This is how I finally built a screen top for my 73-gallon bow-front aquarium. The trickiest part being of course the curved front. I did mine in two halves because that is how it would set into the top of my tank that had a support across the center.
Project-Specific Materials Needed:
2 - 48" aluminum framing material (HD, Lowes, Plesants etc)
8 - screen frame corners (at a $1.25 for 4, I bought an extra pack, anticipating screw-ups)
1 - roll of spline material
1 - spline roller (I strongly advise the cheap plastic one. Half the cost and unlikely to cut your mesh by accident)
1 - roll of garden netting screening material (I used black)
1- wooden dowel, slightly smaller than the spline
Other tools needed
Heatgun (know anyone in the military? They use it to polish shoes.)
Dovetail or hacksaw etc.
Strong adhesive/epoxy. I simply used Crazy Glue
Hammer
Flat head screwdriver
Screws
Scrap ply wood (FREE, thanks Lowes)
Marker
Work gloves
Total cost in my area $24.10
$12.50 for framing, spline, and 4 corners in a combo pack
$2.50 for 8 more framing corners
$3.00 for spline roller
$6.00 for garden netting roll. I could probably make 10 more screens out of this but there wasn’t a smaller package)
$.10 wooden dowel
DIY Steps
1) Make a template of the interior perimeter of the top tank lid. In my case, I had the glass top available to trace directly onto plywood. Alternately, you could place you plywood onto the top of your tank and trace the shape of your tank from underneath.
2) Draw a perimeter to account for the aluminum framing.
- I drew mine exactly 1/16th in front the glass’s outline. If I had drawn form the outside of the whole tank, I would have had to account for the lip of the tank as well the frame needs to set into.
- Note: The INSIDE of a curve should be SMALLER than the outside. My inside line did NOT accommodate this and followed the outside curve exactly. It worked out anyway.
3) Space screws about an inch apart along this inner line.
4) Place a dowel in the spline groove of what is to be your curved side. This will prevent the groove from being crushed/buckled.
5) Place one side of your framing material at the top of the arched side, with the spline and groove side in. Place a screw on the outer edge of the framing to hold in place
6) Use the heat gun to heat and slowly bend the framing material to follow the inner line of screws. (I attempted this without the heat gun and the frame buckled in several places. Not pretty, but it would have done the job) Wear gloves, heat guns make metal hot and there is still a lot of pressure you need to apply.
7) Anchor the outer edge along your original line you transferred from your template as you go along bending it.
8 ) Once you get to the end, use a dovetail saw cut off the excess. The screws placed at the end can serve as a guide.
9) Cut aluminum framing to the interior size of each STRAIGHT side of the top of the tank.
10) Add the next side you to the tightest curved end, which should be the outside corner of the tank. Use the heat gun at this “corner” to “finesse” it to the angle you need. You corner will look funky on the outside but you can trim to follow the curve, just ensure the sides are where they need to be and fit snugly into the corner piece.
11) Remove the Dowel and Use epoxy to bond the bowed portion to the straight portion.
12) Click on the next three sides.
13) The final, less sharp corner by the bowed portion is almost a right angle. Use the heat gun to make it perfect but it should be easy. Use epoxy to bond this corner.
14) Remove any outside screws that are bracing down the frame. Pray it doesn’t pop open and test to see if it fits.
15) If you have another half to go, Use the same screw template. The grooved side is still the inside of the curve. BUT if you did it groove UP the first time, do it GOOVE UP the 2nd time. They need to be mirror images, not identical.
16) Lay the screening on the framework and, using the splining tool, press the spline into the groove of the frame, starting at one corner and working around. The splining will keep the screen taunt.
17) Trim the excess screen material off the frame:
1 I cut exactly 1 line of the grid of the mesh top to pass an electrical cord though from the top of my tank. If you are going to do this, I suggest you live a little extra mesh in place to hold onto as you wiggle the power cord though. THEN trim that bit of excess.
Thank you Jim from cleaning up the post. You're right, it's the cutting & pasting that was messing me up.
I'd be happy to answer any questions.
Oh and I recommend to anyone to use 1/4 inch mesh:
I used 1/2 inch black mesh and recently watched a dimondback goby hit it twice, then jump through it. I saved him for the momment, but he died the next day from the stress of it all. I think even a small wrasse could get though if determined enough.
I know it's an old thread but facing the Same problem now. Already lost 10 fish!
I need something which you can take out easily and it won't drip once you do to work with the hands inside the tank.
Is the mesh screen plastic or some other material?
I know it's an old thread but facing the Same problem now. Already lost 10 fish!
I need something which you can take out easily and it won't drip once you do to work with the hands inside the tank.
Is the mesh screen plastic or some other material?
Thanks,
I thought about doing this with fish net. As the plastic mesh we have here in the local art shop has a plastic mesh which is a bit thick and probably won't be held down by spline