A lid/covering

[euromomtx]

I am having the toughest time finding community/peaceful fish for my tank.
On a few choices I have narrowed it down to it says they need a cover or else they'll jump out.
My aquarium came with a glass top but I really don't want to use it because I am afraid of heat building up.
My temps are around 78 degrees as it is.

I read something about egg crate but am wondering if that messes with my lighting too much.
I love my 72" T5 fixture and don't want to block out all the light with some kind of grate thing.

What are my options (other than not get jumpy fish of course )?

Thanks in advance!

 

[EllieSuz]

Clever jumpers don't even get slowed down by egg crate in my experience. Here's a picture of my tank lid made with 1/4" mesh and a Home Depot screen frame kit.

Some people use bird netting available at your home improvement store, but it's large and need to be doubled up. Here's a link to what I used:

http://www.watergarden.org/s.nl/it.A/id.152/.f?sc=2&category=43357

There is a minimum order, so you would have to purchase much more than you need. I offered pieces of it to reefers for a few bucks plus shipping and ended up recouping the cost of the netting. It's an easy DIY project and I haven't lost a fish since I installed this. NOTE: I did mine in two halves with a bit of a gap at the center brace and am very glad I did it that way. Good luck!

 

[euromomtx]

That looks perfect! Thanks for sharing

 

[EllieSuz]

One more tip...the corners that come with the screen kit are solid so you can notch out a space for power cords.