FishManTy Posted January 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 Ok. These are easily the worst @$@#%$'ING GLASS TOPS EVER!!! I just spent 3 hours working on my fish tank, and the pieces of glass slipped out of the plastic thing a dozen times. They are 2 inches too short, and they don't close all the way. The little handles are too small for the thickness of glass, so they just pop off and fly across the room. #$!@! Where the hell can I get some REAL glass tops, measuring about 22.5x16.5 (INCLUDING the plastic backing). I don't want this wavy crap either. Man, Im seriously pissed off. Next question... how the hell do I cut glass? I want to take these old crappy tops and turn them into top for my fry tanks. I got the sanding down pat (Thanks for the tips guys), but now I want to know how to cut it to the size I want. Please and thank you. Ty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted January 13, 2005 Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 Buy a glass cutter, they are only a couple bucks. Its really easy to cut glass. You just score it with the glass cutter and break it on the score. Then sand the edges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishManTy Posted January 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 Rona/Home depot should have them, right? Who has GOOD glass tops at a reasonable price? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted January 13, 2005 Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 Yeah, home depot type stores will have them. It looks like a pencil with a cutting wheel at the end. Its really easy to make glass tops. I got a couple glass tops from J-roc that i cut down to make a bunch of smaller ones for my tanks. Took a couple minutes and i had 3 new tops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishManTy Posted January 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 Good stuff. Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. I want to get some nice fitting tops for the 90gallon, so Im hoping to just buy some... made of flat glass. Old tops=fry tanks. Gonna be fun cutting those down without cutting myself!!! hehe Thanks again TY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted January 13, 2005 Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 Gonna be fun cutting those down without cutting myself Good luck Thankfully i have never cut myself while working with glass. I started doing stained glass in the summer and was sure i would have cut off a finger by now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishManTy Posted January 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 I got more cuts last night then I have... wait. No I worked at a petstore that liked to store cracked aquariums... I enjoyed leaving blood trails from the cracked aquarium to the sink, then to the bandaids... Many... I've cut myself probably... 3 dozen times... I got wonderful luck! hehe thanks. I'll phone around on Friday and find somewhere with good tops. Ty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanked Posted January 13, 2005 Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 I was actually thinking about planting a few crypts and Val's in the new tank with wavy glass tops... do you think that it will restrict the light too much???Ty any type of glass lid will cause light deflection reducing the amount of useable light available to the plants. Many people , myself included with planted tanks remove the glass completely. It makes a big difference. In your case with that type of glass the useable light would be considerably diminished. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted January 13, 2005 Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 Many people , myself included with planted tanks remove the glass completely. If you remove the top wouldn't you increase the chance of water splashing and hitting the bulb causing it to explode? I"ve always been worried about water comming in contact with my bulbs. Are you lights sitting on teh tank or hanging above it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishManTy Posted January 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2005 One is hanging a few inches from the glass (actually attached to my hood), and the other one (36" strip from my 33gallon canopy) is on top of the glass. I plan to go to home depot and get another strip to attach to the underside of the canopy, because jamming that strip under there is proving to be unsafe, as I almost knocked it in last night. Ty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap'n Posted January 14, 2005 Report Share Posted January 14, 2005 Since you already have the runners and just need the glass,I would go to a glass shop (Cascade, etc.) with your old lids, tell them what you don't like about them and have them make you new ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Majestic_Aquariums Posted January 14, 2005 Report Share Posted January 14, 2005 The wavy glass, eh? It can definately be hard to put the black plastic on. Use gloves, I know what you mean, I've cut myself up good in the past as well. Using this glass will still let the light through o.k. for viewing into the tank, but I have always been curious in the past as to how much light it must reduce. I think they use this stuff sometimes to get rid of waste. If you don't want it, have a glass comp. cut new stuff for you, should cost maybe $20.00? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey Posted January 15, 2005 Report Share Posted January 15, 2005 Suggestion - use a hand held light meter / or the one on any camera - you can do a reading to see how much light is lost passing through any translucient material. Set the light/lamp 2-3 feet from the camera, do a meter reading. Place the glass/media in front of the light /lamp and take another reading. The light meter will show the difference. The glass you are refering to is called, I belive, diffuser glass. You may be surprised just how much light this style of glass does absorb. Any good local glass/windshield shop can supply you with glass cut to your dimensions. 3 or 4 mil. thick glass. HTH Smokey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
punman Posted January 15, 2005 Report Share Posted January 15, 2005 I agree with the above. Every time we move we break the glass in a stereo stand or china cabinet or something so off we go to the glass shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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