Alexander1312
Supporting Member
Thanks so much, Gerry. This detail is extremely valuable information. From your description, it aligns with what they are stating on their website in terms of level detail they go into when planning the lid, which is great. I very much like that I can have cutouts that I might not need immediately, e.g. for the AVAST feeder.Here is my experience with Toplids
I emailed them questions. Tyler reached out and we set up a time for a phone call. We went over so many details the phone call lasted about an hour. You could tell this was not his first time and he wanted to make sure we planned for now and for the future.
1. My tank is 5ft long. When I reached out to other companies at that time they would not split the lid into two pieces. This meant I would have to remove the 5ft lid anytime I wanted to do any cleaning or maintenance. They will split the lids depending on tank length.
2. We went over what lights I planned on using, and where I wanted them placed in the tank.
3. We went over how many feed door cut outs I would like and their placement. I really like the designs of the doors since they sit flush with the lid. I have a clearview lid on my other tank and the feed door is a piece of acrylic that sites slight above the rest of the lid.
4. I had plans for an auto feeder. We talked about which one. I purchased and Avast (which I have yet to set up), and I told him where I wanted the cut out for this. There is a cut out for this feeder, but currently there is a flush piece of acrylic covering this cut out.
5. We discussed cord cutouts and where I wanted them placed for cords/equipment.
6. Finally, I asked about and ended up ordering some evaporation covers to go along with the lid. This added a lot to the cost, and are definitely a luxury not a necessity.
He then sent me an email with instructions about what measurements they would need since even standard tanks are not identical. Sometimes the amount of acrylic in the seems or placement of the overflows can vary by a little bit which cause problems with fit. Each lid is essentially a custom lid. There are no off the shelf lids.
I submitted the measurements, confirmed everything via email, and then waited (a little nervously) to see what would arrive. It took I think 4 weeks. The lids came packaged in a well padded box. They are very light weight, the sceen job was done very well. Even the feed doors have screens on them. There is no room for any fish to jump out unless it can squeeze through the cord cut out gaps, but that would be one tiny fish. The lids sits flush with the tank lid. I like being able to remove to just one side at a time if necessary.
So far the only time I had a fish jump out was an overly excited Labouti wrasse that jumped out when I opened the feed door. Thankfully, he was only stunned when he hit the floor and recovered quickly.
Overall, I have been very please with this lid. The lid is lighter than clear view lids. I think you need to be careful not to crack them, but at the same time they are easier to work with. There is no gap for any fish to jump out. I would definitely buy another lid unless there are newer cheaper options on the market.
The only cons:
1. price, they are not cheap.
2. Flexibility: these are all essentially custom jobs. All the cut outs are to size. For example, the kessil light cut out is specifically for the AP9X style light. There is no gap between the acrylic and the metal. If I elect to go with other lights in the future I might need to look into different mounting options.
Tyler was really good about brining up questions and anticipating needs that I had not thought about. Feel free to pm me, I will give you my number, and I can go over details. I think you are in Walnut Creek. You can always stop by and the lid. I live in Clayton.
If you have been in this hobby long enough you have already learned any fish can jump at an time, not just wrasses. To me it was a small price to pay for the amount of money I have invested in fish.
Gerry
Some of the negative reviews they got seem to be caused by an issue with the communication in the planning process, which I can see from your description is at higher risk of failure if both parties do not listen well - and I feel folks often struggle with the listening part.
I will PM you when I am back in the country as it would be great to see this live. Thanks so much again!