DIY Red Sea Screen Lid

[John Minnix]

All,

I've read a number of forums about Red Sea screen lids, as I've been looking for a way to keep fish from jumping out of my Red Sea Reefer 625 XXL. There are a few companies that will build one for $300 or so, and Red Sea has a solution that is costly and also requires complicated assembly (based on what I've read).

I decided to give a DIY screen lid a go this weekend, as I didn't feel like shelling out $300 for something so basic. I am one of the least handy people on the planet, but it was an easy job. I procured the following:

A screen frame kit:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007W9CTHE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Clear mesh netting:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OABXY9O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A little roller doohicky to roll the netting into the screen frame:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002KDR83C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I already had a hacksaw, but you need one of those, as well.

Measuring and cutting the screen frame was easy. Remember to add about 1.25 inches total on each side for the edges. There is a piece of plastic that you need to remove from the screen frame and then roll back in place with the roller over the screen to adhere the screen to the frame. This isn't explained in the instructions, but we figured it out. When doing the rolling part, you'll need a helper to hold the screen taught while rolling the screen in place.

All in all, it took me less than an hour to build with about 20 minutes of additional help from my wife. It isn't perfect, as I didn't do any cutouts for the bases of the lights, but it does the job. All in, it was $36 and an hour of elbow grease which is way better than $300 in my opinion. If I can do it, anyone can.

John

 

[sfin52]

That looks real nice