I've picked up two tanks in the past that used metal clips to keep the top on. Both showed signs of scratches and scrapes from where the clips had been put on and removed so many times. They were both from different sellers, so it kind of stuck out at me a little more. I decided not to use the clips in the end (I threw them out) and went with the strap set-up. Worked well. I basically had the main part of the strap underneath each side of the tank, with the buckles connecting on top. When I undid them, the straps would fall to the side and leave me free to open the tank. Securing the top was just a matter of clipping them back together. I liked that a little more than those clips. But that's just my experience with them![]()