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Aquarium lid thickness

Mark Harringtom

New Member
Joined
29 Aug 2020
Messages
4
Location
Wolverhampton, UK
I’m going to be using an old aquarium with no lid It used to have a hood with light etc (it broke and was removed long ago.) I am thinking of getting a piece of clear acrylic cut or buying a sheet and cutting it to size but unsure of the thickness that would be best, tank is glass and has a plastic rim so it has a frame to rest on. Size around 420mm x 240mm would a 3mm or 4mm thick piece of acrylic be best?
 
Acrylic is a nightmare for lids imo, the heat from lights eventually causes it to warp/sag. Thicker material helps but then you get issues with light being blocked. Another option is to add reinforcing strips.

Glass would be better overall if that's an option.
 
I have an acrylic lid on one of my tanks that I made from 5mm acrylic. It does sag a little in the centre, but I just put an extra clip to support it there, which has stopped it from getting bad. My light sits on top and the plants are doing fine. To be fair I have mainly low-light plants in that tank, but I don't think the light has been blocked enough to harm them.
 
As said 5mm or more or will sag. The ones used at work were 4mm and by the end of the week were bowed badly. and had to be turned over.
 
I'm looking to replace the plastic lid of a similar sized tank, 44 cm x 28cm. How thick a glass should I go for? A nearby framing shop will cut floating glass of thickness 2, 3, 4 and 6 cm.
 
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