DAHansen
Member
After a couple of jumpers in the past month or so, I decided that I would be safer - well, the fish would be safer - if I built a fence.
I recently upgraded my lighting to a 150W MH, so I have to run topless as to not boil the inhabitants of my tank.
This is Fish Fence MKI. (Yes, it's different colors, but I'm very short on time, and they didn't have black aluminum OR white corners...)
Supplies:
1 - Roll of Fiberglass bug screen (for screen doors/windows)
1 - Package of appropriately-sized spline (you should be able to test-fit in the store)
1 - Aluminum Window Frame stock (8' section of extruded aluminum, it should be near or next to the roll of screen
1 - Package of 4 window screen corners (for a straight square or rectangle)
1 - Spline Tool (You can get away without it, but I don't recommend it).
1 - Hack Saw
1 - Razor blade or utility knife
1 - Story Stick (a straight piece of wood longer than the longest dimension of your tank).
1 - Pencil
Instructions:
1. Use the Story Stick* to measure the dimensions your cover needs to be. Assuming your tank - or the fence you are making - is square, you only need to do a left-to-right measurement, and a front-to-back measurement. On my frame-less tank there are small plastic clips that hold up the glass top (if I were using it). I decided to use a story stick rather than a tape measure because it's just plain easier. You use a story stick just like a tape measure, with one major difference - YOU put the lines on it. Wherever the dimension is, just tick a line on the stick.
2. Use the first mark on your story stick to transfer your first measurement to the extruded aluminum fame material. Cut it square using a hacksaw. Cut a second piece the same way. It will help if you can secure the aluminum using clamps or a friend. Be careful not to cut into your hands or the dining room table.
3. Repeat #2 with your second mark.
4. You'll now have four sections of aluminum. Install the window screen corners in the ends of the aluminum. Make sure you have them all the same way up, and that the channel side of the aluminum and the plastic corners are all facing in, and have the same side "up". You now have an empty frame.
4b. TEST FIT THE FRAME ON TOP OF THE TANK. (Mine's about .5mm too long one of the sides that matter.)
5. Cut out a section of screen material a few inches wider and longer than the frame you just made.
6. Lay the frame (channel sides up) on a hard surface. Lay the screen over the frame. I like to put it so the curve - caused by being rolled up - of the screen faces down.
7. Grab your roll/bag of spline. Starting an inch or two from a corner, start inserting the spline headed away from the corner with some serious finger pressure. Break out that spline tool and get to splining! You may need a screwdriver or similar for the corners (I don't like to cut the spline more than necessary for no other reason than I'm lazy). When you get near the beginning, cut the spline as close as you can so that it matches up with the starting end - Don't worry if you're a little short, but you shouldn't be long. NOTE: After splining most of the first two sides, you'll want to pull a bit on the screen to make sure it's relatively taut (I didn't do a great job of this myself this evening, but I was trying to get it done quick). Pushing the spline material in will actually pull the screen material even tighter.
8. Use the utility knife to cut off the excess screen. MAKE SURE YOU CUT TO THE OUTSIDE EDGE of the spline material. If you cut to the inside edge, your screen will fall out.
9. Slap that puppy on top of your tank and enjoy evaporative cooling AND fish safety.
Fish Fence MKII
Plexiglass walls or a semi pyramid... Maybe something with aluminum L-Channel and fiberglass screen... We'll see, but I would rather be able to get directly to the water. And I'm not thrilled with how much the moon-lights are reflecting off the screen material. I may cut out a center section of the screen to not block too much of the metal-halide light... but then I run the risk of a fish getting caught on TOP of the screen, and being cooked.
Any thoughts or comments will be greatly appreciated in regards to why this is a bad idea. (Of course, I think it's awesome, because I did it. BUT, I may have missed something glaringly obvious courtesy of The Captain...
)
*The Story Stick Story: I don't know who invented it, but they're darn useful AND accurate. You don't have to remember or write down measurements. You don't have to worry about 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, or 1/64 of an inch OR even millimeters (for you metric folk). They're incredibly useful for taking off measurements of stuff that's reasonably small, and for transferring those to whatever you need to cut to fit. You can also use them over and over if you use pencil and an eraser. They are cheap - I use 1/2" square hardwood dowels from Home Depot/Lowes. They're about a dollar or so. MAKE SURE you get a straight one - hold one end just under your dominant eye, close the other eye, and look at the other end of the stick. It should look straight. If not, grab another. I've found that about 1 in 5 is really straight.
I recently upgraded my lighting to a 150W MH, so I have to run topless as to not boil the inhabitants of my tank.
This is Fish Fence MKI. (Yes, it's different colors, but I'm very short on time, and they didn't have black aluminum OR white corners...)
Supplies:
1 - Roll of Fiberglass bug screen (for screen doors/windows)
1 - Package of appropriately-sized spline (you should be able to test-fit in the store)
1 - Aluminum Window Frame stock (8' section of extruded aluminum, it should be near or next to the roll of screen
1 - Package of 4 window screen corners (for a straight square or rectangle)
1 - Spline Tool (You can get away without it, but I don't recommend it).
1 - Hack Saw
1 - Razor blade or utility knife
1 - Story Stick (a straight piece of wood longer than the longest dimension of your tank).
1 - Pencil
Instructions:
1. Use the Story Stick* to measure the dimensions your cover needs to be. Assuming your tank - or the fence you are making - is square, you only need to do a left-to-right measurement, and a front-to-back measurement. On my frame-less tank there are small plastic clips that hold up the glass top (if I were using it). I decided to use a story stick rather than a tape measure because it's just plain easier. You use a story stick just like a tape measure, with one major difference - YOU put the lines on it. Wherever the dimension is, just tick a line on the stick.
2. Use the first mark on your story stick to transfer your first measurement to the extruded aluminum fame material. Cut it square using a hacksaw. Cut a second piece the same way. It will help if you can secure the aluminum using clamps or a friend. Be careful not to cut into your hands or the dining room table.
3. Repeat #2 with your second mark.
4. You'll now have four sections of aluminum. Install the window screen corners in the ends of the aluminum. Make sure you have them all the same way up, and that the channel side of the aluminum and the plastic corners are all facing in, and have the same side "up". You now have an empty frame.
4b. TEST FIT THE FRAME ON TOP OF THE TANK. (Mine's about .5mm too long one of the sides that matter.)
5. Cut out a section of screen material a few inches wider and longer than the frame you just made.
6. Lay the frame (channel sides up) on a hard surface. Lay the screen over the frame. I like to put it so the curve - caused by being rolled up - of the screen faces down.
7. Grab your roll/bag of spline. Starting an inch or two from a corner, start inserting the spline headed away from the corner with some serious finger pressure. Break out that spline tool and get to splining! You may need a screwdriver or similar for the corners (I don't like to cut the spline more than necessary for no other reason than I'm lazy). When you get near the beginning, cut the spline as close as you can so that it matches up with the starting end - Don't worry if you're a little short, but you shouldn't be long. NOTE: After splining most of the first two sides, you'll want to pull a bit on the screen to make sure it's relatively taut (I didn't do a great job of this myself this evening, but I was trying to get it done quick). Pushing the spline material in will actually pull the screen material even tighter.
8. Use the utility knife to cut off the excess screen. MAKE SURE YOU CUT TO THE OUTSIDE EDGE of the spline material. If you cut to the inside edge, your screen will fall out.
9. Slap that puppy on top of your tank and enjoy evaporative cooling AND fish safety.
Fish Fence MKII
Plexiglass walls or a semi pyramid... Maybe something with aluminum L-Channel and fiberglass screen... We'll see, but I would rather be able to get directly to the water. And I'm not thrilled with how much the moon-lights are reflecting off the screen material. I may cut out a center section of the screen to not block too much of the metal-halide light... but then I run the risk of a fish getting caught on TOP of the screen, and being cooked.
Any thoughts or comments will be greatly appreciated in regards to why this is a bad idea. (Of course, I think it's awesome, because I did it. BUT, I may have missed something glaringly obvious courtesy of The Captain...
)*The Story Stick Story: I don't know who invented it, but they're darn useful AND accurate. You don't have to remember or write down measurements. You don't have to worry about 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, or 1/64 of an inch OR even millimeters (for you metric folk). They're incredibly useful for taking off measurements of stuff that's reasonably small, and for transferring those to whatever you need to cut to fit. You can also use them over and over if you use pencil and an eraser. They are cheap - I use 1/2" square hardwood dowels from Home Depot/Lowes. They're about a dollar or so. MAKE SURE you get a straight one - hold one end just under your dominant eye, close the other eye, and look at the other end of the stick. It should look straight. If not, grab another. I've found that about 1 in 5 is really straight.
Last edited:
