Homemade lid

[fizox]

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Just saved myself a couple of bucks by building my own screen lid for my 55 gal tank. My question is I used a standard metal mesh screen for the lid like one you would find on a sliding screen door, will placing a 75 watt basking lamp and a 75 watt infrared night lamp on the screen promote a fire hazard??? Store bought screen lids seem to have an extra coat of something on the screen itself...please give me your thoughs, thanks.

[damzookeeper]

I've used wire mesh for a couple cages and never had any problems but they did not have any coating on at all. I bought it at crappy tire and it was just wire screen. They also have a coated one but it doesn't seem to be wire screen more flimsy and it is actually the stuff I have in my window. If you cut it it doesn't pick you like the real wire mesh does. I hope you didn't get that one, that one would surely cause fire with heat bulbs. But the real wire (silver) mesh that has no coating works great. I still have a cover over a 20 gallon with a 20 watt bulb on it but this was once used with a beardie and had a 75 watt right up to a 100 watt above it during winter months and faired well.
Good luck. Would love to see pics of your cover.

[Siretsap]

I know there are different types. I tried both you are mentionning zookeeper, and that kinda plastic black one, crickets eat through it!!! not funny to realise it when you see a few walking around in your living room. I now buy the metalic one, silver withtout any paint or coating on it. You can still cut the size tou need and they resist to heat (well 100 watts lamps anyhow, not sure about the ceramic ones).

A little trick for those who use rubbermaids or sterilite tubs, you can cut on the cover and simply put some of the metal screen and use silicone to hold it with the plastic, works pretty well up to now on the ones we did.

[fizox]

Thanks for ur input guys!