A newbie sort of question

sunshyne · 03-01-2004, 02:15 AM

To cover, or not to cover, that is the question.

We are just setting up a new reef tank. We'd had a small saltwater tank a few years ago but never endeavored into anything this big.

I didn't know if an acrylic lid atop the tank is a good idea or not. Is a glass one?

I'm sorry if this seems a simple question, but just curious the tho'ts on this.

Thanks in Advance -

gregt · 03-01-2004, 04:38 AM

I wouldn't. It prevents gas exchange and evaporation. Many people use eggcrate instead to prevent fish from jumping out.

tims · 03-01-2004, 06:17 AM

also depending on your lighting... and the amount of heat ......

whitmi · 03-01-2004, 08:05 AM

So, what if you have a sump under the tank that is open for evaporation and gas exchange, then is it okay to have a cover?

And, does leaving it uncovered reduce heat?

salt creepette · 03-01-2004, 08:30 AM

on the second question, leaving the lid off can reduce heat. whether its necessary for that reason varies from tank to tank. if you have light that puts out a lot of heat, then you may need to use a chiller or leave the lid off. even that may not be enough. in my 120 that i just bought, the guy who sold it to me had to install fans in the canopy to facilitate air flow, and it only has 4x96w pcs. of course light that heats the water has the added benefit of not having to use a heater (or at least that much). then again, a heater helps keep the water temps more stable when the lights arent on. tell us more about your setup, and also, what part of texas are you in?

whitmi · 03-01-2004, 10:20 AM

Thanks, I'm just a few months into this new hobby of mine...

I have a 55 gal reef-gonna-be (softies) - I just finished a 5 week cycle with live rock and added some hermits, a shrimp, and a sand sifting star...I have 260w of pcs on the tank. The temperature is sitting at 80 with no heater. I just propped the lights up off the glass cover and set a fan to come on with the lights to try to lower the temp a little (no canopy, yet).

BTW - I'm in Dallas.

jeffsreefdotcom · 03-01-2004, 10:22 AM

I'm curious about this too. If you have a skimmer and open sump, doesn't this provide enough gas exchange? Or do you need the entire surface area of the display tank open to properly aerate the display tank?

yardboy · 03-01-2004, 04:51 PM

Makes sense to me too Jeff, on the aeration issue, but heat was the big bugaboo for me. Chillers are expensive and costly to operate, so I'm avoiding them if possible. My 70 has a canopy that has to be left open most of the time, to avoid heat buildup. I use a fan blowing on the sump, and a cooling fan on the single 250W MH. My new tank will not have a canopy, since it'll have 3-250W MH, and that's a lot of heat to avoid!