Should I put a glass top on my aquarium?

[rjjr1963]

I'm building a mixed reef tank and I had planned on using the old fashioned glass tops with lids that lift up in the front. I don't want my fish to jump out is this best way to prevent that and will it be detrimental to lighting?

 

[laga77]

Skip the glass and use the mesh from BRS.

 

[TatorTaco]

While I agree with laga77 that mesh might be better, wouldn't a glass lid prevent/reduce evaporation?

 

[rjjr1963]

I was wondering about evaporation as well I'll just have to set up an ATO.

 

[chimmike]

glass is going to build up water and salt creep and drastically reduce the PAR from your lighting.

 

[Sk8r]

If your sump is well-exposed to air and you have a good skimmer it is ok. I run such a system with no trouble.

 

[Cliving1]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2548838

Here is some good advice for a thread similar to yours I started. I ended up going with the BRS screen. Cheap (as far as equipment goes) and was easy to setup. Hope this helps!

 

[rjjr1963]

Cheap is good. At one point I estimated close to 10K to get a 180 set up. As I've learned more I managed to revise that number down but it's still over 5K. Gulp!

 

[Silly clownfish]

I personally like glass lids. They keep the evaporation down, and thereby don't contribute to humidity in your house (a plus in the summer). They also keep dust, dog hair, and other airborne stuff (furniture spray vapors, etc) out of the tank. I have used glass lids on my t
Reef tanks for 18 years. I also don't have much issue with salt creep - the water on the lid is from evaporation so doesn't have salt in it. If you have your pumps agitating the surface to the point of getting spray on the lid that's what causes salt build up.

And what Sk8er said - if you have an uncovered sump (or an HOB skimmer) you have plenty of air exchange.

 

[Deleted member 336650]

A glass top can also trap heat in your aquarium.

 

[Jscwerve]

I had sort of the same question earlier this week. I think it is probably situation specific. Personally I live in an extremely DRY climate. Additionally, I don't want a traditional wood canopy. I have a sump that is open and a skimmer so plenty will still evaporate. I ordered my glass tops today.

I'm actually hoping to mitigate my evaporation from 2.5 to about 1.5 gallons a day. Also, I'm using LEDs and all the reading I found said that the PAR loss is marginal. Maybe it's a different story with T5s.

My tank is 125gal.

 

[Jscwerve]

Oh, almost forgot to mention, I keep my house at a steady 66 degrees. A few higher in the summer. Keeping the heat in is a good thing for me, my heater (just one for the moment) is on non-stop. I'm hoping to trap some of the heat.

 

[champion6sigma]

I've got a great book written by an expert who has more experience than most people on this website. He likes lids, and sees no issue with glass lids. Book is not from this decade...but info should still apply. Especially in today's world of led lights and pumps like my mp40's which the motors reside on the outside...everything is more efficient in 2016.

I also have dogs, and there is enough particles on ground to know that there is a ton of stuff in air. Those with hard floors and pets should agree. Even if you don't have pets usually...but the mesh things are cool too.

No one wants to have a fish jump out of tank and be dead when you wake up in morning. Some sort of lid is necessary in my opinion.

I live in texas. I still need to use a heater. House stays around 71-74

 

[oh207]

It will be detrimental to gas exchange. And as mentioned, salt creep will quickly reduce the lights PAR.
Best to use a screen mesh such as the one sold by BRS. Or you can pickup similar materials from a local hardware store or Home Depot.

 

[champion6sigma]

Gas exchange is important so it's not recommended to have a sealed or tomb for a cover...there should be some sort of perimeter or ability for gas exchange. The sump, external filter loop, etc..also assist in oxygenation. Tank covers are meant to minimize salt loss. They also reduce heat loss from evaporation. Keeping motile livestock in the tank is important. I'm not sure how much PAR is affected by a cloudy glass cover. Or how LED or other is better at penetration. Most of us with led"s have ability to increase power or lower the fixture...

Well, I won't argue with everyone's opinion. I just wanted to add some things I read from a respected author, aquarist.

 

[sde1500]

I ran a glass lid on my nano tank. Kept debris out sure, but man the amount of salt creep on it was awful. You have to clean it very regularly, every few days, just to keep it from looking terrible. Didn't feel like going through that hassle this time around.

 

[kurt_n]

... I think it is probably situation specific...

This, I think.

I've run a glass top since day 1 and is coming up on 10 years now. No issues with gas exchange since the back couple inches or so is open. Yeah... it gets some salt buildup on it, but even dirty it only knocks down the PAR output by 10%.

Personally, I think it falls in the the "give it a try" category. It's not going to mess anything up one way or another.

 

[Waters40]

I have ran my tanks both ways, and definitely prefer without the glass lid for no other reason than the constant maintenance to keep it clean. I did not notice any health benefits to my tanks one way or another. That being said, my current tank is open topped.

 

[dweber618]

Agreed - I have a glass top that covers 2/3 of my tank. It definitely helps with evaporation. For me - the salt creep is insignificant, almost non-existent. I do run an open top sump which also helps with air exchange. The next thing I'm going to do is put screening over the entire top, but still keep the two glass panels to help with evaporation. Also - I have seen no ill effects with growth of my coral (I do not have SPS though). The growth in my tank is crazy right now.

I would try both ways and see what works best for you. Like a lot of things in this hobby - see what works with your set up and what your comfortable with. Especially with this topic, I've seen either side of the spectrum from a lot of people.

 

[BlackTip]

I use glass top, and I like it. It reduces gas exchange, but that can be supplemented with open top sump and good skimmer. Salt creep is not all that much. I clean the glass tops every couple of month or so. It reduces light, but that can be supplemented by good light. My light is running at 80%, and my corals are happy. The biggest pros for me is the reduction of evaporation. Less humidity to deal with inside the house and less fresh water to use.