Plexiglass lid?

[leighla wolf]

I have a fluval evo 13.5 aio system and am upgrading my light to the ai prime 16. I wanted to do a mesh lid but have huskies and shepherds and the hair is ridiculous! If I do a custom plexiglass lid to fit the tank and drill small holes throughout the lid will it 1. Be enough gas exchange (the back chambers will be exposed)
2. Allow enough light to disperse throughout the tank
3. Not raise my tank temperature too much because the holes I’d be drilling in the lid?

Ps if anyone has a better idea they’ve used please share because the dog hair is horrendous!

 

[Peace River]

Do you think that dog hair will go through a DIY lid made with window screen?

 

[leighla wolf]

Do you think that dog hair will go through a DIY lid made with window screen?

Yes. The sand, dander, and dirt get a little obscene at times.

 

[smacbride]

If you run a skimmer you are good for gas exchange. I’ve been running salt talks for 30 years and I’ve always had plexiglass or glass tops.

Yes heat could be an issue, you’ll need to watch that.

 

[Peace River]

The plexiglass will reduce the PAR a little, but the AI Prime 16 should be able to make up for that and the air exchange should be okay if there is any turbulence in the back chamber. The temperature will probably be the main thing to watch, but that will also depend on the air temperature around the tank as well. It sounds like you may need to experiment with a few approaches to see what is right for your tank. I know that sometimes when I have used plexiglass in the past that it tends to warp over time.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

hi,

The only thing I will add is on the AI prime watch the uv led and the plexi. Depending on how close the unit is and how high the setting is, it could burn the plexi pretty quick. I torched my armchair with my hd52 when I rest my unit on the chair for a few seconds with it on without realizing it.It started smoking.