# Plastic wrap lid....



## shannonpwns (Jul 15, 2013)

Ive been using a plastic wrap lid on my spawning tank since 2 days ago, and I'm already fed up with it...what a pain in the butt! I'm about to just go out and buy a glass lid! I'm trying to hold out, since its "free", but I think this will be more hassle than its worth once I have fry to care for every day! I had to tape it on just to get it to stay. And heaven forbid i need to Get into the tank for any reason....

Anyone have any tips to make my life easier? What if I wrapped plastic wrap around some craft mesh? would that deter the light from getting in for the live plants? Or would it just be easier to pay $12 for a glass lid?


----------



## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

I heard someone recently talk about getting a photo frame from the dollarstore and some office clips to clamp it on.


----------



## shannonpwns (Jul 15, 2013)

Oh that's a good idea..I can go look there too, maybe they'll have one, or two that can be combined, to cover a ten gallon.


----------



## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

I prefer my cling-film lid to my glass lid. I don't have to totally remove it for feeding and maintenance. Wetting the edge of the tank is all it needs to stay on. And you can't beat the price.


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Haha all 13 of my tanks are covered in cling film and it does my head in on a daily basis. 

Honestly, I would just go with a glass lid, particularly if you are going to have to be doing regular water changes and taking it on and off all the time.

I speak from experience when I say if there was one thing that would drive me to a homicidal rage, it would be cling film on fish tanks.


----------



## shannonpwns (Jul 15, 2013)

I'm really leaning towards a glass lid. I have no patience for much anymore....thanks to my almost 2 yr old wearing me so thin. Haha. I'm still giving the cling wrap a try for a few more days...although I did find myself getting my kid dressed and walking out the front door and thinking to myself "where the heck are you even going?!!?"...I was subconsciously going to buy a lid for the tank. Or I'm losing my mind hahaha.


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

See it's already begun. 

I think I have invented several new expletives since I started using glad wrap on my tanks. The best is when I somehow manage to get all four sides covered on the first try and then as I am smoothing it down against the glass, a corner falls in and I have to start again.


----------



## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

It drove me up a freakin wall, so I gave up on it. 

It may work if you get some craft mesh and put the plastic wrap on top of the meah and tape it down. That way you just remove the mesh when needed and wont have to mess with the plastic wrap.


----------



## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

I used to recommend a cover (even cling-film) to keep warm moist air in the tank for them to breath. Matt says it's not necessary, that the 1/8 inch of air right over the surface is warm enough. I still use a cover. Cuts down on evaporation.


----------



## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

> Cuts down on evaporation.


Thats why I used it, I would loose like 2-3 inches of water out of a 10G in like 5 days :evil: and I don't live in a desert or dry enviroment either. 
One of these days I am going to buy them all proper lids.


----------



## peachii (Jan 6, 2013)

Would craft mesh with the center cut out but leaving a 2 inch border to sit on the tank edges then wrap the cling wrap around it and tape it on, be easier than just trying to attach it to the tank itself every time you need to get in?

3 of my 5 gallons currently don't have lids on them and watching the inch to 2 inch evaporation daily going away is going to make me put something on top of it. 

I like the idea of picture frames but that glass is so thin and I am so clumsy but I do have some of the cheap Poster covers with the plastic sides that slide on and off and the thin layer of plastic to protect the posters that we aren't using. I've been thinking about cutting the big one into 3 parts to cover the tops of the tanks... actually I'm going to do that now since I don't have any cling wrap in the house


----------



## rickey (Jul 7, 2013)

Plexiglass is the way to go

rick


----------



## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

I've done all three of these.  

I started with plastic wrap and dealt with that for several months...then was over it. I was clipping it on three sides with clothes pins and leaving the fourth edge just pressed down to the tank sides with water like Halyx mentioned. 

Then I tried picture frame glass...yes, it's cheap. But it's also very easy to break, and after I *sat on one* (fortunately there was a towel over top of it and I did not require an emergency room trip to remove glass from my butt...)  and broke it, that was it for me there as well. 

My favorite thus far is plexi. It gives you the nice see-through top and allows for really easy plant lighting, I like the aesthetic value of it over traditional hoods (which I'm not a fan of), and it doesn't break. I've used both poster plexi that I had lying around, and I've purchased large plexi sheets and cut them myself as well. I ended up doing the sheets because per inch, it was cheaper for me to get the sheets and cut them for all six of the tanks than it was to purchase individual poster frames because of the measurements of the tanks. It's all plexi though, no matter where it comes from it'll work.  

Plexi does tend to bow some though, so I flip it over at feeding times to keep it relatively flat/straight.  

It's worth the plexi or glass. Glass isn't bad, especially in the short run. If you're going for permanent though, I'd do the plexi.


----------

