# DIY Plexi glass hinged lid anyone?



## Angel079

You now the glass tops from "All Glass" that are hinged in the center...anyone built one out of Plexi glass with hinges yet for a standard 55g?

I want it tight...but I also want it where I can open it half way; maybe I also wanna built a lil trap door in a corner for food supply line.....so any DIY's ideas are welcome (like what hinges did you use? thickness of the plexi? etc)


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## bearwithfish

ok here is what i have put together for this one..
if you can not get your hands on 1/4" thick plexi then double up the regular stuff and use clear silicon to hold them 
once you have your two pieces get a piano hinge the length of the lid and use nylon nuts and bolts to fasten it on with (keep teh hinge up i.e. out side of the tank)
now if you want to you can cut in any other "doors" you want and follow the same steps the bonus to your tank is it already has the support beam across the tank half way so you may not need to add another one if you do a gull lid.
if however you chose to add a support i would use the same material as the lid and set it inside teh rim of the rank on the lip as to hide it 
since everything is plexi and clear you will not have any major shadows or lighting issues
just a side note from a friend of mine if you have a fish that likes part of the tank shaded you can spray paint the plexi with Krylon as it is safe around and even in aquariums!!! hope this helps....


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## Angel079

Eyyyy I can get just about any plexi size here (just checked but didn't buy any stuff only the stuff for my python). Have a piano hinge here, so that's cool; just don't have nylon nuts & screws (I think gotta check).
Best is to pre-drill the plexi to screw the piano on there ain't it!?

I have the normal center beam going across like you have on any 55g that should be good enough with 1/4-1/2" plexi glass.

I'm gonna tackle that next....I want a new hood again LOL...since I had this one "so long" but this just raising the tanks lid too far up for me being shorty  (Bad DIY planning I know, I know)


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## n1zjd

Can you buy the plexiglass to make the canopy cheaper than you can buy a glass canopy? I 24" glass canopy is $18. Just curious, not trying to turn you away from a DIY project at all. Only reason I asked is because I bought a glass canopy for my 29G tall earlier today online. Sounds to me like you might have a connection to get plexiglass cheap. Its outrageously expensive for me to get any.


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## Angel079

Yea for the small tanks I also had no problem finding one...but for the 55g and a decent price - Nop
And honestly I"m not sure I'd wanna have a piece glass this big on my tanks that I access daily..that much glass&me is asking for troubles


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