These look good enough for anywhere I'd want to put them I don't have a fish room. The nice simple style is perfect. I used to do stained glass so the glass cutting won't be a problem. Simply Betta sent me. Eventually I want to get some of her wild bettas and put them in tanks with lids like these and some other fish too thank you so much
After watching this video I was inspired to complete three glass top projects that I have been thinking about for a while. I had some old glass tops that did not fit any of my current aquariums. I cut the glass to fit 3 aquariums and some plexiglass too. I have a half height 10 gal like the one you showed, and I had the side rails so I put that one together. Thank you for your videos and the time you take to share aquarium stuff.
How is this video not more watched than it is? That's a super cool idea. Cheap. Effective. Easy to make. I love it. Wish I'd seen this before I just bought 2 versa tops for my new 55. Gonna be using these in future. Awesome idea. Thanks
Usually in the same place you find the plastic molding that Steve used, you can find a piece of small white plastic J molding(that's like a 1/4 inch on the bottom and a 1/2 on top. I used that stuff to cover the edges of the glass. Put a couple dabs of silicone on and it keeps the glass from cutting you, and also keeps it from wanting to dig into the piece its sliding on too.
Originally didn’t plan to have a lid on my new aquarium, but then changed my mind a few days into cycling it. Clearly should have thought about that before buying a lid-less one which doesn’t fit any type of lid on the market 😂 Stumbled across your video by accident a couple hours into my lid search for a second evening. Thanks so much for this, feels good to have a nice-fitting, smart-looking lid that I made myself 😄
i got all my tanks second hand and they all came with no lids. i found the same idea on youtube and luckily I work at a Ace Hardware and we cut glass to size for sale. the only thing i did different were the handles. i used a 3" X 3" of plexi glass that i heated up and folded at a 90 degree angle. and i just used a little bit of clear epoxy to glue them in place. the lids work very well and they are easy to take out uf needed. Great DIY vid!
Glad I could inspire someone whom I look up to on youtube!....but I will say this was not my original creation! After having used these for some time now I will say they are not perfect on all tanks. They bind up a bit on some of my larger tanks.....and I did not get my edges seamed which has resulted in me cutting myself more than a few times! I've added in more trim to cover the edges so I dont cut myself with daily maintenance!
I went to Lowes, and their smallest 'sheet' of glass was perfect for my 55g. needed 4 pieces, and did this on both ends. also got drawer handles/knobs from there, as well as the molding. everything was $24 total, they cut the glass for me, and it was easy. :) I also painted the molding pieces Black, so it's virtually invisible and looks great in my Living room "show" tank.
I like this because it's not shabby, janky or ghetto. I want to suggest something a little different though, although this is the best idea I've come across yet. And if your goal is purely economical, this might not be the thing for you. But if you want something a little better, maybe a bit more money, maybe not, there is another way of doing this. I used to build reptile cages professionally, so I've built lots of things like this. If your situating your tanks short side of the tank facing out, like in this video, as opposed to long side out as you would do with one tank in your living room, there is a little better way to do this...maybe...I'd have to use them both, but hear me out. You can use either that thinner glass as above (the problem with that is it is so thin the edges can't be "sealed" or smoothed over) but my preference would be 1/4" thick as it is more substantial, can be "sealed" and getting daily use, the heavier glass might be better. At least the front piece that is moving when sliding open. It sure is a better feel. Or you can use the polycarbonate material as seen in other videos, and if you can somehow seal the ends of that stuff (and I've got an idea for that), it traps air and thus has an insulative property, keeping your heat in much more effectively, thereby saving your heaters is using them. Anyway, you use the same dimensions as in this video, except the back piece is attached to the TOP of the plastic rim...maybe permanently, maybe not (using some L channel around the 3 sides would keep it in place nicely, or you could glue it on which would be permanent). You use the same dimension front piece that goes in the lip where the lid is meant to go. This way, the front piece, the one with the handle you use every time you get in the tank, it slides UNDER the top piece, which I think is better because in this scenario the front piece is on top and there really is nothing to hold it down or give it any guidance. Kinda flimsy. Does this make any sense? What do you all think?
Thank you so much for the idea! It worked beautifully!! But I have a problem with the glass of the hood getting foggy and the light doesn’t pass through as well. Is there any tips to prevent the glass from getting foggy???
you could cut up old tanks that leak, and make your own lids. ive never done it, but lids are so expensive. i find glass from resale shops, glass that would be used on furnitire shelving, so its kind of thick, and use that, and regular wood i fond in the garbage. i can set those dome shop lights right on the glass, and its ok. Nothing breaks, or cracks.
For the handle, you can buy a pack of adhesive wall hooks (at almost any dollar store). And if the adhesive isn’t strong enough, there’s always superglue.
What do you do about the tubing for the filters? Leave a small gap? And what kind of lights would you use? Seems like Shorter LED lights would not be bright enough with just one and if there were two… the light would be in the way of the sliding door. Can someone tell me how to manage these two things before I do this project? I like this lid idea but can’t seem to figure out those issues.
www.homedepot.com/p/852-1-2-in-x-3-4-in-x-8-ft-PVC-Composite-White-Outside-Corner-Moulding-0085208011/100540903 This worked for me. hope it helped in time
Great informative video, My bug bear is cleaning the glass. removing the four glass pains then struggling to get them back in the guid runners. I find lemon and distilled water mix is best.
1. Do I have to use an Aqueon tank? 2. Thinking about laying the tank on its side and creating a vivarium for a petsnake. Do u think this'll work for that? Is the door too loose?
I'm always terrified the aqueon lid is going to fall into my tank or I'm going to lose my grip and it will fall and crack. These look so much more stable.
If you have an aquarium lid does that mean you have to have an air stone to ensure gas exchange or would the fish be fine without? Also if I want the front piece to slide underneath instead of over (bc I want to lay lights right on back piece) I can just flip the mounding right?
Hi questions am going to do this to my 10 gallon but like ur other ones facing us so how much glass do I cut so it has room to slide back or just cut the one I slide alittle bigger this is my problem not sure where to cut but understand everything else TY
I have no idea if anyone can help me with this but I have a 36 gal bowfront tank I ordered a glass lid for only to realize that there is no lip on the top of the tank, it's just the glass... So there's nothing for the lid to set into. Is there a way to make a rim for it so I can use the lid I bought?
Urgent question! I'm putting a 75 gallon in my new house soon, has a stand and I found a great video on building a 100% custom remote controlled light bar, but glass lids are SO expensive for bigger tanks. Any advice on making a heavy lid like that first one you showed us? It needs to withstand dojo loaches which can grow up to 10 inches and are notorious for being strong jumpers. Thanks!
How could I make this snake safe? My corny is an absolute escape artist, would it be best to super/ hot glue the plastic to the top? What lock would be best for this?
Just about all versa tops these days are always off a little and what they want for them is also a huge rip off in my opinion. Appreciate you sharing. Thank You
At the back, just leave room enough for an airline, or cut a little hole.. If you are doing a multiple tank setup like this, you are likely running a bunch of sponge filters and heating the room rather than individual tanks, so it presents little obstacle. You could also have a hang on back filter and a heater cord coming out instead at the short end. If you want them to hang off the long end, then you are better off sticking with the versa-top style.
Anyone try using Lexan ? Seems like it would be lighter, easier to work with? Just a thought? Not sure how well it would hold up to the heat of a 6500k LED light an inch above it though? Hmm i may give the Lexan a whirl. Thanks for sharing, handy solution here with those plastic tracks for the sides on top of aquariums with the ridges.
polycarbonate is awesome for such things, easily takes 100°C, and is virtually unbreakable*. but more expensive than glass, and more time consuming, and IMHO harder to work with as well. glass you score, snap, and quickly break the edges with sand paper - PC must be sawn, the edges need more finishing work to look neat, and it scratches MUCH more easily. ( *= i shot a 3mm macrolon sheet with a longbow, and a pointy "bullet" tip only left dings in it. one arrow broke. that stuff would make formidable light body armour )
it was hard to break the glass since its only half an inch, I just built my lid two mins ago, cut my finger, the edges look like the pizza crust no one eats, (unevenly broken) and have a corner broke off so that's gonna be where I feed the fish, don't need to handle no more. it was a helpful video, I m just bad at cutting and breaking glasses
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
I just put together over 16 of these lids - thanks for showing me how!
Simply Betta hi I am your subscriber
@@rohans3447 Me too
And I'm here from her video!!
These look good enough for anywhere I'd want to put them I don't have a fish room. The nice simple style is perfect. I used to do stained glass so the glass cutting won't be a problem. Simply Betta sent me. Eventually I want to get some of her wild bettas and put them in tanks with lids like these and some other fish too thank you so much
After watching this video I was inspired to complete three glass top projects that I have been thinking about for a while. I had some old glass tops that did not fit any of my current aquariums. I cut the glass to fit 3 aquariums and some plexiglass too. I have a half height 10 gal like the one you showed, and I had the side rails so I put that one together. Thank you for your videos and the time you take to share aquarium stuff.
How is this video not more watched than it is? That's a super cool idea. Cheap. Effective. Easy to make. I love it. Wish I'd seen this before I just bought 2 versa tops for my new 55. Gonna be using these in future. Awesome idea. Thanks
Usually in the same place you find the plastic molding that Steve used, you can find a piece of small white plastic J molding(that's like a 1/4 inch on the bottom and a 1/2 on top. I used that stuff to cover the edges of the glass. Put a couple dabs of silicone on and it keeps the glass from cutting you, and also keeps it from wanting to dig into the piece its sliding on too.
Originally didn’t plan to have a lid on my new aquarium, but then changed my mind a few days into cycling it. Clearly should have thought about that before buying a lid-less one which doesn’t fit any type of lid on the market 😂 Stumbled across your video by accident a couple hours into my lid search for a second evening. Thanks so much for this, feels good to have a nice-fitting, smart-looking lid that I made myself 😄
i got all my tanks second hand and they all came with no lids. i found the same idea on youtube and luckily I work at a Ace Hardware and we cut glass to size for sale. the only thing i did different were the handles. i used a 3" X 3" of plexi glass that i heated up and folded at a 90 degree angle. and i just used a little bit of clear epoxy to glue them in place. the lids work very well and they are easy to take out uf needed. Great DIY vid!
I love simple solutions. There is a certain brilliance in this. Thank you!
Are you kidding me? I've been looking at lids that cost upwards of 75$ and I can make on for what? 7$?
I just used the extra trim to put on the front of the sliding glass for a very discreet handle. Glass and trim was $12 for a 90 gallon tank.
Great project for most fish rooms. I've used the 3m hooks as handles too.
Dee From Brooklyn I got six from the dollar tree
Glad I could inspire someone whom I look up to on youtube!....but I will say this was not my original creation! After having used these for some time now I will say they are not perfect on all tanks. They bind up a bit on some of my larger tanks.....and I did not get my edges seamed which has resulted in me cutting myself more than a few times! I've added in more trim to cover the edges so I dont cut myself with daily maintenance!
Link to outside corner molding you used. My searches reveal something other than your picture.
I went to Lowes, and their smallest 'sheet' of glass was perfect for my 55g. needed 4 pieces, and did this on both ends. also got drawer handles/knobs from there, as well as the molding. everything was $24 total, they cut the glass for me, and it was easy. :) I also painted the molding pieces Black, so it's virtually invisible and looks great in my Living room "show" tank.
Awesome DIY project Steve. Looks like this is going to save you a good amount of time in your fish room.
+inventoryking yes and solves a huge annoyance
I superglue a coke bottle cap to the glass for a handle👍
Thanks! Great idea
That's a great idea for a lid. If you buy this glass at home depot or lowes, they will cut it to size at no extra charge.
I like this because it's not shabby, janky or ghetto. I want to suggest something a little different though, although this is the best idea I've come across yet. And if your goal is purely economical, this might not be the thing for you. But if you want something a little better, maybe a bit more money, maybe not, there is another way of doing this. I used to build reptile cages professionally, so I've built lots of things like this. If your situating your tanks short side of the tank facing out, like in this video, as opposed to long side out as you would do with one tank in your living room, there is a little better way to do this...maybe...I'd have to use them both, but hear me out. You can use either that thinner glass as above (the problem with that is it is so thin the edges can't be "sealed" or smoothed over) but my preference would be 1/4" thick as it is more substantial, can be "sealed" and getting daily use, the heavier glass might be better. At least the front piece that is moving when sliding open. It sure is a better feel. Or you can use the polycarbonate material as seen in other videos, and if you can somehow seal the ends of that stuff (and I've got an idea for that), it traps air and thus has an insulative property, keeping your heat in much more effectively, thereby saving your heaters is using them. Anyway, you use the same dimensions as in this video, except the back piece is attached to the TOP of the plastic rim...maybe permanently, maybe not (using some L channel around the 3 sides would keep it in place nicely, or you could glue it on which would be permanent). You use the same dimension front piece that goes in the lip where the lid is meant to go. This way, the front piece, the one with the handle you use every time you get in the tank, it slides UNDER the top piece, which I think is better because in this scenario the front piece is on top and there really is nothing to hold it down or give it any guidance. Kinda flimsy. Does this make any sense? What do you all think?
I have old picture frames that I got at good will that I have been using ....the channels are perfect solution. Thank you
Wow this is so creative great idea for my fish tanks I'm new still learning
Thank you so much for the idea! It worked beautifully!! But I have a problem with the glass of the hood getting foggy and the light doesn’t pass through as well. Is there any tips to prevent the glass from getting foggy???
This is really innovative and affordable. 🎉
you could cut up old tanks that leak, and make your own lids. ive never done it, but lids are so expensive. i find glass from resale shops, glass that would be used on furnitire shelving, so its kind of thick, and use that, and regular wood i fond in the garbage. i can set those dome shop lights right on the glass, and its ok. Nothing breaks, or cracks.
or just reseal the leaky tanks!
some of it may be tempered glass, FYI.
Cracked my first glass top years ago by putting a shoplight on it.
Thank you Steve. Telling sizes sure matters.
Lowes here cuts glass. So I'm going to have to try this! Thanks for sharing.
+Tropical Fish Success they wouldn't do it for me here. Hopefully yours will
For the handle, you can buy a pack of adhesive wall hooks (at almost any dollar store). And if the adhesive isn’t strong enough, there’s always superglue.
What do you do about the tubing for the filters? Leave a small gap? And what kind of lights would you use? Seems like Shorter LED lights would not be bright enough with just one and if there were two… the light would be in the way of the sliding door. Can someone tell me how to manage these two things before I do this project? I like this lid idea but can’t seem to figure out those issues.
How do you run your air line tubing and heater cord, with this setup. love the video
Cut holes? He's already telling you to cut glass, so just cut a little bit a the back...
outside corner moulding in the link is no longer available at home depot, can you recommend anything else?
www.homedepot.com/p/852-1-2-in-x-3-4-in-x-8-ft-PVC-Composite-White-Outside-Corner-Moulding-0085208011/100540903
This worked for me. hope it helped in time
So easy and inexpensive. Ty
ace hardware will custom cut glass and plexiglass for you!
Kitty Mae Sweet! Thanks for letting us know
Lowe’s will too, they just have a limit on how thick of plexi they will cut.
Thank you
Great informative video, My bug bear is cleaning the glass. removing the four glass pains then struggling to get them back in the guid runners. I find lemon and distilled water mix is best.
1. Do I have to use an Aqueon tank?
2. Thinking about laying the tank on its side and creating a vivarium for a petsnake. Do u think this'll work for that? Is the door too loose?
You can make the handles with plexiglass and superglue. Works great. I stuck them on with plastic epoxy glue.
+mvecellio1 great tip, thanks!
2:17 - It is beautiful !
great idea. Regards from Poland:) Krakow
This was super helpful. Thanks a lot!
Excellent. What I need for 60 gal
is 3/32 inch glass thickness thick enough to hold the stationary piece at the bottom?
I'm always terrified the aqueon lid is going to fall into my tank or I'm going to lose my grip and it will fall and crack. These look so much more stable.
Is my inner lid is 28.6 inches. How long should I cut my glass to with that mould on? 28inch? Could you check the width of that plastic?
I'm just discovered your video,...Nice concept, thank you for uploaded
If you have an aquarium lid does that mean you have to have an air stone to ensure gas exchange or would the fish be fine without? Also if I want the front piece to slide underneath instead of over (bc I want to lay lights right on back piece) I can just flip the mounding right?
This was so super cool to watch steve and as always you made it look so super easy to do .... excellent video 🤗
+PsychedelicBabe thanks PB!
Hi questions am going to do this to my 10 gallon but like ur other ones facing us so how much glass do I cut so it has room to slide back or just cut the one I slide alittle bigger this is my problem not sure where to cut but understand everything else TY
Would you be able to turn it on its side to make it kind of like a terrarium for reptiles?
MyLittleImperfection that is what I'm trying to find out. it looks like it should work...
Guys I have no idea. Never kept reptiles.
MyLittleImperfection Get a mesh screen lid for reptiles. Zoo med has many.
then how would you let the filter water get in if its completely sealed off....
he leaves the rear glass slid forward for space
awesome fix to the problem.... I will be doing this in my fish room too for the fry tanks
How about hang on filter hob on the back... adjustments needed necessary
Thanks for the tip, i was able to source and make 4 of these today! I appreciate it
Is the glass tempered glass?
Yeah one small mistake there's thousands of pieces of glass. How does this work with hob filters and airlines?
If i dont have trim on aquarium can i silicon outside molding on it?
Is the moving glass layer secured on there or could something push out if it wanted?
+Lady Weirdo it’s not secured so I guess a strong fish could push it. But this is a 10g so nothing too big would be in there anyway
where do you put your hanging filter? I would love to do this for my 55 gallon tank that i have 2 filters on.
This could be done to the Aquion lids you already have to make them sliding instead of hinging.
What is this trim called? I am struggling to find it
Is top glass secure enough? I mean not to fall out
Could you do plexiglass instead?
We don't have top sliding rails in India can you help me to get one am so eager to get one my tank size is 36 inches X 15 inches
I have no idea if anyone can help me with this but I have a 36 gal bowfront tank I ordered a glass lid for only to realize that there is no lip on the top of the tank, it's just the glass... So there's nothing for the lid to set into. Is there a way to make a rim for it so I can use the lid I bought?
Trying to figure out how to make something like this for a corner bow tank. Has that weird shape up top.
Miyoshi Hemingway make a template of the shape with a piece of cardboard. And use that as a guide for your glass cutter.
Miyoshi Hemingway Meee toooo! What did you end up doing???
How much weight does it hold?
3m Command Hooks make great handles. They come in white or black plastic. Plus you can find them locally so no ordering needed :)
+Chad Davis now that's a great tip. Thanks buddy
Urgent question! I'm putting a 75 gallon in my new house soon, has a stand and I found a great video on building a 100% custom remote controlled light bar, but glass lids are SO expensive for bigger tanks. Any advice on making a heavy lid like that first one you showed us? It needs to withstand dojo loaches which can grow up to 10 inches and are notorious for being strong jumpers. Thanks!
Lids for a 75 aren’t that expensive. I would shop around. Drs foster smith is usually my go to. It’s worth investing in.
great idea...it also looks nice.
Where do you get the black rim on the top? I dont have a rim, the aquarium is glass only.
How could I make this snake safe? My corny is an absolute escape artist, would it be best to super/ hot glue the plastic to the top? What lock would be best for this?
Never kept snakes so I can’t really speak to how to modify this. I would think maybe they make enclosures specifically for snakes though.
I would not use this for a snake, they need ventilation. Make or buy a screen top for your corn.
J. D. Thanks for the answer!! Will do!
Thank you I am going to try this !
Love the design, except for the part about needing some open space for heater cords and filter tubing.
could you use the glass from photoframes instead of buying sheets from a hardware store? :)
How would you recommend to modify the design to make the lid air permeable, like with screen or Plexiglas and holes (for plants/animals)?
Window screen material.
What is the bottom piece that you used on the bottom of this
Thanks for the idea. I was looking for something like that.
+Tobias Phillips 👍🏻
Plz tell mi how to make brace support and which material is use for it
Just about all versa tops these days are always off a little and what they want for them is also a huge rip off in my opinion. Appreciate you sharing. Thank You
Can I keep two breeding group together in the same tank with a divider not much room in my apartment
but your aquarium needs to have inner frame to be sit on right?
I can’t find that track thing, been looking online and don’t know what it’s called. Anyone else on here have luck finding one?
Plz make video on how make brace support
If you would put a filter where would it go
At the back, just leave room enough for an airline, or cut a little hole.. If you are doing a multiple tank setup like this, you are likely running a bunch of sponge filters and heating the room rather than individual tanks, so it presents little obstacle. You could also have a hang on back filter and a heater cord coming out instead at the short end. If you want them to hang off the long end, then you are better off sticking with the versa-top style.
Can I use acrylic instead
I'm confused about the "stationary piece". how are you reaching in, with that there? ya didn't touch on that at the end or at all.
+Ron Riggs I just reach in in front of it. Worst case I remove it if I need to get to the back, which is almost never
doesn't it run from front to back? the stationary piece
It covers the back third of the bank
oh okay. I get it now
Thanks for the idea. Have you ever think of paint it to black color or to use black duck tape to cover the white edges?
No but Simply Betta just did that if you want to check out her video.
They don't look too bad when you paint them either but just the top of the paint scrapes off from the glass sliding back-and-forth
What is that black frame like thing around the top edges of the aquarium called?
It’s called the frame
That's a good idea bro lol I had this problem for my QT tanks so I moved them but with this I may move it back
How would I attach my clip on plant light?
Im struggling to find that plastic molding in the uk
3:25 That's what she said!
Wow great info! Thank you.
But where would you put the lights on that canopy?
AZI3623 literally right on top.
where do the wires go?
you could move the back panel a cm or two forward and that will create sufficient room.
Cut notches in the plastic
@@wesleysavage444 what plastic? I thought he used glass .
@@frandegroat7943 the clear white plastic piece in the back that slips onto the class
Anyone try using Lexan ? Seems like it would be lighter, easier to work with? Just a thought? Not sure how well it would hold up to the heat of a 6500k LED light an inch above it though? Hmm i may give the Lexan a whirl.
Thanks for sharing, handy solution here with those plastic tracks for the sides on top of aquariums with the ridges.
polycarbonate is awesome for such things, easily takes 100°C, and is virtually unbreakable*. but more expensive than glass, and more time consuming, and IMHO harder to work with as well. glass you score, snap, and quickly break the edges with sand paper - PC must be sawn, the edges need more finishing work to look neat, and it scratches MUCH more easily.
( *= i shot a 3mm macrolon sheet with a longbow, and a pointy "bullet" tip only left dings in it. one arrow broke. that stuff would make formidable light body armour )
it was hard to break the glass since its only half an inch, I just built my lid two mins ago, cut my finger, the edges look like the pizza crust no one eats, (unevenly broken) and have a corner broke off so that's gonna be where I feed the fish, don't need to handle no more. it was a helpful video, I m just bad at cutting and breaking glasses
Smart. Thanks for the video
if there is a water filter hanging , then?
can i implement this way for tank gex glassterior
Thank you nice lid..going to try this...
I found the bottom section of the corner molding too be too thin for certain thicknesses of glass, other than that this is a great concept
and where to i put the filter?
Is the fish going to have enough oxygen with a lid almost cover the whole tank like that???
Yes
you could just put a glob of silicone on the lids for handles