Glass Lid Vs No Lid

nathan

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Mar 27, 2016
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sarnia
My glass top has a lot of evaporation on the lid... I figure this might be blocking the light from performing . What's your opinionon this should I just remove it.
 

yveterinarian

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Jun 7, 2012
Location
Innerkip, Ontario
I prefer to use eggcrate as a lid. Not just for lighting to penetrate but to assist with the proper exchange of gasses that exchange from the water surface. pH is often affected if you don't have proper gas exchange. You do, however need to keep an eye on evaporation of water and top up more frequently.
 

Sewerat

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Joined
May 22, 2014
Location
Brooksdale, Ontario
Funny I was going to comment on this about not losing fish, running no lid. I have in the 2 yrs with my 75 had the egg crate, removed the egg crate and now run nothing. About a year ago had a pearlscale jump out and die. Then nothing for the longest time. gF just said hey where's the cleaner wrasse, haven't seen it for awhile. Well I found it, on the floor behind the tank. So beware fish do occasionally jump out and die if you run no lid. Poor cleaner, he was a good one too, been in tank for about 3 yrs, started in my corner and came over in the transfer to the 75.

Oh well, guess I need to find a new cleaner now.


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thehvacman

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Mar 17, 2016
Location
Stoney creek
If you have wrasses then a lid is a must! Finding dried out wrasses behind the tank is so sad. Depending on what type of glass it is, it could be filtering out some of the light spectrum ie.. ie the uv rays. So corals could be affected. If you have wrasses, just build a closed in canopy for the tank. Egg crate doesn't look pretty.
 

skybreezy

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Dec 16, 2015
Location
Kitchener
I prefer to use eggcrate as a lid. Not just for lighting to penetrate but to assist with the proper exchange of gasses that exchange from the water surface. pH is often affected if you don't have proper gas exchange. You do, however need to keep an eye on evaporation of water and top up more frequently.
Could u explain the egg crate lid method?
 

Luke.

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Jun 9, 2015
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Kitchener
So here's my 2 cents I had a lid and I'd never have it any other way , if you live in a older home you don't want dust , hair , even stuff you clean with or sprays . Lids help a lot for top off I do 1L a week of that . There's a plus!

The light only reflects 2-3% off a lid the rest will penetrate into the water , and bluer light can pass through the water a lot easier then whiter light . And the water drips (E vap) under the lid dosent make a difference . Hope this helps !

All I know is my tank is a lot better with a lid + it keeps my cat from getting in! ;)
 

Sewerat

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May 22, 2014
Location
Brooksdale, Ontario
Egg crate is called light diffuser at places like Home Depot. But usually you can only get white from those places. It comes in 2x4 sheets
I removed the glass lids cause they would get so covered in salt residue over time you could not clean them. Water evaporates to the surface of the glass, lights burn water and salt into glass almost etching it permanently just like white washing.

Best of the best would be to get JT to make you a lid. Little to no light diffusing and little to no salt residue to worry about blocking the light.

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reef keeper

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Nov 19, 2014
Location
Hamilton, Ontario
Here's one. I have a totally sealed in canopy from the front. I have a eurobraced tank.

Fairy wrasse got in the sump and ate all my pods. ALL. OF. THEM.

the I found a barrier reef chromis in the middle of the floor. 6 ft away.

Sometimes.....

 

Luke.

Distinguished Member
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Jun 9, 2015
Location
Kitchener
Egg crate is called light diffuser at places like Home Depot. But usually you can only get white from those places. It comes in 2x4 sheets
I removed the glass lids cause they would get so covered in salt residue over time you could not clean them. Water evaporates to the surface of the glass, lights burn water and salt into glass almost etching it permanently just like white washing.

Best of the best would be to get JT to make you a lid. Little to no light diffusing and little to no salt residue to worry about blocking the light.

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Dang I've had mine for a year , when I do a weekly water change i wash them with my hand in hot water in the tub , mind you mines only 3' long it would suck washing a 6' peice of glass haha
 

Pipes

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May 21, 2015
Location
Ingersoll
I'm guessing anymore than 3 feet would be multiple pieces. My 39" long 55 gal had a 4 piece lid.
 

Luke.

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Jun 9, 2015
Location
Kitchener
I'm guessing anymore than 3 feet would be multiple pieces. My 39" long 55 gal had a 4 piece lid.

Nope i think it depends where you get it from i bought bother my tank and lids from big as I had one for a 20 gallon and a 40 gallon tank, came with 2 , 3' pieces of glass and I have everything (hob) so I used the plastic strip to cut around the objects !
 

Pipes

Active Member
Joined
May 21, 2015
Location
Ingersoll
Hmmm. Mine was FW, so I just got some glass from big garbage day and cut to size. I cut mine front to back. Only problem I had was algae. Scrape, wipe, replace, done.
 

yveterinarian

Super Active Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2012
Location
Innerkip, Ontario
Could u explain the egg crate lid method?

Egg crate is called light diffuser at places like Home Depot. But usually you can only get white from those places. It comes in 2x4 sheets

I have recently seen silver as well at Home Depot but it is a bit more expensive. Very nice looking though. To further Sewerat's explanation Egg crate is a plastic grate that is made up of many small open squares approximately 1/2" in size. They are often seen in ceiling light fixtures and are sold in the ceiling tile section in the hardware stores.
I don't really notice the egg crate on top of my tanks because I cut them to fit and they sit on the inner ledge of the black rim that goes around the top of the tank. It wouldn't look so nice on a rimless tank though.
 
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heath

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Joined
Oct 2, 2012
Location
Woodstock, Ontario
something else, if you see frags sitting on white little squares for display or to grow out... that is egg crate.. the squares are 1/2" ...

found a picture for you to see what egg crate looks like.. this is black but most of us use white because its easier to find locally...hope this helps...

7193-8417ede88bb2ec59468e3524a49581bf.jpg
 
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