Glass top; on or off?

I like the glass top off to also allow heat to escape and allow evap if tank gets hot....plus the shimmer looks better...
 
does the glass top skew the led's in any way I am in the same boat with kids and kittens in the house they are needed and I do want to get leds eventually to try out..good question will follow this thread.
 
All my tanks have had glass tops. Mainly to fight Evaporation and humidity. Not for any other reason.
 
i am interested too. i have an acrylic top to lower evaporation and splashing. does this effect LED lighting into the tank? does it lower par?
 
What about your inhabitants? Any known jumpers? If so, the tops can really help. eggcrate can help too. But otherwise, you really have to clean them a lot cuz of saltcreep. They will also interfer with light and hold heat. I'd lose it.
 
I keep glass toos to keep heat in, my tanks heaters are on for more of the year than not, and heating can be one of the largest costs. Mesh tops are Great for jumpers, but I think a glass topped tank has a much cleaner look. I see no noticeable effect on shimmer, nor the life in tank. Salt creep has never been an issue, I clean the glass maybe every month to 2. If you have splashing water, that is where salt will build. Like a pimp pointed at the surface of the water.

As for LEDs.....Condensation is very noticeable when the tank is warmer than the air. My halides burn this off in 10-15 minutes since they have more infrared heat. LEDs have very little, so the condensation may also add to the little bit of PAR lost to the glass if it can't dry that condensation.
 
that Fish Guy said:
How much Light and PAR does a Glass Top take out hindering you Corals?

10%, 20%, 30%, etc.
Click to expand...

I have not actually measured it, my local clubs PAR meter seemed to be stuck in the hands of a few people last I checked. I have seen people post hat it was in the 7-10% area. If I ever get my hands on that or another meter, I will measure it with fairly dirty glass, clean glass, totally open, and with a mesh top.
 
James77 said:
I have not actually measured it, my local clubs PAR meter seemed to be stuck in the hands of a few people last I checked. I have seen people post hat it was in the 7-10% area. If I ever get my hands on that or another meter, I will measure it with fairly dirty glass, clean glass, totally open, and with a mesh top.
Click to expand...

Great.

That would be excellent information for us to have.

Thanks James
 
I have been thinking about the same thing for my new tank set up. Is glass prefrrable to acrylic, or does it really matter?
 
brubakron said:
I have been thinking about the same thing for my new tank set up. Is glass prefrrable to acrylic, or does it really matter?
Click to expand...

Both are going to get dirty, salt creep, water stained. Which one will be the easier to clean after 4 or 5 years and not be all scratched up? Also glass is easy to clean, lamps are not if they get splashed or water stains, the same goes for reflectors. I built a canopy one time with 99% chrome reflectors for my T5's. After about 3 years the reflectors where worthless. My 300 is open top, but the pendants have glass sheilds and are easy to clean. I think it helps lamps last longer since there is no moisture. I know if I spent several thousand on LEDS I would have glass tops.
 
I use a glass top. Cats, kids, dust, humidity, etc. It's pretty easy now to get enough lighting to make up for that small difference.
 
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