making a lid with poster board?

hey guys so the awesome lid my boyfriend made for me out of perspex is now warping, i think because of the globes heat and is actually starting to come apart. iv reached the conclusion that wood is a better option but was thinking of using poster board as the tank is small and i dont want a heavy bulky lid, hence the use of perspex. so would poster board work? i know it warps over time if exposed to water but if i seal it really well with varnish could it work? it would also allow me to paint the inside white so morre light is reflected into the tank. at the moment everything is carfully balanced on the edges of the tank but my lights could end up in the water any day so its kinda urgent i get this done. any ideas or experience is welcome and greatly appreciated.

i'v never been a diy kind of person but since joining this hobby iv become more and more so lol, im still afraid of my dads drills though lol, i get either my dad, boyfriend or brother to use the power tools im a wuss and have a very over active imagination in regards to how i could hurt myself lol. i think it might be a survival thing as im very clumsy lol.

thanx :blink1:

 

Maybe rather corrugated ABS ?

 

hmmm should probably say that what i term poster board is that thin compressed wood about 5mm thick. we used to use it in art class to stretch paper on before painting all i can say is it was bloody heavy carrying it home hehe. the lid has to fit in a fairly limited space above the tank and i was thinking i could probably leave a gap in the back for all the wiring to run through and possibly some sort of hinged trap door on top that i can use for feeding.

 

How much will you be paying for the board?

Seems better just to buy a proper plastic cover for your tank. You can get the cover for like R70 - R120 for a 2ft - 4ft tank.

Are you planning to paint the wood with waterproof paint on both sides?

It is 'do-able' and definitely cool!

Post pics of the final result. Anxious to see what you have designed!

 

i wish i could buy a lid and i would if i could but the tank was a custom with odd dimension, (see betta setup diary in members systems) and so a custom lid has to follow hehe. i will do, my mom has suggested manzonite or masonite couldnt hear her properly. so might use that. i was thinking of using the same paint as my walls, at least for the outside, its a pale grey so the lid will match the walls and the bookshelves which are also grey. i might paint the whole lid that colour and just put two or three coats of outdoor varnish on it to waterproof it.

 

Hmmm...sounds good.

What is the main reason for building the lid? Is it just for holding the lighting up?

You could just make the ballast for the lighting with Plexiglas.

Evaporation will certainly soak into any wood over time, especially a fibered wood such as Masonite or Supawood.

 

for lighting and to stop suicide leaps by the khulis and soon the lady bettas. would water still soak in after its been varnished?

 

It'll be heated water vapour... it will most definately warp the wood. You could however coat it with a marine varnish or even better, an epoxy coating. Both are fairly expensive. I would not use masonite or supawood. I would try use a pine sheet... you can get these farily thin. Pine doesn't like water either, but it's the better option. Meranti wood would be better, but I've never seen meranti sheets.

 

Make it from Marine Ply (Used for making boats). Then coat it with at least 2 layers Marine Varnish.

 

The thing is....

Finding the right wood is extremely hard. My kitchen cupboards were damaged recently because of an overflow of water from the sink and of course mopping and stuff.

We replaced all the trimming and complete built ins with Melamine. Not sure if it can handle vapor in the long run.

You can always use laminated flooring too! No need for varnish but a lick of paint is a must unless you want the wood look.

 

What about normal plywood? Or hobby wood? Where would i get marine varnish and marine plywood? And how much would the marine varnish and plywood

 

Do you want a wood look finish? If not you can use pretyy much any wood and
paint it with pond sealand. You get all kinds of colors and it is fish safe.
Just make sure you paint it well and let it cure properly and wipe off.

 

I agree; avoid masonite and supawood if you want your canopy to last a very long time.

Why not try pine?

Also, when it comes to your canopy, normal wood varnish is perfectly fine, AS LONG AS you give the canopy atleast a week and a half to dry and get rid of fumes in the open. (if you have a porch or a balcony, leave it there as long as it is not affected by the rain).

However, if you need the canopy urgently, use marine varnish; therefore it would take less than half the time as regular wood varnish to dry and get rid of fumes.