houstonhobby
New member
Everyone,
I strongly dislike big wooden tops on my tanks. I don't like the look. I don't like working inside them, and I don't like the effort to lift them off.
I don't even like screens or flat glass tops. I don't like anything to come between the lights and the top of the water. I began this prejudice during my planted tank days, but it applies just as well to reef tanks.
But, I since I started marine tanks last year I have lost two fish to jumping, one when I had the 90 and one since moving to the 210. The first was an anthias. These are known jumpers (I didn't know that then) but really nice fish and I would like to have a group of them. Maybe three females and a male.
The second was a clown. Not really known for jumping but I had four clowns and though you would think a 210 would be big enough for everybody the one that jumped was odd man out. I obviously did not see the incident (or I might have been able to save the fish) but probably he was pressed by his oppressors.
I remember from my freshwater days seeing a fairly small tank (probably a 29) filled with 20-30 hatchet fish. These fish come from some jungle river where they make their living by jumping out of the water and eating mosquitoes, small flys and midges just above the surface. They have a deep keel bone to which is attached large pectoral muscles and large pectoral fins. They are the nearest thing to a bird that the fish community has.
I remember asking the LFS owner how he was keeping them in the tank, which had no top. He said all he had to do was lower the water a couple of inches and the hatchet fish wouldn't clear the hurdle.
I decided to make a fence around the top of my tank and decided (somewhat arbitrarily) to make it 7 inches high. I have actually seen my goby jump higher than that (when I was chasing him with a net to try to move him to the 210) but he jumped straight up and fell back in the water. I think this barrier will be adequate for 95% of fish jumping.
I bought two 2'x4' pieces of quarter inch lexan and sawed off four 4'x7" pieces. Although this material can be worked with the same tools you would use for wood working it is different and takes some care.
1) Although rip cuts against a fence worked fine as long as I kept my eye on the edge of the piece and the fence to make sure they stayed in contact, crosscuts on the table saw did not work for me. The first one I tried, the offcut piece vibrated into the blade at the end of the cut (it was trapped by the fence but otherwise not held by anything) and basically exploded. This surprized me so much that the work piece, which I was holding down with my hand, also contacted the blade and immediately exploded as well. Fortunately for me I was wearing ear protectors, eye protectors, gloves, and a thick leather apron. The side of my house, 20 feet behind the saw, looked like it was peppered with bird shot. Picture wife not happy. It also broke the cross-cut attachment of my saw, which was made of fairly stern metal, and bent the thick metal piece that was filling the blade hole. No doubt, this stuff could really hurt you if you are not careful.
Thereafter, I used a hand saw for all cross cuts.
2) Be careful using drills on this material. It drills fine, just like you have always heard. However, at the instant that the drill breaks thru the piece has a tendency to grab the drill bit and climb it up to the chuck. I would suggest (a) that you firmly clamp the piece and (b) that you use the fastest speed you have available on the drill and (c) that you get that bit out of there the instant it breaks thru.
3) To make all the cut-outs along the bottom required for internal tank braces, cords and water returns going over the back of the tank, etc, I used a router mounted in a home-made table, with a quarter inch straight bit. These cuts were done without jigs, just holding the piece in my hand. And they look like it. This seemed to work very well. Remember, as with all material, to move the material passed the bit from right to left, since the bit is turning counter-clockwise. If you move the piece in the direction that the bit is turning, it is possible for the piece to be taken away from you. At 30,000 RPM (typical for a router) this will happen much faster than the human body could possibly react.
4) Because I was using what I had on hand and because this is not a function that requires high strength, I glued the corners together with IC-GELL and added a corner brace to the top side of each piece.
I made the fence in four pieces, one for each corner, and they sit on the little internal edge intended to hold a glass or screen top. I think making them to sit on the flat of the top (which is more than 1/2 inch wide on this tank) would also work fine.
The material is a little bendy in long pieces, so the two front and back sides are structurally tied together at the center line of the tank with Pony clamps.
These things are easy to pick up and move out of the way when you want to work on the tank, and they are completely clear so they don't affect your view in any way. They should not affect the tank temperatures too much, since the top is still completely open.
Thanks,
Rod
I strongly dislike big wooden tops on my tanks. I don't like the look. I don't like working inside them, and I don't like the effort to lift them off.
I don't even like screens or flat glass tops. I don't like anything to come between the lights and the top of the water. I began this prejudice during my planted tank days, but it applies just as well to reef tanks.
But, I since I started marine tanks last year I have lost two fish to jumping, one when I had the 90 and one since moving to the 210. The first was an anthias. These are known jumpers (I didn't know that then) but really nice fish and I would like to have a group of them. Maybe three females and a male.
The second was a clown. Not really known for jumping but I had four clowns and though you would think a 210 would be big enough for everybody the one that jumped was odd man out. I obviously did not see the incident (or I might have been able to save the fish) but probably he was pressed by his oppressors.
I remember from my freshwater days seeing a fairly small tank (probably a 29) filled with 20-30 hatchet fish. These fish come from some jungle river where they make their living by jumping out of the water and eating mosquitoes, small flys and midges just above the surface. They have a deep keel bone to which is attached large pectoral muscles and large pectoral fins. They are the nearest thing to a bird that the fish community has.
I remember asking the LFS owner how he was keeping them in the tank, which had no top. He said all he had to do was lower the water a couple of inches and the hatchet fish wouldn't clear the hurdle.
I decided to make a fence around the top of my tank and decided (somewhat arbitrarily) to make it 7 inches high. I have actually seen my goby jump higher than that (when I was chasing him with a net to try to move him to the 210) but he jumped straight up and fell back in the water. I think this barrier will be adequate for 95% of fish jumping.
I bought two 2'x4' pieces of quarter inch lexan and sawed off four 4'x7" pieces. Although this material can be worked with the same tools you would use for wood working it is different and takes some care.
1) Although rip cuts against a fence worked fine as long as I kept my eye on the edge of the piece and the fence to make sure they stayed in contact, crosscuts on the table saw did not work for me. The first one I tried, the offcut piece vibrated into the blade at the end of the cut (it was trapped by the fence but otherwise not held by anything) and basically exploded. This surprized me so much that the work piece, which I was holding down with my hand, also contacted the blade and immediately exploded as well. Fortunately for me I was wearing ear protectors, eye protectors, gloves, and a thick leather apron. The side of my house, 20 feet behind the saw, looked like it was peppered with bird shot. Picture wife not happy. It also broke the cross-cut attachment of my saw, which was made of fairly stern metal, and bent the thick metal piece that was filling the blade hole. No doubt, this stuff could really hurt you if you are not careful.
Thereafter, I used a hand saw for all cross cuts.
2) Be careful using drills on this material. It drills fine, just like you have always heard. However, at the instant that the drill breaks thru the piece has a tendency to grab the drill bit and climb it up to the chuck. I would suggest (a) that you firmly clamp the piece and (b) that you use the fastest speed you have available on the drill and (c) that you get that bit out of there the instant it breaks thru.
3) To make all the cut-outs along the bottom required for internal tank braces, cords and water returns going over the back of the tank, etc, I used a router mounted in a home-made table, with a quarter inch straight bit. These cuts were done without jigs, just holding the piece in my hand. And they look like it. This seemed to work very well. Remember, as with all material, to move the material passed the bit from right to left, since the bit is turning counter-clockwise. If you move the piece in the direction that the bit is turning, it is possible for the piece to be taken away from you. At 30,000 RPM (typical for a router) this will happen much faster than the human body could possibly react.
4) Because I was using what I had on hand and because this is not a function that requires high strength, I glued the corners together with IC-GELL and added a corner brace to the top side of each piece.
I made the fence in four pieces, one for each corner, and they sit on the little internal edge intended to hold a glass or screen top. I think making them to sit on the flat of the top (which is more than 1/2 inch wide on this tank) would also work fine.
The material is a little bendy in long pieces, so the two front and back sides are structurally tied together at the center line of the tank with Pony clamps.
These things are easy to pick up and move out of the way when you want to work on the tank, and they are completely clear so they don't affect your view in any way. They should not affect the tank temperatures too much, since the top is still completely open.
Thanks,
Rod
