A question for all of you aquarium owners

Have any of you built your own lids for aquariums? I have been having trouble with my corn snake (Houdini) escaping. This is the third time he has gotten out (still searching for him).
If you have, would you mind posting a pic?

LOL a little bit ironic
houdini escaping :) lol
what type screen are you using. Is it the metal mesh one?, if it is i can't see him getting out of that. unless its too small for the tank.
if you are using the metal wire screen that could be a problem. I use that screen for my ball, becuase he is far to big to get out between the wire, but i can see a corn geting out, seeing its such a small snake, do you have a pic?

Hehe, we even named him before his first escape. Shouldnt have picked such a preemptive name huh?

It is the fine screen mesh, but it doesnt fit all that well. He squeezes out where the screen meets the tank, im sure.
I either need to find a better fitting lid or make one. Sorry dont have any pics.

yeah, thats whats happening for sure. I have a 33 gal tank with top messurments of 36X12 ( not 100% sure on that ) any way, i first bought a 36x12 metal mesh screen. and it fit like a glove, the smallest snake in the world wouldnt escape through it. But then when my ball got a bit bigger i noticed him trying to pop throguh the top putting holes in the mesh lol so i boguht a metal wire one. And that would keep him in, but would easily let any smaller snake out. I would suggest bringing the smaller screen to the pet store and see if they will replace it for a larger one (*TIP* get the measurments of the top of your tank) thats what they did for me, but i had to pay the difference of like 5$. But if that doesnt work try taping the edges with black eletrical tape. But as far as making a plexy glass top, i cnat help ya

Hope that Helps

CHONG

One of the women on here have made their own tops for their tanks. I can't remember who it is right now (sorry). What are you using to secure the screen top right now?

if he keeps getting out, id recommend using black eletrical tape to go over the edges, this whill ensure he stays put until you figure out what you are gonna do

The top clips on in four places at the moment. I have set a couple of books on it for the time being.

Wow, you really do have an escape artist on your hands! We've kept BP's in tanks with screen tops secured with clips and have not had an escapee yet. I have two five pound weights on the screen top on the tank I keep my male water python in just because he's so slender he'd slither right out of a space no BP could get through.

hey I didnt know you had a tegu (looking at your sig). That is too cool! Do you have any pictures of him?
One of these days when I have more space and experience with the lizard folk, I would love to get a black and white tegu.

books?, if its what I think it is, books wouldnt do too much to stop him. if hes getting out at the edges where the screen is too small, books wont keep him in lol, he will still be able to get out somewhere. If the screen is to small for the tank theres bound to be at least one place. Books might not do the job, but again im going by what i THINK it looks like. So its up to you, if I was in your situation id go find a bigger screen and tape all around the edges until then, he wont be getting out with that. Just a little saftey percaution. You dont wanna wake up and him be missing on ya. where he is a small snake you would have a job finding him.

lol also i lovvvvve the name, fits him to the T

CHONG

The tegu is still small. He's pretty cool looking, but we don't see him much because he always burrows under his substrate. Our 13 year old son just had to have him at the last herp show. I'm surprised Smulkin hasn't posted photos yet. I'll see if I can get him to do that.

Actually the screen is too big for the tank. The clips dont keep it down good enough (thats where he is squeezing out), so I put the books on to weigh it down.
I would like to get a more asthetically pleasing top then books or tape if ya know what I mean ;)

The problem with putting electical tape on is when he goes up to escape, he will get stuck in the tape. He could lose a lot of skin and hurt himself that way...

no, no, :)
what i ment was take the tape and line from the inside out. That was the non sticky part is facing you snake, and the sticky part is facing outside, you'll have to do that from the inside of the tank, but where the screen is too big, books should be just fine, i thoguht it was too small, but id say just sitck with the weights

I made a screen top for an aquarium when I couldn't find one that fit, but I think with an escaping colubrid, I'd probably just switch to Sterilite. :?

ive had colubrids escape from sterilites. seriously, they are true ARTISTS of escaping. the only reason i think i still have my baby king is bc he's in a tank so tall he can't reach the top of it.

Steralite probably would be smart, but I like displaying my snakes.
My king has a nice tight lid (10 gal), but I cant seem to find a decent 20 gallon lid around here.

I already have an abundance of wire mesh, so I guess I just need to make a frame. Shouldnt be too hard, just wondering if anyones done it before and exactly what they did.

I've made some in the past. The method i always used was basically to make a picture frame and cover it with screen. Miter the corners at a 45 degree angle, remembering that you want the screen top to fit snugly, so measure from the inside of the cut. I've used everything from bungie cords to books to help hold down the lid. I'll see if i cant get some pics tonite to show you what i'm talking about.

You might look for the reptile tanks that have the sliding screen lids. That's what I have for my BP. It slides in the front and a piece hooks through a hole in the back where you an put a padlock to secure it. I can't imagine a snake getting out of that (although I know they can be escape artists and I never say never).

I realize this is an old thread, but anybody ever think about using some backpack like straps to hold down a lid? I have 2 6 foot long straps (they look kinda like backpack buckles, but they snap together). I use these to hold down the lid on my bp cage. Simple, doesn't take up a lot of room, holds the lid down tight.

One strap was like 1.34$ at wal-mart. And you could make them if you wanted to, you can find backpack strap like material at any fabric store. I believe they were sold as generic buckle straps or something like that. I don' recall exactly where they were, possibly the camping or the auto section.

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Originally Posted by Smynx

The tegu is still small. He's pretty cool looking, but we don't see him much because he always burrows under his substrate. Our 13 year old son just had to have him at the last herp show. I'm surprised Smulkin hasn't posted photos yet. I'll see if I can get him to do that.

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Pretty sure I had - though it might have been suring that week "stuff disappeared" - at any rate check the Monitor/Tegu forum and I will either post or bump.

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but I cant seem to find a decent 20 gallon lid around here.

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I have a 20 gallon tank that I am not useing, I have acually been trying to get rid of it. Do you want the lid?

Very kind offer, thank you padiente. But I have moved things around since that post and now have a bp in the 20 gal. The gap between lid and aquarium was quite minute. My young corn escaped several times, but my bp has been there for some time now and I havnt had any problems.

he prefers burrowing to escaping any how :D