sealing a tank top

[bfng3569]

ok,,, so i kicked around the idea of an octo tank in the past....

and am back at again.

i have garned alot of info from here so far, but i was wondering about how people seal there tank top.

specificly, i have an old 55 gallon tank, with the plastic lip around it on the inside top, with the 'bar' that goes down the middle to seperate it.

i need lights as well, and i am planning on using one (or two) cannister filters (fx5 or something of a similar size), plus protein skimmer.

i was thinking plexiglass (a med to thin thickness) that could be drillerd for hose's and esaily sealed with silicon.

the protein skimmer would have to hang on the back and would require an opening.

and i was wondering if a stainless steel mesh could be used to make a large sealed opening? Siliconed to the top of the plexiglass?? (almost like a screen window)

(also need some type of access for feeding and stuff)

so any idea on how to do this, specificly how to attach the top very securely to the tank, and what type of lighting system to use with this?

(sorry, i think i explained the best i could what i was thinking, but obviously i am here for ideas and help!)

thanks!

 

[cthulhu77]

Unfortunately, even s.s. leaches out into salt water, so that would be a "no", and the screen meshes available in fiberglass and nylon are somewhat weak for that large of an area.

The easiest solution is to use the industry standard glass top, with the rigid styrene plastic that you can cut out at the rear, this can be sealed with duct(or duck) tape without a lot of hassle. Plastic mesh can then be used to screen off the intakes for your power filter and skimmer.