**Clear** Mesh Top

I have the mesh from the guy posting that ebay auction above his email address is grim1214@bellsouth.net - he has it on the auction.
His prices are very reasonable, and he will paypal invoice you.

I am looking now for proven solutions for smaller bow front tanks, i have a 46 gallon (listed below) and i saw back on page 8 the straight frame, i would do that and possibly cut plexiglass to the bow and silicon it to the mesh frame - has anyone been able to replicate this procedure, OR bend the aluminum to contour the bow? I haven't been able to find pics anywhere.

thanks!
 
I bought mine from Grim as well and agree on the good price and good to work with. He gave me some tips on designs and might have some insight for bow front tanks.
 
I figured i would just add to this thread as opposed to creating a new one.
this project was a 6/10 in my book - only due to the bending of the screen frame. took me 2 tries.

Grim did give a great walk through, and suggested to use the clamps, and not bend directly in the middle.

I got my old glass top and used about 7 clamps to position the frame and bend it accordingly, it took about 20 min just for the bend.
the screen frame on a rectangle tank would take 30 min total. its a no brainer if you have fish that jump.

another side note - for the 90 degree elbows that you need for the corners of the frame.
For these bow front setups dave grim recommends cutting them in the center, and spreading it wider.
I had better results heating the elbow at the corner and bending it to 110 degrees (aprox).
I did have to trim the plastic off with scissors, in order to fit in the tank rim.

if you have any questions please PM me.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20101106_094557sm.jpg
    IMG_20101106_094557sm.jpg
    79.9 KB · Views: 19
  • IMG_20101106_094716sm.jpg
    IMG_20101106_094716sm.jpg
    97.7 KB · Views: 18
  • IMG_20101106_094728sm.jpg
    IMG_20101106_094728sm.jpg
    85.1 KB · Views: 22
  • IMG_20101106_094736sm.jpg
    IMG_20101106_094736sm.jpg
    86 KB · Views: 21
Last edited:
Kevin McG said:
I am planning on a screen over my 34 gallon rimless Solana. What I was going use is a 2'x2' square piece of mono philament netting.

I would machine a 1/4" slot into a 3/8" diameter acrylic rod lengthwise, and somehow affix the netting to the rod. Then just slip the top of the tank into the slot all the way around. The key is having the netting just below the waterline to hide the netting all together.
Click to expand...

Did you ever figure out how to do this?

My idea was to affix little pegs to the corners of the tank, so that I can just slip the netting on and off as needed.
 
Anyone have any ideas for getting chords out through the top without compromising the tight fit?

thanks, Chris
 
depends on the tank lip but on a few of my tanks I used a dremal or large drill bit to remove some of the plastic screen frame corner which allows room for a cord.
 
I am also thinking of building one but my concern is whether or not the mesh will accumulate salt creeps. The water level in my tank is almost till the rim and hence putting the screen will cause water to touch it.

Alongside, should I be concerned about the mesh being "reef safe" or is all the bird netting or clear mesh are reef safe?
 
mrhasan said:
I am also thinking of building one but my concern is whether or not the mesh will accumulate salt creeps. The water level in my tank is almost till the rim and hence putting the screen will cause water to touch it.

Alongside, should I be concerned about the mesh being "reef safe" or is all the bird netting or clear mesh are reef safe?
Click to expand...

It might accumulate salt creep, especially if you already notice a lot of salt creep on the sides of your tank. The tops can easily be rinsed off with a hose and placed back into service.

A mesh top won't have any more build up than any other top you would put on the tank. I would rather know my fish are safe and sound in the aquarium where they should be rather than have to worry about whether they are on the floor. So what are really your options if you don't want to see your fish on the carpet? Glass, eggcrate, force field (pending), or mesh?

I have used the mesh for several other water contact tasks with no problems. Plastics are fairly inert in at normal temperatures in water (including saltwater). Its as safe as pvc, plumbing, acrylic, and other plastic parts commonly used around aquariums.

The aluminum frames are also corrosion resistant and hold up well as long as you use the ones that are painted (the paint is heat treated and does not peel off).
 
I just made some of these and was surprised how good the brown frame looks. I thought it would be glaringly apparent with the brown against the black frame, but no one can notice unless I point it out...
 
I don't notice a lot of salt creeps around my tank but there are some small lumps around the HOB filter and some splashes on the screen. My water level is high (I like keeping it high). As long as the creeps are not very dense and fall into the tank, it should be good :)

Does home depot carry plastic frame kits? I would prefer to use that actually.

jimsflies said:
It might accumulate salt creep, especially if you already notice a lot of salt creep on the sides of your tank. The tops can easily be rinsed off with a hose and placed back into service.

A mesh top won't have any more build up than any other top you would put on the tank. I would rather know my fish are safe and sound in the aquarium where they should be rather than have to worry about whether they are on the floor. So what are really your options if you don't want to see your fish on the carpet? Glass, eggcrate, force field (pending), or mesh?

I have used the mesh for several other water contact tasks with no problems. Plastics are fairly inert in at normal temperatures in water (including saltwater). Its as safe as pvc, plumbing, acrylic, and other plastic parts commonly used around aquariums.

The aluminum frames are also corrosion resistant and hold up well as long as you use the ones that are painted (the paint is heat treated and does not peel off).
Click to expand...
 
Do you think this thing will be strong enough to keep an eel in the tank? Maybe if it were clamped down, or weighted?
 
You might want to consider a clamp or something to hold it down if you think the eel could move the top. They are fairly light weight. But a larger size tank (top) will have more mass and may not move much. I'd say it would be a judgement call.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

K
Seeding Marine Pure Gems
Replies
6
Views
306
SantaMonica
S
K
40 Gallon AIO Tank Repair?
Replies
8
Views
273
kingyking888
K
rrrrob
Thoughts on Purigen?
Replies
11
Views
717
alejandrodia
A
D
DIY Stand Help
Replies
6
Views
411
kharmaguru
kharmaguru
S
Overskimming on New Protein Skimmer
Replies
2
Views
148
wvned
wvned
Back
Top