DIY 5g seamless plexi canopy

[Karackle]

Well, I posted this build in my 5g thread, but I figured I would also post it here since it's a DIY and I took step by step pictures. I'm really happy with how it came out too, so I figured if someone else was looking for a seamless canopy (or just a way to make a top) for a small tank, this might be helpful.

disclaimer I am using a desk lamp to light this tank, I do NOT know how this would work with a light sitting directly on the canopy like you would use for a glass canopy.

Also some of these tools are extremely sharp, please be careful if you try something like this and NEVER CUT TOWARD YOURSELF especially if yourself (and not the workbench) is in the way of where the knife will come off the edge of the plexi!

Anyway, here it is:

I needed to make a new top for my 5g tank because somewhere along the lines, the plastic piece that normally goes on the back of a glass canopy got lost and as a result, the rate of evaporation (and calcium / salt buildup as you will see) was staggering. So I wanted to try and make a top that would cover as much of the top of the tank as I could manage.

I decided to make a top out of plexiglass (actually Lexan) that would fit the whole top minus a corner (to let the heater cord and airline through) and a cutout for the filter.

I forgot to take pictures of the first cut, but it was done exactly the same way as the second cut, so it would have been redundant anyhow.

I measured and used a square (off of the factory cut straight edge that I checked for square before starting, it was) to draw a line that I then extended with a ruler:


Next I clamped the ruler over top of the lexan for a straight edge that wouldn't move (unfortunately I couldn't find my cork backed metal ruler so it was a bit tricky working with a clear ruler, but i made it work)


Tools:


I didn't buy a glass cutter because I have one, of course I couldn't find, but I found that the sharp edge of my painter's tool worked well for initial scoring (I found from the first cut that the razor was actually a bit TOO sharp and more prone to slipping, so I did the initial scoring with the painter's tool from now on):


Then I deepened the scoring (scouring?) with the razor:


After quite a few passes, pressing hard, I removed the ruler and clamped the Lexan so that the scoring was just over the edge of my "workbench" (some 2 x 10 I screwed together into a makeshift bench from a previous project )


I tried to take a close-up of the scored line just over the edge:


Then it was just a matter of applying pressure to make it snap across the scored line:


I brought the piece to the tank to see how it fit, unfortunately, it was a bit too long due to a combination of the imperfect scoring the first time and some incorrect (apparently) measuring. Measure once, cut twice right? just kidding. I was almost exactly 1/4" off so I think I measured 15 5/8" instead of 15 3/8" or something like that. Either that or the measuring tape I used to take the initial measurements is slightly different than ruler.

Anyway, drew a new line:


This time there wasn't much to "snap" so I used some pliers:




As you can see, the line isn't quite as clean as the first one, but it's good enough:


It's the right length, so I marked where I wanted to make my final cuts:


Measured clamped and snapped again:






Marked the cutout for the filter:


I scored the short lines freehand, and then clamped the ruler in place for the long one, I made sure the flat edges of the clamps were lined up with the short lines of the cutout and hanging over the ruler so they acted as barriers so I wouldn't cut too far:


A little bit of downward pressure with pliers next to the short cuts and upward pressure with my hand on the "non-scrap" part of the Lexan did the trick of separating the Lexan and then it was just a matter of snapping the final cut. I brought it to the tank to check the size, it fit


Brought it outside for some sanding of the rough edges:


Last step was peeling off the protective plastic, moving the handle from glass canopy to the new Lexan canopy and putting it on the tank!




And then I cleaned the calcium / salt buildup:


And that's that! I hope it helps! If nothing else, it evens out how much light gets into the tank because the black hinge for the glass canopy takes up enough surface area that it actually does interfere a little bit with the light, so now that problem is eliminated, and hopefully this helps with the evaporation issue too

[MaStErFiShKeEps]

You can wrap Electrical tape around the sides so it fits tighter.

[Karackle]

Thanks for the idea, it's actually a pretty tight fit now, but I will probably adapt the idea to make the handle grab on tighter, the lexan is a bit thinner than the glass, but that way, it's still removeable! Thanks!

[BS87]

Where did you purchase the lexan? HD/Lowes has it around here but it is $$$$$

[Karackle]

I got it at HD, it was a little expensive, but a heck of a lot cheaper than a new glass canopy. There was other plexi that was cheaper, but it was also flimsier, even plexi of the same thickness, so I decided to go with the Lexan. And remember, I only needed a small piece for this little 5g tank. It probably wouldn't be as cost effective for a very large tank. Though I suppose the cost of a glass canopy gets up there at that point too.

Glass is much cheaper, but I don't have the skills to cut out the notch needed for the filter or I would have gone with glass instead.

I bet you can order some Lexan online somewhere though.