I needed to get a 20L and a lid for it. My old practice was to buy the tank on sale at Petco's Buck-a-gallon slae and then I would get the top from BigAls online. They charged about 60% of what Pecto charged. But Covid caused BigAls to close their USA operation.
*SIGH*
Fortunately, Petco was having a tank sale, but it is no longer a buck-a-gallon, it is half off retail. So I ordered a 20L online for $25 and the cheapest top was actually at Petco, it was $22.99. Consider the amount of glass and silicone in a 20L, consider the pair of frames and the time to assemble it. Then consider a lid- a cheap plastic hinge and an unattached handle plus two small thin sheets of glass. Then think about the price difference for the two items being $2.01. If the store is making any profit on the tank, then they are making a fortune on the lid.
*SIGH*
Now for a very useful tip I actually found online.I had two older lids for 20Ls. One had the fron [panel with the handle broken in two and the other has it's hinge splitting. Light bulb moment. take the good hinge from the broken lid and use it to replace the split hinge. have you ever tried to get the glass out of a hinge especially if you have had it for years?
A fish site came up in my Google search and it saved me. If you run the hinge under hot water or heat it with a hair dryer, the glass almost falls out. You only need less than a minute of hot water and you will be good to go. I ran the hot water over both sides for about 15 - 20 seconds each, the other 20 secinds were waiting for the water to get hot.
*Hallelujah*
*SIGH*
Fortunately, Petco was having a tank sale, but it is no longer a buck-a-gallon, it is half off retail. So I ordered a 20L online for $25 and the cheapest top was actually at Petco, it was $22.99. Consider the amount of glass and silicone in a 20L, consider the pair of frames and the time to assemble it. Then consider a lid- a cheap plastic hinge and an unattached handle plus two small thin sheets of glass. Then think about the price difference for the two items being $2.01. If the store is making any profit on the tank, then they are making a fortune on the lid.
*SIGH*
Now for a very useful tip I actually found online.I had two older lids for 20Ls. One had the fron [panel with the handle broken in two and the other has it's hinge splitting. Light bulb moment. take the good hinge from the broken lid and use it to replace the split hinge. have you ever tried to get the glass out of a hinge especially if you have had it for years?
A fish site came up in my Google search and it saved me. If you run the hinge under hot water or heat it with a hair dryer, the glass almost falls out. You only need less than a minute of hot water and you will be good to go. I ran the hot water over both sides for about 15 - 20 seconds each, the other 20 secinds were waiting for the water to get hot.
*Hallelujah*