Here are 5 easy methods to make a homemade fish tank lid. In this article, we have added the required tools, cost, along with this step-by-step guide.

How to Make a Homemade Fish Tank Lid? You can make a homemade fish tank lid by measuring the aquarium length from one side to another, select suitable material for the lid, use hooks to secure the lid to the fish tank. It costs around $30 to make the aquarium lid at home and it will take around 2 to 3 days to complete.

How to Make a Homemade Fish Tank Lid?

These aquarium lids are available commercially, but it can make easily at your home with some useful household accessories. These cover the top surface of the fish tank and act as a barrier for the light fixtures. 

Purpose of the aquarium lid

The fish tank lid contains many key features and use for different purposes and improves safety, appearance, and tidiness. It is useful to prevent the fish which come out from your aquarium and also protect other objects that fall into the tank cause problems for you.

 It also protects from household pets, which can harm the aquarium fish in the tank. Evaporation of water from the aquarium causes mold in the room. You can control it by placing a lid on top of the water tank.

Make a Homemade Glass Aquarium Lid

These glass lids are long-lasting and useful for your aquarium. It fits tightly to the container and prevents evaporation. These glass covers are cost-effective and make easily at a low price than commercial lids.

These types of glass lids are less costly and prepare at home easily. The cost, usually around $15 to $25, and you do not require specific tools. The material available for this is also cheap and easily find. Both acrylic and glass aquariums look awesome.

 Here are the following steps for the construction of the glass lid:

Process of aquarium glass lid construction

Measure the size of your fish tank:

First, you need to measure the aquarium length from one side of the corner to the other side of the edges. You can do this and decide the length and size of the lid with ease and quickly.

You leave a little space around about 3 inches on the backside, and this gap has a benefit for you to put the food into the aquarium without sliding the lid.

Require a piece of glass cut according to the dimension

You go to some glass shop to find out the glass according to your need. It is also available at the local hardware store or some specialized glass shops.

It is available at a low price; the price is just as the size of the glass. Usually, the glass price is around $20. If you buy the glass sheet of size 27×7, the price is around $10 to $20.

Hooks require sliding and lifting the glass lid

You buy a type of glass lid hooks that stick tightly and blend into the glass lid. You fasten the latches to lift the glass lid by these hooks, which serve as a handle.

Pros and cons of glass lid:

• Their maintenance and cleanliness are easy. You can use a towel to clean the glass cover easily. 
• Their care must need for this type of aquarium lid because it is delicate and breaks easily due to your negligence.
• The chance of sagging and discoloration is low.

Make Polycarbonate fish tank lid

Polycarbonate aquarium lid is the greenhouse sliding lids require when you want a large-size tank and need multiple cutouts for your tank. If you need to make a 40-gallon large aquarium, then use a polycarbonate material to make it.

Polycarbonate lid preferable as compare to the glass lid as these are less practical for the larger fish container. While this type of cover is more suitable for the large aquarium, durability high, and the material uses for it is ideal. This will also stop the shrimp from jumping out of the tank.

Its stuff is hard, tough to bend because of air pockets presence in the polycarbonate sheet. These contain the capacity for heat resistance and transparent to look through.

These polycarbonate sheets are available at home depot, where you can buy them easily. You can prepare a fish lid with a polycarbonate sheet under the $5 range.

These are preparing step by step manner that is following:

First, you need to buy a polycarbonate sheet from a shop, these are less costly and suitable than the glass, and then measure the distance of length and width.

You always want to check it first to make sure that it is going to fit perfectly. You do all the cuts uniform and cut it with the help of a saw, or the blade with fine teeth helps to cut the plywood according to the size of the top aquarium edges.

You can measure the length of the corner and trim the sheet accordingly. For the aquarium of size 33×5, you require the polycarbonate of the 3×6 sized sheets.

After this, you use the type of saw-like handled hacksaw to make space for the incoming water line and the filter. You put the handle at the front side for lifting and sliding the tank lid with a hook.

Hooks are available commercially that are helpful for your aquarium lid, such as clear command hooks. These hooks are also useful for lifting off the fish tank cover from the tank to maintain cleanliness.

Benefits of aquarium polycarbonate lid

It is a good source of light penetration, and the cracks or smashes do not appear by accident when it is fell down or bump.

These sheets are particular designs for greenhouses, so you can imagine that much of the light passes through them. These sheets allow the precise amount of light to enter the tank for plant growth.

Homemade Plexiglass (Acrylic) fish tank lid

The following steps are involved in making the plastic lid for the aquarium:

First, you measure the rim of your fish tank use a ruler or a tape measure. You can measure the outer side of the aquarium that the lid fits tightly at all sides.

You buy the acrylic sheet and require a permanent marker for the draw of an outline tank edges. Put the protective cover on the acrylic sheet when you complete your work, then remove the cover from it.

If you do not have the film, then use masking tape and draw the lines on the tape strips to cover the area where you do the marker line.

The next step is to cut that area where you mark the lines. You can use a saw-like jigsaw with the plastic-cutting blade contains the fine teeth to do the cuts alongside the marked lines. You keep precaution while cutting the acrylic sheet always uses eye protection during your work.

You can smooth the sides of the edge of acrylic gently with grit sandpaper in the medium portion that smooth the edges. During this process, protect your eyes. Then put the cover on the tank, and you assure that it is appropriate in size.

You mark the inside edges of your fish tank lid, but the cover remains on the top of the aquarium. It helps to determine the location, size, and other accessories necessary to pass through the lid.

It includes filters, light tubes, pumps, tank filters, and electric heaters cords. You also sand the rim of new spaces to make them smooth. Make the acrylic dowels with the saw that fits easily inside the marked lines. This dowel protects the lid from sliding off from the tank and makes it stable on the fish tank.

You need to turn over the lid upside down and join the lid to the acrylic rod with the silicone. You make sure that the aquarium hood is in place for this use the hooks that hold them in the position and allow its thorough drying.

After fixing it at its point, overturn the lid, and assure that the acrylic rods tightly fit at a point inside the tank. If any adjustment is required, then you do it.

In the last step, you confirm that the lid attaches completely to the aquarium, and remove the protective film and place the cover over the tank.

DIY Plywood aquarium lid covers

Plywood lid use covers the top surface of the aquarium attaches to the backside, and you can open and close it during fish feeding. The dimension measurement is the necessary step, and it does not fit according to its size if the size mot manage.

You cut the plywood according to the size and measurements of the dimension. Make the lid with plywood and attach the hinges with suitable designs that help open and close the aquarium lid. It protects your fish tank from the sunlight.

When you complete the cover making process, then attach the lights at the bottom of the top, whose direction is toward the inside of the aquarium.