Habitat - Indoor :: need a 48x20 screen lid

[mortisandmo]

Hey everyone! We are new to having turtles, andmy wife and I are in the process of setting up our tank to ensure it is up and running prior to getting our two new turtles. However, our 75 gallon tank is 48" long, and 20" wide...the best screen lid I can find is 48x18. Would that work well enough?, or does anyone know where I could find a 48x20 lid? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!!

[untsmurf]

You shouldn't get a screen lid, it blocks out a lot of the UVB rays. You can get some plastic egg crate from Home Depot or Lowes. They sell them in 48''x 24'' sheets for like $11. They are super easy to size down and will allow for more light to come through.

[mat012]

I use a screen. It holes are large and I try to compensate for the loss of light by moving the lights a bit closer to the dock than I would put them otherwise. Glasscages.com makes custom screens if you really want one. I have one of theirs and it is nice. They only have them in the color of base metal. I spray painted mine black to match the tank and let it cure for a long time (so the vapors wouldnt bother the turt). It is hinged across the middle so I can lift it to clean the tank. I like it.

The advantage of egg crate is that you can cut spots for your tubes and cables and still have it sit flat on the tank. Screens can be cut as well but mine still has a gap on one end. In either case make sure your turtle cant escape. Either keep the water line well away from the top of the tank or weight down the screen somehow.

[untsmurf]

You can buy clips to keep them on.

[Daniel3507]

the egg crate is probably your best bet. the holes are big enough to not block the uvb.

[Chrisbarnett]

Screen doesn't "block" UVB rays, it just weakens them. Usually by a percentage of about 30%. If you get a screen with holes less than 1/2", there will be a reduction in UVB, and the smaller the holes, the more UVB is restricted.

Like daniel said I would just go with egg crate, formally known as light diffuser in the hardware store.