Tank Lid Recommendations

BR260354 · Sep 26, 2022

Just ordered my Top Lids for my Red Sea 200xl G2. Now I wait! Added the evaporation cover. Going to see how that works so when we travel I won't have to worry so much about not having enough ATO.....hopefully! Need to test. Also added the auto feeder slot with feeder cup.

Tyler and Fred were very helpful.

Tcook · Sep 26, 2022

I went with a Clearview for my in-wall 120. I have several cutouts including one for my Plank as well as feed doors. Communication was great. Fits like a glove. Surprised how well it fits translating my sketch to the final product but it does. Took 6 weeks or so. I also considered Toplids and would have happily gone with them too. I don't remember why I went with Clearview. Wasn't a difference in quality that I could tell.

bnord · Sep 26, 2022

beatle said:
I have the same question. I've got a RSR XL300 that came with the Red Sea cover. It's pretty chintzy. Lead times seem long for all covers and some companies seem to be a challenge to deal with. Here are a few I've found:

Premium Aquarium Lids & Fish Tank Tops - Shop Top Lids Today

Premium polycarbonate aquarium lids & fish tank lids built to fit your tank. Stop jumping fish and reduce evaporation. Shop aquarium tops from Top Lids today.

toplids.com

I've read some negative reviews of these guys taking forever and being difficult to deal with. Seems like a good product if you can get one. 3-5 week lead time.

ClearView Lids - Custom Aquarium Lids - Made in the USA

CNC-machined polycarbonate aquarium lids built to fit Red Sea, Waterbox, IM, and 300+ more tanks. Stop losing fish. Free shipping. Made in the USA.

www.clearviewlids.com

Apparently this is the same as Artfully Acrylic? Seems to be a good value compared to the others. Their Pisces EXO design is modular which is a big plus in case your equipment changes and you need cutouts in a different spot or a different size. 20 day lead time (not sure if that's business or calendar).

Octo Aquatics - Custom Acrylic Products - Octo Aquatics

I have been in the saltwater industry since 1996 and have been working with wood and plastics since 2004. Every product I sell has been fabricated by myself, right here in Arizona! I specialize in custom products that nobody else offers. Don’t trust just anyone! Plastic and wood fabrication is...

octoaquatics.com

Guy seems to be pretty proud to be "the first" to make these and thinks that anyone else who makes these is just ripping him off. That doesn't inspire me to order from him though. His FAQ is pretty bristly and defensive and prices are nowhere to be seen for the lids. 6-8 week lead time.

Kraken Reef® | Premium Rimless Aquarium Lids

At Kraken Reef, our primary goal is to deliver top-tier premium rimless aquarium lids and accessories tailored to suit your specific tank requirements. Our lids come pre-designed and are available for various production model rimless aquariums.

www.krakenreef.com

Just read about these guys on this thread. Nearly everything is an option which really jacks up the price, even something as common as a cord cutout. The feed cup is nice though. 2-4 week lead time.

I am leaning towards Clearview or Kraken.

I have a Kraken lid over my 15 WB, and worth every penny - seems like a great small company, veteran owned, and if I get another smaller tank (of course you will) I will get another lid from them

Tamberav · Sep 26, 2022

Had a Tsunami by clearview, was not happy with it. The little joints collect salt so daily wiping and I asked if it needed a center brace for a 4 ft tank, they said no. It absolutely does. When you remove such a large lid, the whole thing sags/bends and puts stress on it. It was just a horrible lid and I think the tsunami type is probably best for smaller tanks. Replaced it with a Octo Aquatics and that one has been perfect. Communication with him was prompt.

Alex’s Reef · Sep 26, 2022

Clear view lids

BlakeStew said:
What are some companies that make good custom lids? I need to get one for my new build but I don't want to break the bank.

Clearviewlids.com hands down!

ScubaFish802 · Sep 26, 2022

Can we get some delivered clearview lids pics (preferably on reefers if available) ?

Radman73 · Sep 26, 2022

I went with Clearview and don't regret it one bit on my Wb 130.

beesnreefs · Sep 26, 2022

Just got my ReefinAintEzid today. It’s phenomenal. Fits perfectly, excellent construction, looks great.

Jesse makes some really high quality stuff. My only complaint was how long it too to get. I ordered it three months ago. He had a lot going on and fell behind, which I totally understand…just wish he would have reached out to me proactively instead of me having to email him a couple times to get an idea of what was happening

Top_Lids · Sep 26, 2022

BR260354 said:
Just ordered my Top Lids for my Red Sea 200xl G2. Now I wait! Added the evaporation cover. Going to see how that works so when we travel I won't have to worry so much about not having enough ATO.....hopefully! Need to test. Also added the auto feeder slot with feeder cup.

Tyler and Fred were very helpful.

Thanks very much for the shout out brother

We're stoked to see how much the evap reduces on this tank size, haven't had many tests of clients with 2 ft cubes test this so maybe we can collaborate on it after you receive yours.

Curious to see how the Food Regulator Cup works for you as well

Dreminon · Sep 26, 2022

I just ordered a lid from toplids today for my 220.6 will post pics when I get it in 8 weeks.

Wrassenaround · Sep 26, 2022

ScubaFish802 said:
Can we get some delivered clearview lids pics (preferably on reefers if available) ?

I ended up going with Clearview for my lid and I have nothing but positive things to say. Shipping was great. Lead times on the lid itself were accurate and very high quality.
Heres mine on my Reefer 350 G2. I went with the Tsunami EVO version, custom cut for my tank to measurements I sent in.

Top_Lids · Sep 27, 2022

Dreminon said:
I just ordered a lid from toplids today for my 220.6 will post pics when I get it in 8 weeks.

Looking forward to seeing on top man. Freddy will send over your lid model to check here shortly

gardiendepoisson · Dec 16, 2022

I have a Clearview 3-piece lid for my Waterbox 180.5 and I hate it.
- I've had it just over a year and joints have cracked on all three pieces. The corner joints are too thin and should not be there in the first place; the cover sections should have each been molded in one solid piece, rather than assembled from parts with weak points.
- The center section has no support on the sides so the mesh sags right into the water.
- The company replaced the left and right sides when they failed during my warranty period but sent me back two left sides! They ignored me when I contacted them to fix the issue and by then, the warranty had expired.
- Salt collects in the joints like crazy which probably contributes to structural weakness.
- They wanted specific tank measurements because they don't trust the Waterbox build consistency. It's not easy to get extremely precise measurements with a standard measuring tape across the top of an active, tall tank like this; parallax is terrible.
I'm shopping for a replacement right now and I've got it narrowed down to Reefin Ain't Ezy (lidyourreef.com) and Top Lids; the first is almost $100 less than the second. Opinions?

MPCReefer · Dec 16, 2022

gardiendepoisson said:
I have a Clearview 3-piece lid for my Waterbox 180.5 and I hate it.
- I've had it just over a year and joints have cracked on all three pieces. The corner joints are too thin and should not be there in the first place; the cover sections should have each been molded in one solid piece, rather than assembled from parts with weak points.
- The center section has no support on the sides so the mesh sags right into the water.
- The company replaced the left and right sides when they failed during my warranty period but sent me back two left sides! They ignored me when I contacted them to fix the issue and by then, the warranty had expired.
- Salt collects in the joints like crazy which probably contributes to structural weakness.
- They wanted specific tank measurements because they don't trust the Waterbox build consistency. It's not easy to get extremely precise measurements with a standard measuring tape across the top of an active, tall tank like this; parallax is terrible.
I'm shopping for a replacement right now and I've got it narrowed down to Reefin Ain't Ezy (lidyourreef.com) and Top Lids; the first is almost $100 less than the second. Opinions?

Interesting comments on the Clearview. Thank you for pointing those out as I am in a similar decision process as you and had also been considering Clearview. The one thing I am not crazy about w/the Reefin Aint EZ lids are the tabs to hold the top on the aquarium. Maybe it is just the angles of the pics I have seen but it does not appear TopLids are designed with these tabs and offer a cleaner look to my eyes. Any one with any comparison pics or experience with both lids to confirm the TopLids have a "ledge" around the entire top that sits on the aquarium glass as opposed to just tabs?

gardiendepoisson · Dec 16, 2022

MPCReefer said:
Interesting comments on the Clearview. Thank you for pointing those out as I am in a similar decision process as you and had also been considering Clearview. The one thing I am not crazy about w/the Reefin Aint EZ lids are the tabs to hold the top on the aquarium. Maybe it is just the angles of the pics I have seen but it does not appear TopLids are designed with these tabs and offer a cleaner look to my eyes. Any one with any comparison pics or experience with both lids to confirm the TopLids have a "ledge" around the entire top that sits on the aquarium glass as opposed to just tabs?

The Clearview lids that I have also sit on top of the tank via tabs like the Reefin Ain't Ezy lids. Top Lids definitely has a cleaner look. The tabs never bothered me though because the tank sits so high that I barely notice them.

Cell · Dec 16, 2022

gardiendepoisson said:
I have a Clearview 3-piece lid for my Waterbox 180.5 and I hate it.
- I've had it just over a year and joints have cracked on all three pieces. The corner joints are too thin and should not be there in the first place; the cover sections should have each been molded in one solid piece, rather than assembled from parts with weak points.
- The center section has no support on the sides so the mesh sags right into the water.
- The company replaced the left and right sides when they failed during my warranty period but sent me back two left sides! They ignored me when I contacted them to fix the issue and by then, the warranty had expired.
- Salt collects in the joints like crazy which probably contributes to structural weakness.
- They wanted specific tank measurements because they don't trust the Waterbox build consistency. It's not easy to get extremely precise measurements with a standard measuring tape across the top of an active, tall tank like this; parallax is terrible.
I'm shopping for a replacement right now and I've got it narrowed down to Reefin Ain't Ezy (lidyourreef.com) and Top Lids; the first is almost $100 less than the second. Opinions?

Did you consider Kraken?

gardiendepoisson · Dec 16, 2022

Cell said:
Did you consider Kraken?

Yes, but it doesn't look like they make a cover for the 180.5.

Tcook · Dec 16, 2022

gardiendepoisson said:
I have a Clearview 3-piece lid for my Waterbox 180.5 and I hate it.
- I've had it just over a year and joints have cracked on all three pieces. The corner joints are too thin and should not be there in the first place; the cover sections should have each been molded in one solid piece, rather than assembled from parts with weak points.
- The center section has no support on the sides so the mesh sags right into the water.
- The company replaced the left and right sides when they failed during my warranty period but sent me back two left sides! They ignored me when I contacted them to fix the issue and by then, the warranty had expired.
- Salt collects in the joints like crazy which probably contributes to structural weakness.
- They wanted specific tank measurements because they don't trust the Waterbox build consistency. It's not easy to get extremely precise measurements with a standard measuring tape across the top of an active, tall tank like this; parallax is terrible.
I'm shopping for a replacement right now and I've got it narrowed down to Reefin Ain't Ezy (lidyourreef.com) and Top Lids; the first is almost $100 less than the second. Opinions?

Was that a Pices exo? I have the classic in two pieces and have had zero problems.

Top_Lids · Dec 16, 2022

MPCReefer said:
Interesting comments on the Clearview. Thank you for pointing those out as I am in a similar decision process as you and had also been considering Clearview. The one thing I am not crazy about w/the Reefin Aint EZ lids are the tabs to hold the top on the aquarium. Maybe it is just the angles of the pics I have seen but it does not appear TopLids are designed with these tabs and offer a cleaner look to my eyes. Any one with any comparison pics or experience with both lids to confirm the TopLids have a "ledge" around the entire top that sits on the aquarium glass as opposed to just tabs?

@MPCReefer @gardiendepoisson Very good points here, here's some useful pics of our tab here that we thought could be helpful. Both for smaller tanks and larger tanks.

We'll also have some standard lids out for the Waterbox Reef 180's next week that'll have lower adjusted pricing and no measuring required. All our lids are 5 Year Warrantied against the situations mentioned below: