we use Acrylic from Lowe’s for 55 gal lids. Yes, they warp, but if you build them symmetrically, you can flip them every day. We use cupboard liner to shade lighting since our photo period is long, and algae builds up. Short video... Edited March 2, 2021 by Fish Folk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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