Jim Thompson wrote:
In the 51 years we've been married, Naomi and I have hardly been apart
more than few days at a time.

However my planned trips to SE Asia and elsewhere present some
logistics problems...

My wife is petite, 5'1", and I need some way for her to lift this
lid...

http://analog-innovations.com/SED/AquariumLid.pdf

to feed the fish in our sal****er aquarium.

Very heavy, with attached lighting. So heavy it stresses my own
rotator cuffs :-( Recessed, so, right now, I lift it first with my
thumbs.

Any ideas? Maybe a lead screw? No room inside the hood, so it needs
to be external.

Larkin should butt out of the conversation and tend to his carpal
tunnel from emulating Anthony Little Weiner ;-)

...Jim Thompson

I don't know how you'd make this look good, but the idea is:

=============Lever================
----------------------- ^
Hinge| |lid |
----------------------- lift here

A lever affixed to the lid.

Another possibility is two large screw eyes in the lid, into which
you can slide a dowel for the lever when you need to lift the lid.
That way, the lever does not have to remain affixed to the lid.

Next, not easy, and not usually applicable, but maybe possible:
If it is possible to drill a deep hole into the thickness of the
lid - depth say 4" - you can insert a dowel when it is time to lift
the lid and get a nice force multiplier. That of course depends on
the thickness and strength of the lid, but if it is do-able it doesn't
change the look of the aquarium.
You need a *really* strong lid - drilling into the thickness weakens
it, and the dowel exerts force that will split it, unless it is real
strong, or reinforced. One of the hopeful things here is that you
have attached lighting (presumably below the lid, shining into the
tank). The fixture itself could possibly hide an under lid reinforcing
plate. However, you would still need reinforcement on the outside
of the lid to prevent splitting - or a very strong lid that won't
split when lifting with a dowel inserted into its thickness.

Ed