Rebuilding an old abandoned 29g

[wgoldfarb]

Oh, I thought it meant The Dosing, as in El Camino Real, famous thorofare in California.

dang! You two sound so smart! Are you a pair of biochemists?

Lol. I do have a technical background but I'm not a biologist, or chemist, or any combination of those. Just someone who loves researching things a lot, until I know just enough to be dangerous

And then I go and try stuff, and that is how I get myself into trouble!

 

[wgoldfarb]

The new tank just arrived!

I'm afraid, however, that progress over the next few days might be slow. Next I need to go to home Depot or Lowe's to buy some quick materials to make a sliding lid for the tank and I also want to paint the back of the tank black. I need to wait for the weather to be warm enough to do that outside, so it might be a few days before I get to it.

 

[FishHobby99]

It was cold & snowing here, but sure worse in DC.

What will you use for a sliding lid? I made lids for the goldfish & axies
(cold water 40 G longs) from a plastic grid used to cover florescent lights. Got the idea from a poster here who submerges pothos & Lucky Bamboo roots though the grid.

 

[FishHobby99]

 

[wgoldfarb]

What will you use for a sliding lid?

I want a lid mainly to minimize evaporation and help maintain stable temperatures -- particularly in winter when the air tends to be dry and cold! So, I need a lid that encloses the tank. I had a hinged gass lid but the plastic broke when I tried to clean it (somehow it had become brittle). I want to replace it with a sliding lid because the light I have sits right on top of the tank, and it prevented the hinged lid from opening fully. What I want to do is put a length of corner moulding like this one on each side of the tank (along the side edges) and two panes of glass (which Lowe's cuts for free). One glass goes inside the slots on the mouldings, and the other goes on top. Does that make sense? I will try to get it done this week, hopefully it will be clearer one you see it

 

[NannaLou]

I’ve just had a tank delivered with a sliding glass lid, here is a phot from the end, to show the plastic with two channels and the glass (not a very clear photo).

 

[FishHobby99]

Awesome! I have a 2 section hinged lid (each hinged section covers 1/2) on one tank. We replaced the back section with a cuttable material from Lowe‘s to allow allow terrestrial plant roots to drop through.

Must confess I don’t know anything about sliding lids and their advantages, but most be good if you & wgoldfarb use them!

 

[FishHobby99]

I want a lid mainly to minimize evaporation and help maintain stable temperatures -- particularly in winter when the air tends to be dry and cold! So, I need a lid that encloses the tank. I had a hinged gass lid but the plastic broke when I tried to clean it (somehow it had become brittle). I want to replace it with a sliding lid because the light I have sits right on top of the tank, and it prevented the hinged lid from opening fully. What I want to do is put a length of corner moulding like this one on each side of the tank (along the side edges) and two panes of glass (which Lowe's cuts for free). One glass goes inside the slots on the mouldings, and the other goes on top. Does that make sense? I will try to get it done this week, hopefully it will be clearer one you see it

I completely understand about temp & evaporation control. My grids are on cold water tanks & I needed to drop terrestrial plant roots through. They uptake nitrates. & the plants look cool!

 

[wgoldfarb]

Must confess I don’t know anything about sliding lids and their advantages,

The only reason I want a sliding lid is that the light, which sits on top of the tank, prevents the hinged lid from opening fully. For water changes I had to remove the lamp so I could open the lid all the way. Not a huge deal, but the sliding lid will avoid that.

 

[FishHobby99]

Yep, I have to slide the light strip back every time I open the glass hinged lid. Not sure how, but sometimes it flips over & I stand there scathing my head when I slide it back & the tank’s dark. Problem is

 

[FishHobby99]

Yep, I have to slide the light strip back every time I open the glass hinged lid. Not sure how, but sometimes it flips over & I stand there scathing my head when I slide it back & the tank’s dark. Problem is the tank is high up & I’m short, really should use a step stool.

 

[wgoldfarb]

Yes, fiddling with lights to do a water change isn't a huge deal, but NOT having to fiddle with the lights at every water change would be awesome

Maybe my diy glass lid will inspire you to do the same!

 

[FishHobby99]

Maybe! On another tank. I needed to cut the material on this one to accommodate the plants. Even on a step ladder, I couldn’t get up high enough to take a full photo using this ipad.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Lol. I do have a technical background but I'm not a biologist, or chemist, or any combination of those. Just someone who loves researching things a lot, until I know just enough to be dangerous

And then I go and try stuff, and that is how I get myself into trouble!

Ha! Same here, except I don't have a technical background. I love trying things out, and it's always a nice surprise when it works as planned. It happens once in a while. Not frequently.

I want a lid mainly to minimize evaporation and help maintain stable temperatures -- particularly in winter when the air tends to be dry and cold! So, I need a lid that encloses the tank. I had a hinged gass lid but the plastic broke when I tried to clean it (somehow it had become brittle). I want to replace it with a sliding lid because the light I have sits right on top of the tank, and it prevented the hinged lid from opening fully. What I want to do is put a length of corner moulding like this one on each side of the tank (along the side edges) and two panes of glass (which Lowe's cuts for free). One glass goes inside the slots on the mouldings, and the other goes on top. Does that make sense? I will try to get it done this week, hopefully it will be clearer one you see it

OK, I think I see what you're planning. Keep putting up the pics as you do it--I like the idea. Will there be a big vertical gap between your two glass panes?

 

[wgoldfarb]

Ha! Same here, except I don't have a technical background. I love trying things out, and it's always a nice surprise when it works as planned. It happens once in a while. Not frequently.


OK, I think I see what you're planning. Keep putting up the pics as you do it--I like the idea. Will there be a big vertical gap between your two glass panes?

I will document thoroughly

There shouldn't be a big gap between the two panes. I'm planning an overlap of around 0.5" where the two panes meet, and the gap between them should be around 1mm (a bit more than 1/32"). I'm trying to find some type of thin weather stripping to see if I can seal the gap but still allow the panes to slide easily.

In the back I will use something like this so I can cut holes for the filter hoses (instead of leaving a big gap all along the back).