Calling all experienced reefers!!!

saltyrich

saltyrich

Active Member
I'm cast into the debate concerning keeping a glass top on my reef tank. I have had a top on the tank and everything is doing fine. The reason is that I live in the desert and the evaporation rate is much higher here. How much benefit is there to not having a top on the tank? How much light is lost as it penetrates through glass? Help!
 
kev

kev

Member
I tried to decide on this also not too long ago. If you keep the top on, youll lose less water to evaporation, but youll be blocking the amount of light that acctually gets to the water. If you take the top off, then more water will evaporate, but youll also have more light. I'm not sure as to how much light is lost with a top, but you can notice a big difference when you compare the two. Notice how your tank is lighted with the top, then take it off. After you see the differance decide wiether its better to have more light and have to add more water, or to have less light and not have to add as much water. After I saw the difference I went with having the top off. :D
 
azonic

azonic

Active Member
I wouldn't call myself experienced but I have an opinion none the less. I used a glass top with my halides....had a 2 degree temp increase and very slow water evaporation. I took it off two days ago and already the water temp is much more stable....only 1 degree flucuations at night/day. On the other hand, I now lose close on 2 gallons of water a day. The tank also looks a LOT brighter with the tops off. The maintenance to keep them clean seemed like too much of a hassle. I'd take it off.
 
azonic

azonic

Active Member
I don't think it's so much the glass itself that's the problem....I mean the light comes through the bulb doesn't it and the bulb is glass...The main problem is salt gettig all over it from fish splashing, etc, etc....IME anyway.
 
slowest is fastest

slowest is fastest

Member
FWIW
Somewhere in one of the light(ing) articles I have read they were doing PAR calculations and decreasing light output by 10 % when using glass tops. That was assuming tops were clean and a distance from the light source of ??? inches (sorry can't remember)
SiF
 
P

pa reef pig

Guest
Also take into consideration the distance of you bulbs from the surface of the water. If the bulbs are close to the water and you do not have glass covers, then the salt that would normally be accumulating on the glass covers and blocking your light output is now accumulating on the bulbs and still decreasing your light output.
That reminds me, I need to wipe the salt off my bulbs. :D
 
wamp

wamp

Active Member
Yes, there is glass on the market that blocks less light. I belive that you can get it through your LFS. It is made for reptile tanks. Or you can check with a local glass shop.
The temp issue is a very valid one. If you block in the water you also keep the heat in the tank also.
 
mister crab

mister crab

New Member
most of the mature tanks i've seen don't use glass tops, I'd say for a few reasons besides heat , light penetration and evaporation, let alone gas exchange, i keep mine off just because it acts as a great humidifer in the house in the winter.......summertime........well I put it back on
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member
lighting and temp worries aside - aren't you topless tankers worried about a fish going for a walk? isn't any fish pretty much a risk to try and leap out of a tank. My wife had a friends pirhana leap out of the tank at her (damn thing was 8 inches long - HUGE). So even normal non-leapers can take a flying leap - so to speak. Aren't you worried about losing a fish without the tops??
Just trying to figure out how I will do mine. Also - if salt creep is a problem on the top it will be un the bulbs - as stated earlier - does the salt creep on the bulbs decrease the life span of said bulbs??
 
broomer5

broomer5

Active Member
My thoughts saltyrich:
I don't like having to top off the tank with more freshwater - but I do enjoy the ease of getting into and out of the tank with my hands.
The glass tops I have worked fine - but was another thing to clean - saltcreep and spray was a mess.
This seemed to me to be the biggest affect on the light being blocked. I'm certain the glass blocks and diffuses the lighting as well.
I lost a firefish recently - still don't know if it died and was eaten by the "crew" or if it jumped.
If you keep fish that are jumpers - there are other ways besides glass to keep them in. Some folks use eggcrate - not sure how that affects the lighting. But it does.
Evaporation - it happens no matter what.
In your case - if you can handle the additional make up water with your RO or whatever ...... that sounds like your biggest concern.
If make up water is no big deal - I like the open top set up a lot more.
 
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