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RE: RE: Tank Lids An answer and a couple of questions for old timers.
Hi Barry and other old timers.
I like the idea of glass. But it is awful hard to cut the stuff around
heaters air lines etc. I even purchased a special hack saw blade for the
purpose but it cuts so slowly that it is not worth the effort. Plastic is
much easier to work with. Finding one which is cheap and will not bow is not
easy. But I am about to try the styrene to see if it works. I'll let you
folks know when I get to it.
The next problem is the same with glass or plastic. Metal frame tanks do not
have those nice internal lips that most all glass tanks do. So the lid
usually sits on top of the tank. As I recall when I tried glass lids back in
the 1960's the water from condensation and filter splash ran along the lid
and right off on to the floor. I also recall my parents were less than
enthusiastic about this minor side effect. I have engineered a way to hang
the hood into the tank which works but it is extra work. I was wondering if
there is an easier way.
I am sure that someone way back when had found an easy way to solve the
problem and might still use it on their metal frame tanks or just remember
how it was done. I remember in an old book by Dr. Axelrod he suggested you
put feet under the glass so that the condensation would evaporate before it
ran onto the floor. But the filter spray was too much and it ran anyway.
One LFS still carries a one piece plastic hood which hooks on the front and
back of the tank and drops into it. This was obviously for the metal frame
tanks. But they only have 20 gal long size. I need it for smaller tanks. On
my metal frame 55 gal tank some one actually cut off the top of an all glass
55 gal tank and meticulously cut and glued it to the inside of the metal
frame 55 so as to build the correct internal ledge. It is a really neat
touch but way too much effort for several small tanks.
I can solve the problem myself but as one of my employers once said "When
you get the urge to reinvent the wheel - resist it at all cost!"
Best regards,
~RJ~
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-killietalk at aka_org [mailto:owner-killietalk at aka_org]On
Behalf Of Barry Cooper
Sent: Saturday, September 01, 2001 1:02 PM
To: killietalk at aka_org
Subject: Re: RE: Tank Lids An answer and a couple of questions for old
timers.
When I was using clear plastic sheets for tank lids I used to glue a narrow
strip (about 1/2") across the lid near one edge, cut a little shorter that
the span of the tank, so it did not prevent the lid from seating properly. I
used the special solvent/glue sold by the plastics folks for that purpose.
You need to be careful to use it outdoors or in a very well ventilated area.
Anyway, that reduced the tendency to bow. However, in the end, I went back
to glass.
Barry
At 11:41 AM 9/1/01 -0500, you wrote:
>Regarding ceiling tile lids.
>
>This may be way out in "left field," but I have to ask anyway. Would it be
possible to spray the underside of the lids with a polyurathane to seal it
off from moisture? That would prevent the material from absorbing the
moisture that causes warping.
>
>Also, could one attach a non-plastic brace across the top, such as a short
piece of aluminum "L" stock> That would hold the weight of the plastic and
prvent it from bowing.
>
>Just a few ideas.
>---------------
>See http://www.aka.org/AKA/subkillietalk.html to unsubscribe
___________________________________________________
Barry J. Cooper, Prof., Dept. Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University
Current address: 27505 Riggs Hill Rd.
Sweet Home, OR 97386 (bjc3 at cornell_edu)
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