[HiMonster]

has anyone made their lid from acrylic plastic? Its seem way safer than glass and easier to cut… any input?

 

[WONTON SALLY]

has anyone made their lid from acrylic plastic? Its seem way safer than glass and easier to cut… any input?

only downfall from acrylic it will tend to warp after a few months, for $10bucks or less you can go to ace hardware or lowes and get a piece of glass cut and be done with it.

 

[B-NICE]

Do they cut holes in glass at the major hardware stores? I paid $30 for my 20L and it has 3 holes in it. Thats with a discount, because I'm cool with the owner. I wanted to know if some stores cut thick plastic, idk if its considered acrylic.

 

[WONTON SALLY]

if you buy it from the store, they will cut it for you. as far as the holes go they won't drill circular holes in it--ace hardware and lowes won't anyways, but there are tons of videos on youtube on how to drill the glass. a glass shop will drill the circular holes for you, but they will charge you per hole. for what you can buy a few glass drilling bits for would be cheaper than having the glass shop do it for you and then you will have your own bits for the next time around.

 

[dubvstudent]

+ 1 on warping. I have tried Acrylic tops on a few aquariums without any success. They always warp, the bigger the sheet, the more deformation. Lowes also sells Sheets of Lexan now, which is a bit different from acrylic and would probably stand up better. However, it is expensive, and as the other posters here have said, glass is probably your best bet.

 

[B-NICE]

The owner from the exotic pet store I go to got some thick plastic plates from a local hardware store. I need to find out how much he paid for them. Only thing he has them fully closed. I like a 1 or 2" hole in mine.

 

[Pumilo]

Thick clear plastic is most likely acrylic. Acrylic lids = frog jerky on the living room floor.
Drilling holes in glass is very easy and you can get a cheap glass drilling bit on ebay for about $6.
How to. http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/58594-how-drill-your-glass.html

 

[gary1218]

Go to Home Depot and by Lexan polycarbonate. Similar to acrylic but it won't warp.

 

[Pumilo]

That's true. Lexan will NOT warp and is easy to drill but be prepared for the price. It's not cheap.

 

[B-NICE]

Will they cut it @ home depot?

 

[DragonSpirit1185]

Will they cut it @ home depot?

Home Depot doesn't cut anymore.
go to Lowes.

 

[Bokfan1]

if you still want to do the plexi you can silicone aluminum channel around the edges...ive used this method with great success...here's a link on how to do it:

Saurian Enterprises, Inc :: Building a lid for Your Terrarium

 

[fishman9809]

Lexan (polycarbonate) warps. It just resists warping better than plexiglass (acrylic) does. The thicker the sheet is, the better it will resist warp. I had a 3/16" thick door made of Lexan and it warped. I've heard of people using 1/4" with no warping problems so you could try that out.

 

[HiMonster]

does glass reflect heat more than acylic? i know that light penetrates glass better than acrylic..

 

[Pumilo]

does glass reflect heat more than acylic? i know that light penetrates glass better than acrylic..

Actually, visible light penetrates acrylic better than glass. A piece of double strength (about 1/8") glass will transmit only 82% of the visible spectrum. A like piece of clear acrylic will transmit around 90%. I am comparing standard sheet glass to standard clear acrylic here. I'm not taking specialties like expensive starfire glass into account here.

 

[WONTON SALLY]

Actually, visible light penetrates acrylic better than glass. A piece of double strength (about 1/8") glass will transmit only 82% of the visible spectrum. A like piece of clear acrylic will transmit around 90%. I am comparing standard sheet glass to standard clear acrylic here. I'm not taking specialties like expensive starfire glass into account here.

so what % does the lexan allow light through?

 

[HiMonster]

so most of you folks use 1/8 inch glass im assuming?

 

[Pumilo]

so what % does the lexan allow light through?

I'm afraid I have never had reason to look that one up.

so most of you folks use 1/8 inch glass im assuming?

While there are a lot of 1/8" lids out there, that is not where my stats come from. I own an insulated glass unit replacement service (window company). My stats come from my window glass manufacturer in a stats sheet that is comparing various spectrum penetration to various LowE coatings versus clear glass.

 

[thedude]

Lexan has also been known to leach in water. I'm willing to bet our tanks are humid enough to cause problems.

I have tanks made from 2/3 inch thick plexi glass and they dont warp but the original lids sure did, even at that thickness!

 

[WONTON SALLY]

I'm afraid I have never had reason to look that one up.

While there are a lot of 1/8" lids out there, that is not where my stats come from. I own an insulated glass unit replacement service (window company). My stats come from my window glass manufacturer in a stats sheet that is comparing various spectrum penetration to various LowE coatings versus clear glass.

so knowing what you do for a living Doug, does this give you access to make some sweet monster sized tanks?