Do you guys use tops or no ?

Sailfinguy21 · Jun 19, 2019

Just curious.. I have glass tops on my 135. 3 of em are 18x18x18 tops from a whicker table set i once had.. they fit perfectly on my 138 like exact perfecfly.. and for the middle of the tank i use two smaller rectable sized glass peices one for the front and one in the back. I put a small foam peice under them so i can slide the front open to work on the tank.

The main reason i have the tops is because water tends to splatter from my HOBS i use due to the bubbles.. and i dont want that on my T5 reflectors.. even though they are 7 inches above the tank.

2nd reason is in case fish try to jump out.

The only downside i noticed is the tops act like reflectors when they get white and they block alot of light.. i can pull one off and move it back om and keep going off on and look at the sand bed or corals and see the light intensity change.

I imagine if i can see the light changing like that.. then thats a pretty noticable drop in par.. I clean the tops with a rag in the sink but they get dirty again of course.

Again i could keep them off... but then i gatta worry about splatter and fish jumping out. Id hate to have a tang or something get spooked one day and jump..

What do you guys think ? Or what do you do ? With your tanks

IslandLifeReef · Jun 19, 2019

I keep a top made with outdoor screen frame and small pond netting. It's just to keep the fish and snails inside the tank. :)

Flippers4pups · Jun 19, 2019

Canopy here.

Sailfinguy21 · Jun 19, 2019

Here this is what mine looks like.. it works great.. but i dislike how much light it blocks when dirty

Daniel@R2R · Jun 19, 2019

I use a mesh top. I wouldn't use glass tops because of some of the issues you already named (like the build up on it which will block light) and also because of restricting gas exchange. My .02.

Idoc · Jun 19, 2019

Screen tops here

sghera64 · Jun 19, 2019

1/4” square hole mesh top. Brought mesh from BRS, and hot glued it to a DYI acrylic frame.

Glass also traps heat like a greenhouse effect (ok, “like”. More like ‘exactly’).

My biggest concern is the light scatter. You are losing PAR.

Regarding gas exchange. That’s an interesting one as I see it. If you have a “low pH” problem, then preventing gas exchange from the room (if high in CO2 due to people/pets) is a good thing - - especially if you are purging CO2 from the system by taking outside air in through your skimmer. This is the problem I have and the only reason I would like to seal my tank surface off from the room. But, there are other ways for me to deal with this (like not worrying about it too much).

My $0.02: trade the glass for mesh. At some point, you will have a fish jump. In my case they jump into the overflow about 2x as often as on the floor.

dugthefish · Jun 19, 2019

I like glass tops for keeping splashes down and reducing evaporation, but cleaning them gets to be a drag. Screen tops work best for me.

GoldeneyeRet · Jun 19, 2019

All tanks need lids, IMO.

Mesh lids are the way to go. Glass will injure jumpers and they are a pain to keep clean

Tastee · Jun 20, 2019

Custom 1/4” mesh lid from Artfully Acrylic (now Clearview Lids I believe). Love it.

EMeyer · Jun 20, 2019

concerns about PAR loss are overblown, IMO. I measure perhaps a 5% loss from dirty glass.

Likewise, concerns about needing to clean the glass never made a lot of sense to me, since the other glass surfaces in the aquarium also need to be cleaned regularly.

Lots of ways to succeed in reefing, I'm just saying glass lids are one of these...

Jon Fishman · Jun 20, 2019

Topless

Bentonb · Jun 20, 2019

Screen Lid here, bought a kit from BRS and made it myself.

nickkohrn · Jul 31, 2019

Bentonb said:
Screen Lid here, bought a kit from BRS and made it myself.

I've been thinking about getting one from BRS. I have mounting arms for my lights that rest on the tank, so I will need to order extra corners so that I can make the screen fit around them. Did you have to do anything similar, or was it a simple rectangular shape to fit the top of your tank?

Daniel@R2R · Jul 31, 2019

I bought a premade mesh top from Artfully Acrylic. It works great. Octo Aquatics also makes them and does an amazing job. BRS is definitely the DIY route, and lots of people like those too

Aardvark1134 · Jul 31, 2019

Acrylic tops or polycarbonite

dsh92056 · Jul 31, 2019

I use a mesh lid from Octo Aquatics.

ShellSea · Jul 31, 2019

Tastee said:
Custom 1/4” mesh lid from Artfully Acrylic (now Clearview Lids I believe). Love it.

I am a big plus 1 on Clearview above. I did a lot of research because I also saw and measured a huge par drop where I just had glass strips on the back 6 in. Especially if u got a little salt creep! I tried the DIY screen but not happy with my lack of expertise. My Clearview is in production and I hope to get it soon.