Which Lid Company?

[ggNoRe]

Just want to get opinions on which company to go with in ordering a custom clear lid.

I have seen a few post on this but nothing recent.

The companies I've seen thus far are Octo Lids, Top Lids, and Clear View.

Have a Peninsula tank 60L x 26W from Prostar Aquariums. Any and all opinions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dmy535]

The BRS custom screen tops are nice

 

[Oldcoder]

great luck with Octo lids takes awhile though.

 

[RobB'z Reef]

been searching for one myself, I'll be following. Heard great things about the quality of Top Lids but horrible service and lead times. I'll have to check out Clear View. Octo, I just ordered an acclimation box from him, so jury is out on that experience. Website is horrific and the guy seems like a bit of a tin hat if you read what's on there lol

 

[fishface NJ]

Buy the screen from BRS and get the window screen kit

 

[New&no clue]

I bought mine from clear view and like it, however, lead time was terrible.

 

[RobB'z Reef]

I bought mine from clear view and like it, however, lead time was terrible.

could you define what terrible is for you?

 

[Oldcoder]

been searching for one myself, I'll be following. Heard great things about the quality of Top Lids but horrible service and lead times. I'll have to check out Clear View. Octo, I just ordered an acclimation box from him, so jury is out on that experience. Website is horrific and the guy seems like a bit of a tin hat if you read what's on there lol

yeah he does not read what you send him carefully. At least in my case when I gave him a good drawing he built a great lid exactly what I drew. I have been really pleased the lid fits so perfect feeding door fits my needs. I had a BRS screen and wrasses were knocking it up and getting out.

 

[RobB'z Reef]

yeah he does not read what you send him carefully

sorry, he does or he does not. This conflicts a bit with what you describe later. He being OctoReef I assume? How long from placing the order to receiving the lid was it? How big is your tank?

 

[New&no clue]

could you define what terrible is for you?

I ordered June 5 and it arrived September 2. However, to be fair to them they quoted 88 days. If I need another lid I would order again, but I would be aware of the lead time

 

[RobB'z Reef]

I ordered June 5 and it arrived September 2. However, to be fair to them they quoted 88 days. If I need another lid I would order again, but I would be aware of the lead time

thank you for the feedback! Yeah, if they are upfront and honest about the lead time, that's perfectly acceptable.

 

[yman182]

I just ordered my lids from top lids. Service was excellent and from inquiring about the lids to having them made has been about 25 days. The process was also very smooth. We did a video chat to do the measuring and get everything squared away. So far I have been happy, a bit pricey, but worth it so far.

 

[bbhs23]

I have been considering a lid from Kraken Reefs. I haven't seen one in person, but have heard some good things about them. They have an option where you can get a feeder cup that drops in to the lid. This should make it easier to defrost/feed frozen food.

 

[ggNoRe]

I just ordered my lids from top lids. Service was excellent and from inquiring about the lids to having them made has been about 25 days. The process was also very smooth. We did a video chat to do the measuring and get everything squared away. So far I have been happy, a bit pricey, but worth it so far.

25 days turnover sounds nice. Do you mind telling me the price and your tank dimensions?

 

[yman182]

25 days turnover sounds nice. Do you mind telling me the price and your tank dimensions?

I have a 7ft tank with two braces in the middle so I had to have 3 lids made. This came out to around $800. This included a bunch of wire management holes, a medium feed door on each lid and also a special cutout for the Plank auto feeder.

They originally quoted 30-35 days, so they are a little a head of schedule.

The price was a bit more than clearview or Octo, but I did not want to wait 3 months for a lid from clearview and I liked the design better than the Octo lid.

All 3 would make great lids though!

 

[Oldcoder]

sorry, he does or he does not. This conflicts a bit with what you describe later. He being OctoReef I assume? How long from placing the order to receiving the lid was it? How big is your tank?

He does not. You have to put any notations on the drawing. My order took about four months. Yes OctoReef. To be fair he contacted me offering a refund as he was having trouble sourcing materials due to Covid 19 everyone constructing plastic shields for schools etc.
I decided to wait it out. Tank is 48x24.

 

[Greybeard]

I have an Octo screen top on my 60" x 30" tank. Exactly what I ordered, came in a reasonable amount of time, as I recall... I've had it for what, 3 years now? Has held up well so far, no problems, no complaints. I hose it off in the shower stall every few months, keep the salt and dust rinsed off. That's about all the maintenance it requires.

If I was going to buy it today, I'd order from Octo again, but I'd likely buy two 30x30 tops rather than a single 60x30. Be right handy to be able to pull half the top at a time.

Not cheap, but you're talking about something you're going to be looking at every day, hopefully for many years.

A fairly recent shot that shows the top fairly well...

 

[Arabyps]

I used ClearView Lids. High quality product and in my case they have the specs of the Waterbox peninsula in their system. They will produce a custom version based on your dimensions and requirements.

ClearView Lids - The Difference is Clear and the answer is here!

ClearView Lids are designed specifically for your aquarium. Our polycarbonate aquarium lids feature a much more durable design than can be found with acrylic fish tank lids or aluminum frame lids. ClearView Lids are available for popular tanks such as those made by Red Sea, WaterBox, Innovative...

www.clearviewlids.com

 

[ggNoRe]

I have an Octo screen top on my 60" x 30" tank. Exactly what I ordered, came in a reasonable amount of time, as I recall... I've had it for what, 3 years now? Has held up well so far, no problems, no complaints. I hose it off in the shower stall every few months, keep the salt and dust rinsed off. That's about all the maintenance it requires.

If I was going to buy it today, I'd order from Octo again, but I'd likely buy two 30x30 tops rather than a single 60x30. Be right handy to be able to pull half the top at a time.

Not cheap, but you're talking about something you're going to be looking at every day, hopefully for many years.

A fairly recent shot that shows the top fairly well...

Do you remember about how much you paid?

 

[Bryknicks]

I used Octo lids for two of my tanks and am very happy with the quality of them. We had a slight misunderstanding in the measurements on one which was deemed my fault, he promptly made me a new lid to correct the problem. I will be ordering from him again on my future build.