Be honest here! Are you protecting your fish from......

Are you using a tank cover to protect your fish from certain death?

  • YES, I'm a good daddy/mama!

    Votes: 951 69.1%
  • NO, I like to gamble!

    Votes: 330 24.0%
  • What's a tank cover?

    Votes: 95 6.9%

  • Total voters
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revhtree

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Be honest here! Are you protecting your fish from the floor? :p

How do you protect them from the floor? Well a tank cover of course! But there are pros and cons to covering your tank and the cons may keep people from actually using a cover.

Pro: Keeps those fish likely to jump in the tank and safe!

Con: Is annoying to constantly have to remove to work in the tank.

What are some pros and cons that you know of?

4b13f71b4f215388d122f139fd24482b.jpg

image via @MadCityReefer
 

TvanB1

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I don’t have any cords coming out of my display tank so the top is fully sealed with 1/4” mesh screening. IMO - With wrasses and gobies its not a matter of IF, its a matter of WHEN.
I see/hear them jump and hit the netting pretty often.
Screen tops are not very pricey so id say it’s definitely worth it. Its saved me a ton of fish.
 
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RMS18

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I learned this is a must 6 months after starting this hobby. I have lost a clown fish, goby, and a wrasse before using a lid. I have had 2 wrasses jump out during water changes, one of them i caught in the air! I have an acrylic lid from a vendor on here who i would not recommend so i will leave the company name out. Next lid will be made by Artfully Acrylic.
 

DarkSky

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I have a euro braced tank and some tops I made from screen door frames and 1/4" clear netting. I'm going to switch to black netting soon as I've seen a few fellow hobbyists in the area using it and it looks so much better and doesn't seem to block any additional light from the tank.

The only place my fish sometimes end up is in my overflow, but I can deal with that. :)
 

LetItReef

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I would like to have a cover this time for my 20g drop off but I need a material that has a thinner mesh/lining.
I feel like the cover I had on my previous tank Nuvo 40 has a thick mesh and just blocks the light.
 
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link81

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I'm currently running egg crate. but i don't like the squares it casts over the tank with the LED's so i cut out the center. I also have some piping that sticks up above the tank line. Trying to figure out a way to build a screen cover to accommodate it all. Might just cut it 1" short to accommodate wires, and cut out the bit of mesh where the pipes stick up.
 

jsvand5

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I use a mesh top on my rimless. Lost an expensive and hard to find clown and I wasn’t willing to risk it anymore. My bigger tank has a canopy and I covered the opening along the back of the canopy with gutter guard. It’s a good feeling to not have to worry about jumpers anymore.
 

jwt1603

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I'm currently running egg crate. but i don't like the squares it casts over the tank with the LED's so i cut out the center. I also have some piping that sticks up above the tank line. Trying to figure out a way to build a screen cover to accommodate it all. Might just cut it 1" short to accommodate wires, and cut out the bit of mesh where the pipes stick up.

I used the Red Sea kit to make my screen cover. Being new to the hobby a year or so ago I didn't realize that the fish would jump out. Lost one then ordered a top. Lost another one while the top was on order. Haven't lost one since it went on. I do hear them hit it every once in a while.

The Red Sea has a bunch of corners and pre-made zig-zag cut outs you can use to make it what ever shape you need to allow for plumbing, wires, feeders, light mounts, etc.

It comes off easy enough for maintenance and I don't lose fish so I'm fine with the minor issue of taking it off and putting it back on.
 

Greybeard

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Talk about a pejoritive question...

No, I don't cover my tank. It's a look thing... and no, I won't be putting a cover on it.

And Yes, I consider myself a very contientious caregiver for my marine friends.

The two are NOT oxymorons.

I make an effort to select fishes that are not known jumpers.
I attempt to keep agression between fishes to an absolute minimum.
I keep stocking levels low... uncrowded conditions.
I feed heavily, and often, under the theory that fat and happy fishes are less likely to jump.
I strive to keep outside influences... sudden lighting changes, loud noises, banging on tank, etc. as rare as possible.

I have lost ONE fish to jumping in two and a half years. Including that loss, I've lost a grand total of TWO fishes, period, since I started this tank. One was the jumper... a caramel clown, the 2nd was one of a pair of Spotbreast Angels that just never really acclimated. Lasted about 2 weeks after purchase, but displayed stress signs over pretty much the entire time I had her. The 2nd Spotbreast, purchased at the same time, is healthy and growing.

How many other reefkeepers here with a 2.5 year old tank can honestly say that they've only lost two fish?

FTS_040118.jpg
 

hanas

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I can honestly say it, been 3 years with no lost fish due to jumping (or illness) in my 140G SPS tank. I don't have an overly aggressive tank which I feel from past experience could be a reason for the success. In my last tank, I had a powder blue tang that was aggressive at times and that led to fish getting startled and jumping. This new setup, nothing so far and I won't be planning a cover based on that.

I also strongly agree that fish selection plays a role, but feel aggression of their tank mates is a bigger driver.
 

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