Going topless

M

msteele

New member
After fighting and spending a lot of money to control the temperature of my water in my 12g Nanocube I'm thinking about going topless.

I've been reading about different lighting fixtures, specifically the JBJ K2 Viper Lamp Series II.
Does anyone have any experience with this light?
Would you suggest the 70w or the 150w for a 12g?

Somewhere on the web I have seen a version with a fan and LED's. Is the fan necessary?

Is a glass top necessary or can I literally go topless? And, if a glass top is necessary, do you know if one is available for the nanocube and if I'll have to worry about heat issues again.

If you had one, is there anything you would have liked to have known about it before you purchased it? Would you buy it again?

Thanks!
 
Going topless is fine if you don't have any fish that will jump. A 70w sunpod might be good. I don't know how they would fit on top of a 75g, but they have leds too.
 
i had the sunpod 150w on my 12g. it worked fine. No heat issues really. kept the temp @ about 80. i have not seen one that has an external fan only the internal to keep the workings of the lights at a decent temp so stuff doesnt start to melt. If you have jumpers than i suggest some kind of a top. aquariumpart.com has glass lids but i only see them for the aquapods
 
I'll never go back to wearing a top, since I've seen the freedom going topless gives;)

Since I replaced my homemade canopy with a PC fixture, my temps are more stable, don't peak as high, and my pH actually went up - from 7.8 to 8.0. Adding an Aquaclear mod refugium full of chaeto bumped it up again.

As for fish jumping, you don't need a glass cover. I'm going to make a plastic mesh cover out of coarse window screen or similar; keeps fish in but doesn't keep oxygen out.
 
Taking apart a shower soap puff make for great screen in a window frame. Its stretchy and very thin. I used one (got the idea while in the shower) and it has help up pretty good.
 
I have the Aqua Pod 12 gallon. I took the top off because the temp was to hard to keep stable with it on. I am using a the Coralife HQI 150W MH clip on fixture. I think it is a better built light than the JBJ Viper. For one thing it does have an internal cooling fan and it also has a bigger head on it with a lot more reflector area.

I didnt want to hang the fixture on the tank so I made up a stand that sits behind the tank for the fixture to be mounted on.
The light can be adjusted in three different ways and is very easy to make it fit just where you want it to get the best light into the tank. As far as temp goes, I have a 12v dc fan mounted on the stand that I made for the light to be mounted on and I usually have to turn it on after the light has been on for about 3 hrs.
With the 150 on that small tank I only run it for 5 hrs a day.

I also have a DIY PC fixture that I made from the parts removed from the factory lighted lid. I had an old fresh water strip light that I took the guts out of and cut down in length to fit the tank and that is what I mounted the PC actinic bulb, reflector and ballast in to make the DIY fixture. This way I run the actinic light before and after the MH. The only thing about this is that I do have to set the PC fixture on to run it and take it off to run the MH, but that is easy enough.

If you have any known jumpers you might want to add some kind of top to the tank but as others have said it doesn't have to be glass. Sorry to be so long, I hope this helps answer your questions.
 
I have a 6g nano cube "topless" with a JBJ Viper K2 70w MH & Love it!

works GREAT! No heat issues at all. my tank stays right between 78-80 24/7.

Go with the 70w IMO ;)
 
I haven't had a top on my 20ga for about three years. Granted, it's not an all-inclusive system like the cubes so I never had that big of a heat problem. I also don't heat my tanks, so...

I gave up on tops after I lost my favorite fish to the carpet WITH a top on. I figured that if they're really that determined to get out, they'll find that 1/2" hole. You'll have to keep on top of evaporation, as you'll see your water level drop very quickly.
 
I hate my glass cover but I am using it ever since my clown jumped out. I am cutting a sheet of plexi-glass to fit my 10 but I still would like something better maybe.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12083450#post12083450 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefer07
I hate my glass cover but I am using it ever since my clown jumped out. I am cutting a sheet of plexi-glass to fit my 10 but I still would like something better maybe.
Click to expand...

You can make a frame & then cover it with a 1/4" sq. or 3/8" sq. wire hardware cloth. It will keep the fish in but let the heat out. Plus its not thick so it wont block the light :thumbsup:
 
I got rid of my glass top, not for heat issues, but because it was too hard to keep the salt spray off it. Cut down the light getting into the tank too much. Only real issue I've found is that I need about twice as much make-up water now.

Phil
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12077442#post12077442 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tbundy
"shower soap puff" ???
Click to expand...

Hay....I think I met her at a strip club.....LOL LOL LOL :eek1: :dance:
 
For those of you without all-in-ones, here's the way to go. Can't get the pic turned.

bucketsojurn006.jpg
 
I used to have a 150W sunpod over my nano. Great fixture if you like having the fixture sit on your tank. I also had glass sit on top of my tank. However, keeping the glass clean became a chore. If you can put on the clear wire screens, that's probably the best option, if you have jumpers.
 
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