Do you guys use tops or no ?

[Katrina71]

I am really lucky. I have access to CNC's and lasers at work. I made my own acrylic / mesh lid. The only acrylic I had at the time was too thin for using anything other than little acrylic bolts to hold the mesh in place but it works. When I get the chance I may try to find another way to mount the screen into the acrylic without the bolts.

I made a small cut out for the Eheim feeder mount.

Tabs used in the design made for a good hold along the edge of the tank.

My weapon of choice.

Excellent DIY!

 

[shred5]

I do use them..
Recently transferring some of my clowns for breeding into new tanks so I had not built a top yet for their new tank. In two nights both parents jumped.

D-D aquarium jumpguard is the best for DYI...

I love the way it sits on the glass.

 

[LarryP25]

Glass for all the positive reasons stated above. I did try 3/8 acrylic, but the sagging made me switch to glass. Does anyone have experience with 1/4 or thicker acrylic sagging?

 

[Steve Bullington]

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

Personal preference. But I use egg crate, and when I'm away or at night. During the day I'm Topples.

 

[Lorenzo Angotti]

I got my self a White Ex-Cel Integral Foam PVC Sheet for the top of my white Aqua Marine Reef 400 which matches perfectly. The tank originally came with two glass panes on top which I found a bit dangerous if they were to drop on the floor so I replaced them with 2 clear Perspex sheets which I drilled holes through so that a build of condensation was reduced to a minimum. My Orbit Marine 36”-48” IC Loop pro dual Led System w/Hub-Current USA sits under the Perspex above the water level and the white top fits on top of the Perspex.
I prefer to have a top on my tank for one thing, if your fish are prone to jump out of the water they can’t, another thing it keeps any fish smell to a minimum and to me my lights are hidden. I prefer not to see lights hanging over my tank on brackets or cables as I like to see the tank in all of its glory, without my eyes getting distracted by over hanging lights.
Here are a few photos

 

[ChiSox Rabbitfish]

No top on mine never have never will

 

[trmiv]

I use the Red Sea DIY net cover with my Reefer 350.

 

[Rich Klein]

DIY Mesh from Red Sea. Don't need to clean the glass, keeps the fish in, and let's more light in.

 

[Rich Klein]

I use a mesh lid from Octo Aquatics.

I am very happy with my DIY Red Sea, but your top is really sweet looking!

 

[Ferrell]

DIY Screentop from BRS