Crested tank: keeping a lid on it...

[silent_truth]

Well, not a "breakthrough" achievement by any means, but just wanted to share my design for making and fastening a lid to a vertically oriented tank that works great for one of my cresteds and I'm sure would work well for other species too.

Here's what it looks like from the front. A simple frame that is covered on the backside with metal screening.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/adam2383/Pets/98216428.jpg

Here's what the "locking mechanism" looks like. I siliconed two pieces of wood, one on each side of the tank, to anchor the hooks, which latch into the eye holes attached to the frame.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/adam2383/Pets/P1010010.jpg


No more buying manufactured petstore screens for tanks that sit vertically due to a lack of a locking mechanism. Works great thus far.


Thanks and Happy Holidays!


-Adam

[geckoguy157]

im not sure how you connected the joints this is not criticism in any way just advice, if youare connecting end grain which is the end of you 2 longest peices if you glued them the end grain absorbs the glue which would make it a weak joint i dont know if you know that but if you did no biggie just wanted to make sure it dont come apart


merry xmas very good idea with the latches

[Bartman]

If that is a glass tank you're using, you could buy the lid making material from home depot and make a nice lid.

I think ill make a more informative post but ive learned how to make some professional looking lids by using screen door material, so the metal border, the screen, the plastic corners, etc.

Then all you need are the twist white things that make it lock and I havnt found where to get those other then where I work, but they arent for sale.

[silent_truth]

geckoguy: nope, not glued, they are screwed together and then staple gunned to reinforce the joints, so no worries about them coming apart. However, I'm definitely an amateur when it comes to constructing things and I seem to lack patience when building, but I did my best with what I had.

Bartman: yep, I know the lid is not a professional look, but it wasn't intended to be. This design works great if housing multiple animals in numerous glass tanks that are vertically oriented. Of course, if one desires a more professional look, it can be altered to incorporate thinner pieces of wood framing, and a more discreet locking mechanism.

To each his own, but just wanted to share this as an economical alternative to using store-bought lids on vertical tanks. I find building lids for horizontally oriented tanks a lot easier, but this was fun none the less.


-Adam

[geckoguy157]

yup it looks good and if its screwed together im sure its gonna be realy stirdy so are you finding those woodpeices stay good on the glass in my experiances ive found the moisture always makes the glue start to seperate

bartman- are you talkign about the screen frames you find on wondows? if you are have you found the plastic tubeing you press in to secure the scren when ever anything bumps it knocks it out, ive always hated that on this screen lid i got from petsmart it wasnt that great it was on one of the slideing lids.

[dirtyKDX]

No offense or anything...but why not go the route of a premade screen and some tank latches? If you set the tank on a couple of foot wide 2x4's you don't have a clearance problem with the lid lip being under the tank. All in said and done the screen and clips are about $12 which to me is worth it for the enhanced visibility into the tank.

That's the setup I've been using for a while now and I've yet to have a problem with it, it secures tight and its still easy to take off while I have a crestie in hand.

But I'll give ya props for ingenuity...it gets the job done.

[peterm15]

i fabbed my own lid and clips...i used little pieces of alumimum and window screen materal. but then again not everyone has a glass and alumimum shop in there garage...lol... but i found the clips that are on my store bougt screen lid at big all's aquariums.... ( sorry if im not suppesed to do that) but ya.... i dont know how much they were... but for thoes of you who can fab your own... just use washers and rivits on the one side and when i figure out a way to latch it ill let you know...

but otherwise good job on the lid man...... but ill give one suggestion.... if you have a drill and a bit use some dowel to sucure it instead of screws.... screws will give you a hard time cause youll split the wood....

http://www.dixieline.com/woodjoint/woodjoints.htm

this is a good site on making wood joints... the one im thinking of croses the dowel and biscut... its more like the biscut joint but all you need is a drill.... the biscuts are little plastic dowels that you can get at any hardware store... all you do is insert and glue... no splits and its very strong...

for someone who doesnt do wood working you have good inginuity.... keep up the good work and make your orginal design better and better and better... good one...

pete

[peterm15]

dirtyKDX... where do you get the screen lids for 12 bucks.... i havent found any cheaper than 20 bucks for any size tank... i buy the tank for less than the lids...