# Vivarium top



## beeswaxx (Feb 17, 2005)

What would be the best top/lid to use for a 15gallon glass aquarium?
It needs to let the UV rays through, and also keep humidity high. 
I have a problem with humidity in my house, too much of it, so I have a dehumidifier going in one room. I would need he vivarium not to raise the humidity in the house. I am guessing some sort of plexi-glass?
Thanks!
-Beeswaxx


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## Guest (Feb 18, 2005)

Dont use plexy glass because it will wilt and flies will get out. Go to home depot or any hardware store and get glass cut for the width and length of the aquariums top. Its pretty simple and you can cut a big piece into lots of smaller pieces for other aquariums cheap.


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## beeswaxx (Feb 17, 2005)

What do you mean by "wilt"?
-Beeswaxx


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## kleinhanz (Oct 18, 2004)

> What do you mean by "wilt"?
> -Beeswaxx


I think he meant to say warp, and yes, that is a concern.

Hope that helps!!


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## beeswaxx (Feb 17, 2005)

No plexi-glass.
So, what material should I use that will allow UV rays to get in, but stop fruit flies from getting out?
Thanks
-Beeswaxx


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## Darks!de (Nov 16, 2004)

If you can find solacryl, i would go with that.

Luke


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## Guest (Feb 18, 2005)

My uncle and I we put just glass on top of our aquariums and the frogs and plants do fine.


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## rjmarchisi (Feb 16, 2004)

A glass top is the best you can do, it maintains the humidity and prevents escapees. Most of us on this board have had stories of escapes or near escapes with the warping plexi. It is just not worth the risk in my opinion.

rob


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

UV does not pass very well through window glass. To allow UV, a screen portion under the lights will work, as will Solacryl, Acrylite OP-4, and Plexiglas UV-T. Starphire glass may also work, but I'm not too sure of that.


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## rjmarchisi (Feb 16, 2004)

Do the frogs need the uv or the plants? All of my tanks have glass tops with shop lights over them and there have been no problems with plant growth.

rob


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Neither really "need" (at least not like an iguana needs) UV to do pretty well, however there has been theories that the UV is beneficial to the frogs.
If you read the original post, Beeswax specified that he wanted his lid to allow UV.


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## beeswaxx (Feb 17, 2005)

Thanks guys!
I think I've got it figured out.
A glass top, with a section cut out with screen for the UV.
Sound good?
Thanks so much!
-Beeswaxx


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## Guest (Feb 19, 2005)

Screen blocks uv too. So why not just leave it solid glass?


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## beeswaxx (Feb 17, 2005)

Screen blocks UV?
Doesn't it need some ventilation also?
THanks
-Beeswaxx


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## Guest (Feb 19, 2005)

I always thought screen blocks uv because it blocks part of the light so less gets in but I could be wrong. You do and you don't need ventalation depends on your tank. Vents will let out alot of your humidity also. 

Sorry I could be wrong about screen i will do a little research to see.


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## Guest (Feb 19, 2005)

Ok I was kinda mistaken about the screen thing and uv light. It is only extremely small gauge screen (really small holes) that blocks the uv rays. hope this helps


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## beeswaxx (Feb 17, 2005)

How small of holes will I need to stop any fruit flies from escaping?
Thank you very much hexen, and everybody!
-Beeswaxx


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## Michelle (Sep 13, 2004)

We use window screen, the black fiberglass stuff..... Seems to work fine, I think its big enough to let the UV threw but I cant be 100% on that one...


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

I've tried both the fiberglass and the metal screen, and the metal lets more visible light through (you can see the difference), so I'm guessing it will allow more UV through as well.
Take this link for some info on UV, including percentages of UVA, and UVB that common materials allow to pass.
http://www.anapsid.org/uvtable.html
Though not entirely ff proof, if there is only the strip under you're light fixture for screen, not many will survive long enough (near the heat of the bulb) to get into you're house.


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## Blort (Feb 5, 2005)

Don't know if this is helpful, but this is what I did. 

1. Got a piece of plexiglass for the light portion of the tank cut to size. Right now it is acrylite FF so it doesn't pass much UV, but I'm going to replace it with OP-4 which should pass almost all the UV once I find somebody who sells less than a whole sheet or some folks who want to split a sheet.

2. Made a frame using window screen frame for the plexiglass to sit on to minimize warping. There is still some warping, but it is minimal and doesn't produce a gap.

3. The front is again window screen frame with regular mesh. I am going to replace it with REI no-see-um mesh once my order arrives.

The whole thing is very snug because I cut the window screen frame 1/8 inch longer than the lip of the aquarium and then filed it by hand little by little to ensure a very tight fit. There is a tiny gap between the front and back panels, but you can barely fit a sheet of paper through it so it is a much smaller of a gap than in the screen.

I like the plexiglas because it is easier to cut, drill, and work with. Not only that, it is practically shatter proof. To get my cord through, I drilled a hole and cut a slot up to the hole from the edge, then I plugged the slot with aquarium tubing.










Cheers,

Marcos


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## beeswaxx (Feb 17, 2005)

Thanks marcos, those pics were very helpful.
I think I will probably just use glass, with half of the top being screen for the UV.
Thanks again everyone!
-Beeswaxx


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## beeswaxx (Feb 17, 2005)

Now that I think about it, the light is going to be on the screen. I am going to use plexi for the rest. That will also be easier for cutting holes for power cords and such.
Thanks
-Beeswaxx


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## Guest (Feb 20, 2005)

If your going with plexi glass.... I wouldn't put any frogs in it till you left it up there (with the light comin on and off and hte tank being kept humid) for a couple weeks.

I tried using plexi glass (3/8ths inch) for a lid... and it warped so much that there was a good inch or two gap around the edges.


-Tad


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## Blort (Feb 5, 2005)

tad604 said:


> If your going with plexi glass.... I wouldn't put any frogs in it till you left it up there (with the light comin on and off and hte tank being kept humid) for a couple weeks.
> 
> I tried using plexi glass (3/8ths inch) for a lid... and it warped so much that there was a good inch or two gap around the edges.
> 
> ...


That's definately a good idea. I used 1/4 thich so it bows more than it warps, but I could see problems with thinner sheets. With the frame on the bottom and the light on top it keeps its shape just fine. I probably wouldn't use anything thinner than 1/4 inch though.

Marcos


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## Guest (Feb 27, 2005)

Anybody try a using a strip of aluminum on the edges of the acrylic to keep it from warping?


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## Blort (Feb 5, 2005)

MoonRacerDave said:


> Anybody try a using a strip of aluminum on the edges of the acrylic to keep it from warping?


That's what I plan on doing when I get my 1/4" OP4 from Paul at FCA. I plan on getting something like the 1/4" channel here:

http://doityourself.com/store/aluminumshapes.htm

I'll post how it goes and maybe some photos.

Marcos


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## bbrock (May 20, 2004)

hexen84 said:


> Ok I was kinda mistaken about the screen thing and uv light. It is only extremely small gauge screen (really small holes) that blocks the uv rays. hope this helps


I actually think you are right. Window screen can block as much as 50% of the light hitting it. It's just a matter of the ratio of surface area of screen material to that of the open space.

A lot of froggers with large collections make their tops out of aluminum window screen frames with heavy plastic instead of screen. It's really cheap and you can easily adjust the amount of ventilation and make hinged portions wherever you want them.


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