# Can I fix this myself? Glass lid



## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

explanation coming....


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

sorry about the icky photo.. but its just to explain the problem.... I got a new 5.5 gallon Marineland tank for My birthday....and on saturday I went and picked up a glass Perfecto marineland lid for it... when I got it home I realised that the lid is about 1mm or a bit more too big across the width.. so as you can see in the pic the lid is sitting on the edge of the tank on one side and wont fit into the lip in the tank...
can I fix that myself? I dont have really limited tools but I do have sandpaper... will that work to take off some of the glass? any other ideas...just some way of removing like 1 mm-2 mm of glass ? 

I can return it I am sure, but will be a pain in the neck cause the tank and lid were bought at different stores so id have to retun it for a credit... and go to the other fish store and get a lid where I bought the tank...and I dont drive lol


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Exactly how wide across is the lid? Some of mine aren't exactly sized the same as the trim they're in so they might fit on your tank if you want to swap.


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

Ill have to measure it ameekplek to be sure of the exact dimensions... is yours the same kind? its annoying though cause its just one mm off , and allllmost fits lol... the tank I got was made in march 2010 so the sticker inside the tank says, the lid is brand new also but it I think it was older cause it was kinda dusty when I got it at the other fish store....so maybe they changed their lid or tank lip just slightly over the years? if theres an easy fix such as sanding it down a bit( I dont know anything about glass and whether or not it will sand down, if its tempered or not etc) Id just do that but I dont wanna scratch it up if it wont sand...
does anyone know if the glass can be sanded? or something easy like that?


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

heres a better pic of the lid


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## Riceburner (Mar 14, 2008)

1mm is very tough to cut by hand. If you however have the inclination...you could try sanding it down with a sharpening stone(the ones used to sharpen knives).


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Are both pieces too long?


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

That is a tough cut with a glass cutter too =D


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

not happening with a glass cutter...you have a better chance sanding/grinding


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

My guess would be that grinding it would probably be your best bet, especially if it's only 1 - 2 mm of extra glass on both pieces.


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## BettaBeats (Jan 14, 2010)

sand it. you have nearly 0% chance of cracking the glass by sanding it, unless of course - YOU DROP IT!!  

do it outside, cover your mouth and nose with a moist cloth or a dust mask, and sand the edge. Careful not to sand the top/bottom or you will have a foggy/opaque edge.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

Have you tried moving the two pieces of glass around in all possible combinations of orientation? They may not be perfectly square on the ends, or exactly the same dimensions, and the top trim on the tank may not be perfectly square either. Try turning the tank front to back, too. You may find a combination that works. If not, it may be easier to modify the trim with a box cutter than to try to shorten the glass.


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

Hmm. Is there any way she could get a different bit of plastic top trim? Then no sanding/grinding would be needed? 

Be careful! A bit of slightly too-vigorous grinding and suddenly you've got glass shards in your hands. OUCH. I agree with whoever said the slow sanding method is best.

W


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## wildexpressions (May 3, 2010)

In the picture that looks like a lot more then 1 mm and well as the others have said that is a tough one. I sand a lot of glass and I use a combination of a table mounted electric woodworkers sander and a table mounted grinding wheel and it is still awful slow going. 

I don't suggest using either of the tools I use. They simply are what I have. I joke all of the time that I love the smell of burning glass.

Really need a wet grinding stone.


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

Thank you everyone for your responses, seems either might be dangerous or just tools I dont have, so I took the trip back to the Menagerie and they were nice enough to let Me return it. The owner said if there was more than 1 mm he could have cut it for Me too  theyre always helpful there! 
Thanks again everyone for your input


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

You could try BAs, or Luckys for a hood that fits. They have a lot of options, I think. Bring your 5.5 gal with you, to be sure, or make a cardboard cutout of the maximum size you can take. It's impossible to tell how good a hood fit is, without the actual tank. 

W


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

Did you find a lid that fits yet?

W


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

Yes finally I did  lol 
now My shrimp cant escape and My cats cant go fishing


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

My cat just loves to watch the 29 gallon "Cat TV", with 3D "Loach-a-Vision".

W


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## qualityshrimpz (Dec 15, 2009)

KhuliLoachFan said:


> My cat just loves to watch the 29 gallon "Cat TV", with 3D "Loach-a-Vision".
> 
> W


ahahaha! priceless!


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## AquaNekoMobile (Feb 26, 2010)

KhuliLoachFan said:


> My cat just loves to watch the 29 gallon "Cat TV", with 3D "Loach-a-Vision".
> 
> W


Just don't hang any cat nip behind the tank or the cat might bolt through it.


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## wildexpressions (May 3, 2010)

A well trained cat would never touch a fish {O_O}


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

Lol heheheh omg too cute!


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## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

Some prefer fish food lol


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## BettaBeats (Jan 14, 2010)

my little chihuahua won't go NEAR the aquarium. lol,
he's very confused by it.


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## zenkeri (Jan 17, 2009)

*cut glass*

Hi guppy lover: I know I'm late but it is possible to cut the glass. From your pics it looks more than a mm more like 1cm. It's still a very tough cut w/ a glass cutter. It depends on how thick the glass is. I recently made three nano tank out of some 12 inch square pieces 4mm thick so thicker then your glass. In order for it to fit properly I Had to cut a cm off the end off three pieces one for each tank. 2 out of 3 times I was successful the other time had some left over bits. The key is to snap the cut after scoring w/ cutter with a couple of pairs of flat pliers. If done carefully you can get a good cut. Sometimes you get some sharp edges I've found sanding w/ a diamond knife honer works better and faster then sand paper and the honer wont wear out but still takes a long time. A dremel tool w/ the right sanding bit will help speed the matter but lots of dust so wear a mask. Where you're using your piece of glass you can always put a bead of silicone on it if it was not a clean cut.

cheers Dave


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