glass covers

[Kathy55g]

Hi,
I just put some glass covers over my growout tanks in an effort to save my husband's power tools from the inevitable corrosion from constant humidity. How is this going to affect my alkalinity, pH, etc in the tanks.

I assume that with all the CO2 generated by the fish, that the alkalinity will need to be boosted, and with less evaporation, the amount of baking soda I usually put in the top off water will not be sufficient.

How do those of you with glass covered tanks deal with this? Is there anything else I should be looking out for?

Thanks,
Kathy

 

[Dman]

Glass covers bad, open tops good.

 

[Kathy55g]

I thought you had glass covers....

 

[Dman]

Glasses, yes. Glass covers, no.
I often use them early on on new pairs to keep them from carpet surfing, but other-wise, tools be damned.

 

[tanglovers]

Doesn't Fishboy use glass covers on his growout tanks?

Dman - what are the major drawbacks of the glass covers? Does it just limit the gas exchange too much?

I am asking because on my brrodstock system I made covers for, no issues yet but new enough thinking maybe I made a mistake. The system is seven 10 gallons and four 29 gallons hooked to a 100 gallon rubbermade sump. The 11 aquariums have glass tops and the sump is open.....sounding like a poor design? Any insight is appreciated. I like Kathy did it to reduce the evaporation and humity of the room.

 

[Fishboy42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8441001#post8441001 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tanglovers
Doesn't Fishboy use glass covers on his growout tanks?

Yep, and broodstock too

I did it to prevent jumpers and reduce evaporation. I haven't had any water-quality issues from it (that I know of!).

I think it helps that I pump a lot of air into the tanks (airstone with heavy flow in each tank--without a lid the salt creep/spray would be horrible), that part of the sump is open (2-foot section of 10-foot sumps), and I run heavy skimming. Gas exchange also occurs in the large trickle filters. I still get some evaporation, as there is significant humid air coming out of the systems, but much less than if they were uncovered. I stock up to 20 fish/gallon in the growout tanks, but a bit more than 1/3 of the system volume is in the sump.

Old picture of one of the broodstock systems, but shows the lid configuration I'm still using:
edit: fixed image

 

[Atticus]

I used lids with no ill effects also.

Note: all of my tanks had individual HOB filters.

 

[Baalz]

Glass tops are fine if you have no heat issues and you can keep them aerated enough.

 

[David M]

Interesting, I was planning to cover all my tanks as soon as the temp starts dropping, hadn't even considered gas exchange Also I'm tired of finding clowns all over the place ( in sumps, in the wrong tanks, on the floor... )

 

[ediaz]

I cover the dotty tanks with an acrilic cover, I noticed the air loked in is very warm and theres is condensation. I have not lost a fish and they seem fine no one gasping for air, if the system is good you will have a fair gas exchange.

I also have a tank with one of the 104th bags over it same situation, I am planning on using bags for all.

WIth this you will save on electricity and will keep the humidity lower.

Ed

 

[Kathy55g]

What is 104th bag?
Thanks Ed!

 

[ediaz]

104th street is where most of the fish wholealers are, aka David's Disneyland.

There are two basic boxes you can ship fish in, the one from Florida mainly freshwater really long, and the ones used by most of the wholesalers at 104th, the one you see at most petstores when they get their fish in. The big bag that it the size of the full box, we call it a 104 bag to reference size.



Ed

 

[David M]

aka David's Disneyland.

Yup

I especially like taking FNG's up there, they run around like mad, big grin from ear to ear. They drop $600, make all the minimums for me, pay for the gas, buy me lunch, and all the way home they thank me profusely for saving them so much money.

Oh yea, it's shameless, but a free lunch is a free lunch :lol:

 

[Kathy55g]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8443002#post8443002 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by David M
Interesting, I was planning to cover all my tanks as soon as the temp starts dropping, hadn't even considered gas exchange Also I'm tired of finding clowns all over the place ( in sumps, in the wrong tanks, on the floor... )

Ha ha. I usually find them dessicated in the salt creep, but lately I found one in my partially covered sump. There was a one inch crack that the lucky fish landed in, and I found him the next morning swimming all alone in the sump!

 

[David M]

My buddy caught two out of one of the sumps yesterday, very skinny fish There is a tomato living in my 175 gallon bin with the G5 and bio filter, I don't know how he stays clear of those 3 pumps plus the circ pump, tough fish I guess. I have an arabian pseudo that managed to get into a 130 with about 150lbs LR, been there for 6 months plus, I doubt he's ever comming out Took an acrobatic feat to there too, had to bank off the wall and tailwalk across the cover to fine the opening. The best one ever is a juvie oc that went from a growout tank on the second level into a brood pair tank on the top shelf above him :eek1: I have NO CLUE how he pulled that off I was not happy, the pair was not happy and he was certainly not happy :lol:

 

[Cuervo]

Do you think a lid made out of nylon screen would stop the salt creep and acrobats but still allow for air circulation?

 

[aomont]

David, is the broodstock tank in the same system of the tank the oc was in ? Maybe that´s happened to the oc friend of the sump´s tomato when he got sucked by a pump !
Anderson.

 

[Steevo]

Interesting thread!
What I've done in the past is use Nylon screening (as Cuervo suggested) for the back half of the tank and a sliding glass top for the front portion. The tank trim was removed and the screening was put in place then the trim was put back on (w/ silicone). Any plumbing into the tank went through a slit in the screening. The glass rides the tank trim while the screening is sitting slightly under it. It made a nice fit.
Steve

 

[Kathy55g]

Welcome Steevo! Interesting idea!

 

[Dman]

Like I don't already have enough work to do, now I have to re-think the whole glass top thing, there goes another couple of weekends. Good thing is that with all this extra work on the wekends Christmas will be here before I know it (and probably before I'm ready).