I recently bought a big tank for my other fish, and with it came some brackish fish. Most I gave away, but for two special little fishes, I set up my 55 gallon to house them and keep them. One was a snowflake eel who I have named Jetsam (common name amongst eel lovers!)
Anyway, he went from a 125 where he felt secure (no lid) to a 55 gallon which would be bare bottom, with lots of hiding spaces, but needless to say, not his normal living space. Within the first few hours of having him home, I knew I had to get a lid for the tank that would prevent his escape, as I saw him keenly exploring the top rim of the tank, planning his midnight flee!
I promptly ran to the hardware store, and bought some supplies.
1 - Florescent light grid-cover
1 - roll of screening used for screen doors (cheapest they had)
I already had
1 - a hot glue gun (and glue sticks)
1 - silicone
1 - pair wire cutters
1 - pair of scissors
at home, but these were also needed to finish the job!
First, I cut the light cover to the appropriate size so it would fit exactly inside the top lip of the aquarium (leave maybe a few millimeters extra room on each side of the plastic grid, since the silicone and screening will make it a smidge wider than anticipated.) I also cut notches to fit exactly around the mangrove trees and the filter inlet/outflow tubes.
Then, I cut the screening to give extra room on all edges to be secured to the plastic grid. (I did more than 2 inches on all sides, but really 2 inches is all you need on all sides. This was definitely the first I had ever made of all these, so trial-and-error!)
Then, I used the hot glue gun to put dots on the plastic grid, then hold the screening on it until it dried. I recommend doing a straight line of dots across the middle of the grid, then working your way outward, in a spiral type direction.
Once you have it secured in place, use the silicone to secure it in place in other areas not covered by the hot glue (since we all know how reliable hot glue is!) After you give the silicone adequate time to dry, cut the edges off with a pair of scissors flush with the edge of the plastic grid.
Make any appropriate adjustments to the top. If the plastic grid+screen+silicone is too big, grind it down with a small file, or sand paper. I glued the screening to the bottom of the plastic grid, this is the way I do all my animal enclosures, so if the animal pushes on the screen, it can't push it away from the framing material.
Here's the top (pardon the ugly carpet, it was here when I moved in!)
Here's the bottom view.
And, here's the finished product on the tank, with the mangrove trees and filter tubes.
The lights are just right there for the time being until I can mount them from above, to shine down back towards the trees. There will be no light on the tank itself, since my fish like it better dark anyway.
Anyway, he went from a 125 where he felt secure (no lid) to a 55 gallon which would be bare bottom, with lots of hiding spaces, but needless to say, not his normal living space. Within the first few hours of having him home, I knew I had to get a lid for the tank that would prevent his escape, as I saw him keenly exploring the top rim of the tank, planning his midnight flee!
I promptly ran to the hardware store, and bought some supplies.
1 - Florescent light grid-cover
1 - roll of screening used for screen doors (cheapest they had)
I already had
1 - a hot glue gun (and glue sticks)
1 - silicone
1 - pair wire cutters
1 - pair of scissors
at home, but these were also needed to finish the job!
First, I cut the light cover to the appropriate size so it would fit exactly inside the top lip of the aquarium (leave maybe a few millimeters extra room on each side of the plastic grid, since the silicone and screening will make it a smidge wider than anticipated.) I also cut notches to fit exactly around the mangrove trees and the filter inlet/outflow tubes.
Then, I cut the screening to give extra room on all edges to be secured to the plastic grid. (I did more than 2 inches on all sides, but really 2 inches is all you need on all sides. This was definitely the first I had ever made of all these, so trial-and-error!)
Then, I used the hot glue gun to put dots on the plastic grid, then hold the screening on it until it dried. I recommend doing a straight line of dots across the middle of the grid, then working your way outward, in a spiral type direction.
Once you have it secured in place, use the silicone to secure it in place in other areas not covered by the hot glue (since we all know how reliable hot glue is!) After you give the silicone adequate time to dry, cut the edges off with a pair of scissors flush with the edge of the plastic grid.
Make any appropriate adjustments to the top. If the plastic grid+screen+silicone is too big, grind it down with a small file, or sand paper. I glued the screening to the bottom of the plastic grid, this is the way I do all my animal enclosures, so if the animal pushes on the screen, it can't push it away from the framing material.
Here's the top (pardon the ugly carpet, it was here when I moved in!)
Here's the bottom view.
And, here's the finished product on the tank, with the mangrove trees and filter tubes.
The lights are just right there for the time being until I can mount them from above, to shine down back towards the trees. There will be no light on the tank itself, since my fish like it better dark anyway.
