Who has an open top + feline?

[butrya03]

just got a kitten a few months ago and my tank has no lid/glass top, just a curtain around mh/vho light fixture. she drank out of the sump once, and for some reason wants nothing to do with the tank anymore. the dogs, however, are fascinated by the fish.

 

[KarlBob]

Back in my freshwater days I had a 20 gallon tall aquarium with a lid. My cat decided that the warm fluorescent tube made that lid a good place to sleep. One day he jumped up there and the lid gave way. The result: One wet, unhappy cat and some freaked-out fish. I was afraid the light would zap the tank and the cat, but it didn't. I did pull the plug as soon as I saw the lid collapse, though. That cat has never messed with fish tanks again, covered or not.

 

[Fazulka]

My cat used to watch the 10g fresh tank we had, but never attacked. I did see him test the water through a hole in the lid once and decide it was not for him. Our 40 is open on top and the cat ignores it. It is on the pass through bar between the living room and kitchen and he know he gets sprayed with a water sprayer if he goes on the counter. He will not go near the fish tank.

 

[Dragonlady]

Most cats are smarter than you think.

 

[ChuckLawson]

Years ago I had an open-topped planted FW tank. The tank was 30" deep, lit with metal halide pendants, and had a 1" metal grate about 6" above the water line. I had a cat that'd go up there, but never really figured they could bother anything.

After awhile, I started coming up missing some cory catfish, and with some sneaky observation, I caught my fisher-cat in the act.

What he'd do is lay down on top of the grate, so he could look through, and stretch a front leg through another hole as far as he could. He'd then watch for one of the catfish to make a quick trip to the surface, as they do occasionally, and then nab it with his leg stretched through the grate. I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it.

Since then, no more open top tanks. I'm just in the process of setting up an open top 210, however, in my home office -- a room where cats aren't allowed

 

[ChuckLawson]

(errr.... that's a 1" mesh on that metal grate (repurposed bit of caging material))

 

[KDDG]

Our cat once got behind our tank stand and into the quarantine tank that was running copper. It shut his kidneys down and almost killed him. We are building our new tank now & there will be a fish room with a closed door to keep him out.