Show me your glass top

[Ocicat]

I'd love to see pics of tanks running with glass tops.

I am starting to plan for a new tank. It is quite an adventure figuring everything out after a ~10-yr hiatus - amazing how much has changed. And it seems like while I was away, the open-top look completely took over. I am prioritizing low-maintenance, low-complexity this time around, but I cannot even find something like the AIO Red Sea Max 250 I last ran (while living abroad) & really liked, because now all the RSMs appear to be topless.

Totally open top isn't a good option for me because I have 3 cats (one of whom is perpetually hungry), plus I am not interested in dealing with the amount of evaporation it would cause.

I've heard/read conflicting reports on whether or not glass tops show significant salt creep and/or collect a ton of condensation. Aesthetics are right up there in priority with low-maintenance, as the setup will be in my dining room, so a dirty/salty top is to be avoided. Thus... I am looking for real-world pics. TIA!

 

[LQT]

I had a glass lid on my tank many years ago... not a fan. I think most in the hobby have shied away from glass tops and have moved over to screen tops. Glass gets dirty, caked with salt creep, blocks light, traps heat and reduces gas exchange. I use a simple DIY screen door kit with 1/4” netting. Nice, clean looking, inexpensive and prevents my fish from going carpet surfing.

It nicely preserves the rimless aesthetic. Looking at the tank head on, you can’t even tell it’s there.

There are companies out there like Octo Aquatics or Artfully Acrylic that also make nice custom polycarbonate screened lids with feed doors and cord cut outs. These can get quite pricy though.

https://octoaquatics.com/product/octo-lids/

https://www.clearviewlids.com/

 

[alton]

Here is my 65 at work which is rimless. I decided to go with a polycarbonate top. It cuts down on evaporation plus protects my leds and hopefully stops cleaning people from spraying a cleaner in my tank? The second is my 310 and with the black trim the glass tops are fine.

 

[Ocicat]

Thank you both for your input and pics! My main concern with a mesh top is that 3 cats + 3 people + hardwood floors = lots of hair/dust floating about...

Also, as I am familiarizing myself with the lighting options available these days I feel like I may want to do a combo of LED + T5 to lessen the blue effect & add a bit more shimmer... which would probably be best hidden by a canopy.

 

[billdogg]

I used a glass top on my 60 cube for the first 15 years I had it. It was a great tank but I was always battling one thing or another. Heat was always an issue. When the glass finally broke I switched to DIY screen tops. Within days the tank perked up and never looked better. I kept that tank until I upgraded in 2013 to a 120, so 22 years total. I should never have used the glass tops IMO.

At the time I had 2 cats, 3 dogs, lots of people in and out, etc. Dust/hair/etc were never a problem.

 

[wildman926]

I have glass tops on both of my 90g and 150g. Salt creep is no big deal. I only clean them as needed, about every 6 months. I will post pics later when the lights come on. It helps with humidity, and evaporation. My cabinet is open backed, so no issues with heat, and skimmer provides all the aeration they need.