I've been toying with a few ideas tonight since I can't sleep, and I think I might be able to figure something out to solve my tank problems. It would ultimately have to be a temporary fix, but at the very least I can get it secure until I can either find a replacement lid that works or a new tank.

If I'm going to make the tank secure then i need to build my own lid. My room came with this nifty piece of wood that is supposed to be used as a lock for my window (the real lock is broken, but so is the window so locking it doesn't make much sense). If I can cut it a little shorter then it can close up the gap in the tank. That alone would be a good enough fix, as I could set my mesh lid on top of it and then weigh it down and the gaps would be gone. However, I might take it a step farther and attempt to attach this piece of wood to something else - like a sturdy piece of cardboard - with some holes in it for air circulation. If I can get something that is the right size then I can build it so that it slides on in a similar way that the old lid did, though I wouldn't be able to make it clip on.

I dunno. It might be too complicated. But at the very least I know that I can make it secure now. It's just a matter of finding the time and the supplies to do it (I know we have them, but making someone tell me where they are might be difficult).

Hah. If I wanted to get complicated I could build a wooden frame with mesh on top. If it were just the right size and shape then it could slide in perfectly and fill the gaps...maybe I will see if my friend can help me with that. Her family used to do all their own work on their house - deck building and such.