**Clear** Mesh Top
- Thread starter jimsflies
- Start date
jimsflies
Member
Thanks for the input guys.
Last summer, I lost several fish to jumping. Now I have four expensive wrasses and don't want to see any carpet surfing. After trying glass and eggcrate, I came up with this.
My halide is probably not very well focused since its in diy reflector in a conversion of a CSL hood (see first pictures for the hood I am using). But I also don't notice tons of light on the walls and ceiling, so I guess I'm not loosing too much light due to reflection off the water surface.
But no mater which way (up/down) I put the eggcrate on my set tank, I had less light on the edges...which is a slight issue I have anyway with a single halide (30-inch long tank). I didn't want to make the situation any worse with the eggcrate and also don't really want to go to two halides either due to heat and additional costs.
For kicks, here's a current picture of my tank (excuse the blurry fish):
Last summer, I lost several fish to jumping. Now I have four expensive wrasses and don't want to see any carpet surfing. After trying glass and eggcrate, I came up with this.
My halide is probably not very well focused since its in diy reflector in a conversion of a CSL hood (see first pictures for the hood I am using). But I also don't notice tons of light on the walls and ceiling, so I guess I'm not loosing too much light due to reflection off the water surface.
But no mater which way (up/down) I put the eggcrate on my set tank, I had less light on the edges...which is a slight issue I have anyway with a single halide (30-inch long tank). I didn't want to make the situation any worse with the eggcrate and also don't really want to go to two halides either due to heat and additional costs.
For kicks, here's a current picture of my tank (excuse the blurry fish):
beaniebeagle
New member
That mesh looks like the same stuff you can get at Home Depot or Lowes--->bird netting (but its black)
mcegelsk
New member
Here is a site that seems to have very similar items: http://www.usnetting.com/ Minimum purchases do suck unless you need a bunch of it. This looks good too: http://www.internetmesh.net/plastic_poly.htm ~Matt
thanks mcegelsk.....I like what the guy did with the mesh...I am a bit leery about metal near the tank....I use the eggcrate over my eel tank so he doesn't go surfing. but the windo idea does look good too. For ease sake--I guess if I were to buy or do that--I wpuld want it in pieces to better access my tank.
nataz--yes there is more evaporation -- but it allows heat to escape so the water does not get too hot.
how many of you guys/gals cover your reef at all?
nataz--yes there is more evaporation -- but it allows heat to escape so the water does not get too hot.
how many of you guys/gals cover your reef at all?
RichConley
New member
I tried eggcrate at one point. I lost a TON of light. A TON. Like easily 30-40%. I tried both sides, and it was similar. One may be better than the other, but both are bad.
The above is a much better idea.
jimsflies
Member
I have given this some thought. If I had stuff on the back, I would take a piece of acrylic or plexiglass as wide as necessary to make it around the items in the back. Then along the back edge, I would cut very accurate cut-out notches for the items that have to go through the top.
Then, I would make the frame just as I have above. The narrow piece along the back shouldn't protrude out far enough to make the frame interfer with lighting or cause shadows.
I also like the idea of making an entire top out of a single piece of acrylic and routering a grove to allow the spline material to fit and hold the mesh. Then you would leave the area along the back wider so you could make the same cut-out notches from above. But this would require quite a bit more skill and tools to make look nice.
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
It would also most likely end up warping as acrylic tends to do. You would have to end up clamping/bolting the acrylic flange down to something anyways...in which case its a PITA. I think a frame out of aluminum channel would be better... you know, regular aluminum window-screen frame? It already has the spline channel in it, just put the corners on (they sell it as a kit at HD), and then attach a strip of that all-glass style versa-hood plastic channel that is used for the exact thing we are talking about here...cut it out to fit the pipes/cords, and put it on top. Total cost would be less than $20 I bet.
