clear tank evaporation lid

[birdz]

What's the best material. I picked up some acrylic from the local hardware store and cut it to size and notched it for my overflow & return. Installed it and 2 days later it was so warped from the metal halides/moisture/temperature/whatever it barely fit anymore and even cracked.

whats the best material?

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Some people use deer netting on a frame just to allow gas exchange and to prevent fish from jumping out. I personally us the glass lid that came with my tank.

 

[Salamander]

I run open top to increase evaporation. I get better gas exchange and also with the increased evap I can add more kalk for top off helping keep my parameters more stable. I evap over 2.5 gallons a day.

In the summer I run a fan on the water a few hours a day to cool the tank by evap instead of a chiller. It doesn't get too hot here so no need for a chiller when a fan running 4-5 hours a day for 3 months works perfect.

If you don't have a canopy and have jumpers you can use netting on a frame or many people use egg crate (aka light diffuser).

 

[birdz]

so glass or deer netting? I'd like to have a lid keeping splashing water away from my lights

 

[Juruense]

Do not cover your tank.

If you do cover it just remove the lights because the glass or plastic cover will filter out all the light so you will not even need lights. Your water will not evaporate and you will save a lot of electricity by not having lights. Oh and all your animals that depend on light will die so you will have a lot more room for new stuff that live in the dark!

Do not cover your tank!

 

[alextheromanian]

if you wanna kill your tank then go ahead and cover it.

the pretty glass canopies the tanks come with are meant to be thrown away in saltwater fish keeping.

covering the tank will reduce evaporation at best...FOR THE COST of really high temperatures lack of oxygenation unstable PH and stressed out fish.


its a pain to have to keep topping off the water but its part of the hobby...if you have some money install an ATO top off system

 

[birdz]

well that makes it easy - I dont have to replace the warped/crack lids

 

[jbird69]

There is a place for glass tops in saltwater tanks. fish only tanks with flourescent lighting comes to mind. I did it for many years with great results.

Hot lighting and corals = no top.

 

[t kish]

I can't understand how using a glass top can be so bad.

T-5 HO lights are not hot like MH ,so temp should not be an issue.
I know on my tank it has not changed

Gas exchange should not be a problem when using a sump , especially larger sumps that hold large volumes of water.

Please am I missing something here , I have a smaller tank and I need smaller fish most are considered jumpers and I don't want to chance it

T Kish

 

[rickh]

I have used a glass cover on my tank and sump for years. The fish stay where they should be, not carpet surfing.
My T5s set directly on the glass cover, no disgusting reflectors encrusted with salt. Without a cover you need to raise the light to protect it. The cover glass does reduce the light, but not as much as raising the light and increasing the distance from the tubes to the water. R

 

[chris4869]

If you use a glass cover you just have to make sure to keep it clean.

I personally don't like using it due to the high maintenance. Mine was covered in condensation and salt spray, and require some cleaning after a week or so. Some areas have algae growing on the glass. After a while it'll be uncrusted with calcium build up too, so rinsing it under water (needs acid) isn't enough. I have a kalk reactor, and the glass top doesn't help either.

 

[Juruense]

The glass top eliminates all UVB and when dirty (which is always) eliminates pretty much all the beneficial spectrum.

//citation needed