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Custom Acrylic Tops *Tank Toppers* Limited Runs


smiz

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This is true as far as impact goes, but there are many disadvantages to polycarbonate for this implication. Most of those polycarbs have a special coating that gets applied that about double or triples the cost. Ill go over a few other below :) and who doesnt love a little competition!

 

This is one of the downsides to acrylic. It has a higher water absorption which causes the corners to lift. This can also happen in polycarb as it also absorbs moister just less then acrylic. We bumped up to 3/8" acrylic to help prevent warping but there are many factors that will play into warping.

 

We do not offer polycarbonate for a few reasons:

 

It scratches much easier then acrylic (which already can scratch fairly easy).

It can yellow or become cloudy fairly quickly. In outdoor setting with standard lexan it can happen as quick as a few months.

It can not be lasered, it can only be machined which is not really something we want to have to do.

It can not be flame polished.

It can not be welded together with weld-on or similar products which would limit many of our options we offer.

Cut edges are not translucent they have a tint to them.

 

Now if anyone is an expert out there please feel free to correct me. These were the deciding factors when choosing our material and the machines we use to make tops.

Interesting, thanks! I didn't know all of that.

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This is true as far as impact goes, but there are many disadvantages to polycarbonate for this implication. Most of those polycarbs have a special coating that gets applied that about double or triples the cost. Ill go over a few other below :) and who doesnt love a little competition

 

We do not offer polycarbonate for a few reasons:

 

It scratches much easier then acrylic (which already can scratch fairly easy).

It can yellow or become cloudy fairly quickly. In outdoor setting with standard lexan it can happen as quick as a few months.

It can not be lasered, it can only be machined which is not really something we want to have to do.

It can not be flame polished.

It can not be welded together with weld-on or similar products which would limit many of our options we offer.

Cut edges are not translucent they have a tint to them.

 

Now if anyone is an expert out there please feel free to correct me. These were the deciding factors when choosing our material and the machines we use to make tops.

It does indeed scratches easy, If they use the uv lexan, yellowing is not a problem. You can get a scratch coating but that would double the price i think. Personally i think your routed tops look more beautiful. Those integrated lids (feed doors) are awesome and the fact you can choose colors is also a plus.
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"Each of the two have benefits and drawbacks. Acrylic is shinier and polycarb is stronger. Acrylic is less expensive but easier to crack. Polycarb is more impact resisant but easier to scratch. They are both stronger and lighter than untempered glass; acrylic is 4x to 8x stronger than glass, while polycarb is about 200x stronger."

 

Common Uses for Acrylic Sheet:

  • Fish tanks and aquariums
  • Animal and reptile enclosures
  • Retail product displays
  • Storm window linings (interior layer)
  • Hockey rink glass

Popular Uses for Polycarbonate (Lexan):

  • Race car windows
  • Transparent visors for hockey and football players
  • Window well covers
  • Re-usable drinking bottles
  • Computers: Apple, Inc.’s MacBook, iMac, and Mac mini
  • Machine guarding glass
  • Laminated layers of polycarbonate can be engineered to stop various size bullets

 

Anyway I'll go with smiz's top, they look amazing!

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I'm hoping that's mine? :D

Sure is, its all ready to go. Shipping out Thursday hopefully :) I might just refund you and hang it on my wall though. Ill let you know what I decide

Oo Oo Oo I wanna see a pic so bad.
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"Sure is, its all ready to go. Shipping out Thursday hopefully :) I might just refund you and hang it on my wall though. Ill let you know what I decide" Cold-hearted fish cover man.

  • Like 1
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Hi Everyone,

 

This past year I've been working on my "dream build", which is a custom, rimless, shallow cube, approximately 40 gallons, and 26" X 26" X 16". At first I thought I could get away with not having any kind of lid, and just keep the water level an inch or so from the top.

 

But all fish can be jumpers, and some snails seem to be constantly trying to escape.

 

Then I saw Adam's post here on the forums with the pictures of his tank topper. I thought it looked really nice, but to me the plastic mesh seemed to block the view a bit too much.

 

I had the idea of using small diameter monofilament fishing line to create my own mesh screen, and I approached Adam to see if he would be willing to build me a custom tank topper that was just an acrylic frame with small holes every 3/8" around the inside perimeter that I could use to "weave" my own mesh screen.

 

Well he was, so I did, and if you're looking for a "stealth" tank topper you might want to do the same.

 

There was a bit of trial and error involved, and in hindsight I might do things a bit differently. But the results are impressive and I am very happy with my topper.

 

In case anyone else is considering going this route, here are some tips...

 

It's pretty simple in concept, and there's not right way or wrong way. Take your time, and if something's not working out just back up and start again.

 

You'll need some monofilament fishing line. I used 15 lb. test Trilene, and it's very "stealth". You could go with 8 or 10 lb. test and it would be close to invisible due to the even smaller diameter. You might want to avoid Stren brand (or similar) that fluoresce in UV light. These will draw attention to the resulting mesh which is probably not what you want.

 

The way I did it was to weave all the front-to-back runs first. Run the line through a corner hole and tie it off. Then go across and through the opposite hole, and up and through the adjacent hole to that. Then go across to the starting side and repeat.

 

Once all the front-to-back runs are done, do the same for side-to-side. The result will not really be a "weave", because the runs of one direction will all be above (or below) the other direction. You could certainly try to weave "over / under", but I don't think it's necessary if you keep each run tensioned, and it would add a LOT of time and effort to the job.

 

The way I did mine was to work with roughly 8-foot lengths of fishing line. I would go through a hole and tie it off. Then I would string four runs, making sure to keep an even, taut tension, and then tie it off again completing the four passes.

 

Working with ~8 foot sections of fishing line (instead of trying to do it all with one continuous piece) has advantages and disadvantages:

 

  • It is easier to work with a short piece of line and keep an even tension.
  • If something were to damage or break the mesh you would only have to replace the damaged section.
  • Working with shorter sections of line means a lot more knots. These could be "unsightly".

 

At first I tried to string my topper with one continuous piece of line with only two knots - one at the starting corner and one at the ending corner. But I think I went about it the wrong (more difficult) way.

 

I peeled off ~200 feet of line, tied it to the first corner hole, and then tried to string the rest of the runs. It was impossible to manage so much line and I was constantly getting tangles and knots.

 

Thinking about it now, the smarter approach would be to start at a corner and string all the runs until reaching the finishing corner and then tie that off. Next, work backwards towards the starting point evenly tensioning each run as you go. Finish by tying that off.

 

Whichever way you decide to proceed, I'm confident you'll be happy with the result. Monofilament is so thin and transparent, and it ends up covering such a small percentage of the area that it really is nearly invisible. It will do a great job keeping fish and snails in their place, and give you a clear top-down view into your tank.

 

Hope this helps, and good luck.

 

Dan

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Elizabeth94

Hi, smiz

 

I'm interested in ordering a custom top from you, could you let me know how to get in contact with you directly?

 

Thanks!

Just send him a private message on the forum :)

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Are you familiar with the PiCo aquariums mesh/acrylic covers? I have one, but never liked it because the mesh was lose and the acrylic warped pretty quickly. A year and a half after purchasing, it is so warped that it ruins the aesthetics of the tank. Are you using a thicker acrylic to avoid this problem? Would be interested in one if so.

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Are you familiar with the PiCo aquariums mesh/acrylic covers? I have one, but never liked it because the mesh was lose and the acrylic warped pretty quickly. A year and a half after purchasing, it is so warped that it ruins the aesthetics of the tank. Are you using a thicker acrylic to avoid this problem? Would be interested in one if so.

Hey Gabe,

 

I'm not familiar with the pico tops but we use 3/8" acrylic. We also really stretch out the mesh to try to prevent it from sagging over time..

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Been a very hectic few weeks so I apologize on the slow emails! This was our largest top to date which basically maxed out our current machine. Hoping to get our new laser by the end of summer which will boost the size we can cut for one solid piece!

 

PIC!

26467766092_bd6c6e320e_k.jpgUntitled by Adam Smisloff, on Flickr

  • Like 4
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smiz saved my CUC, not that they deserve it. Very nice! Make sure you give him good measurements of your tank, don't assume they are all same or rely on manufacturers specifications, and measure in several locations in case your tank isn't square (like any JBJ).

 

072_zpswkjvdaom.jpg

068_zpsuodfx9vp.jpg

 

 

Thanks smiz, see you next time!

  • Like 2
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Received today!!!! It's perfect....craftsmanship and quality, customer service, all top notch. Thank you Tank Toppers :flower:.

 

smiz saved my CUC, not that they deserve it. Very nice! Make sure you give him good measurements of your tank, don't assume they are all same or rely on manufacturers specifications, and measure in several locations in case your tank isn't square (like any JBJ).

 

 

Thanks smiz, see you next time!

Looks great guys! Thanks for pics!

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smiz, and anyone else that wants to chime in:

 

After coming home from work yesterday I found my clown dead under the stand. Bummer.

I really wanted to keep the aesthetic of not having a lid. After a year of no losses, I thought it would be ok, but clearly not.

 

My idea would be a bit of a hybrid top for my custom sized glasscages tank - roughly 29 x 16 x 10 deep.

 

Would it be possible to make a lid without the mesh and only have an 2"-3" acrylic "border" around the top? That way I avoid the full mesh, but prevent a majority of jumps? 1) is that possible to have made? 2) am I right that it would prevent a majority of jumpers - deducing that most leaps happen within an inch of two of the tank edge?

 

My tank is not large enough to host some of the most notorious jumpers. I have chromis, and will replace the clown, and a watchman goby.

 

Just an idea to keep benefits of top down viewing and a clean look while offering some level of protection from jumpers. I also have a live rock tower that peaks out of the water that I'd like to maintain. Perhaps this has been tried in the past.

 

dan

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smiz, and anyone else that wants to chime in:

 

After coming home from work yesterday I found my clown dead under the stand. Bummer.

I really wanted to keep the aesthetic of not having a lid. After a year of no losses, I thought it would be ok, but clearly not.

 

My idea would be a bit of a hybrid top for my custom sized glasscages tank - roughly 29 x 16 x 10 deep.

 

Would it be possible to make a lid without the mesh and only have an 2"-3" acrylic "border" around the top? That way I avoid the full mesh, but prevent a majority of jumps? 1) is that possible to have made? 2) am I right that it would prevent a majority of jumpers - deducing that most leaps happen within an inch of two of the tank edge?

 

My tank is not large enough to host some of the most notorious jumpers. I have chromis, and will replace the clown, and a watchman goby.

 

Just an idea to keep benefits of top down viewing and a clean look while offering some level of protection from jumpers. I also have a live rock tower that peaks out of the water that I'd like to maintain. Perhaps this has been tried in the past.

 

dan

Hey Dan,

 

Sorry about the fish loss :(. I think you would be correct in assuming most casualties occur on within the first few inches of the glass. In most cases a fish doesn't actually jump out of the tank like a dolphin or free willy, but instead just hits the glass and follows it up and out.

 

We have done a few tanks that used this same style to prevent fish from escaping, like this one.

IMG_1408.JPG

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Smiz, are there any downsides to having a lid that would use slots in the acrylic for aeration rather than using a mesh. I want to recreate mine without using mesh and rather have a grid cut into the lid. Any issues with lighting at all?

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Smiz, are there any downsides to having a lid that would use slots in the acrylic for aeration rather than using a mesh. I want to recreate mine without using mesh and rather have a grid cut into the lid. Any issues with lighting at all?

I think the biggest factor into not going this route would be the acrylic drastically warping if it had small air holes. It would likely still suck up a ton of moister and start to twist.

 

Smiz - Thanks. I'll pm you.

 

in the example picture, are those cut out slots? Do they have a structural purpose or other purpose?

Those were added to see if it help condensation on the top. but was more of just a cool design aspect.

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Hey Dan,

 

Sorry about the fish loss :(. I think you would be correct in assuming most casualties occur on within the first few inches of the glass. In most cases a fish doesn't actually jump out of the tank like a dolphin or free willy, but instead just hits the glass and follows it up and out.

 

We have done a few tanks that used this same style to prevent fish from escaping, like this one.

IMG_1408.JPG

That looks totally badass even if it is a bit risky.

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That looks totally badass even if it is a bit risky.

I agree!

Now to honor may the fourth I for once actually laser cut something for fun. Not sure what I'm going to do finish wise, but I just ordered some anodized aluminum to do the next ones on :)

 

26737865552_3dd6ecdd88_k.jpgUntitled by Adam Smisloff, on Flickr

  • Like 4
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I agree!

Now to honor may the fourth I for once actually laser cut something for fun. Not sure what I'm going to do finish wise, but I just ordered some anodized aluminum to do the next ones on :)

 

26737865552_3dd6ecdd88_k.jpgUntitled by Adam Smisloff, on Flickr

Nerd, nice laser work though.

  • Haha 1
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