to canopy or not to canopy?

[woogy]

I was thinking of getting a canopy for my 29. My house is old and a lot of dust gets on my light fixture and the top of my hob skimmer so I figure some is getting in the tank as well. I already have a glass top over the top but the back is pretty much wide open. Is this bad for gas exchange? Will my lights get too hot for the canopy???

 

[Agu]

I don't like full canopies or sealed tanks, heat becomes an issue. There's also retricted access to the tank to deal with.

 

[orbit]

depending on the kind of light ( MH or T5), a full canopy will create alot of heat, u can install fans to cool it off,

as for a glass cover, i heard it was bad for the tank,i kinda forgot the reason why, maybe some one here knows y

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11580195#post11580195 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by orbit
depending on the kind of light ( MH or T5), a full canopy will create alot of heat, u can install fans to cool it off,

as for a glass cover, i heard it was bad for the tank,i kinda forgot the reason why, maybe some one here knows y [/QUOTE

I agree alot of air exchange occurs at the surface of the tank--this area should be kept really turbulent by power heads etc.--I would remove the glass

I have a wooden canopy over my light fixture below--it has been a real limiting factor for lighting due to heat issues. I can only run 150 halides and have had to cut two 4 inch holes in the top and install fans to dissipate the heat.