Do I need a tank cover?

[blu11]

I am a newbie
This maybe I dumb question...
I just bought a 46G Bowfront & my lighting is now on the way. I went with the Current USA PowerCompact Orbit 4x96 watt SunPaq w/ Lunar Light. Ok, so my tank came with a hood & the standard crap lighting. I obviously need to do away with the hood to put in the new lighting. But now what? Do I need a cover for the tank...or nothing? What will keep dust etc. from going in & hold back evaporation?

 

[snailheave]

a cover will prevent evaporation nicely. it will trap heat however.
that lighting fixture has a splash guard if i recall correctly.
things also to consider are whether you do or plan to have jumpers.

 

[airforceb2]

Egg crate is the preferred method. It allows ample gas exchange and encourages heat transfer. The downfall is that there will be a little more evaporation with the open top.

 

[blu11]

Ok I have seen some pics of the eggcrate on this forum. What material is it typically made up of? Is it hard to cut? The eggcrate doesn't interfere with the lighting in anyway does it? What fish are some of the common jumpers?

 

[airforceb2]

Egg crate is made of plastic. It is pretty easy to cut with a hacksaw. It actually helps with your lighting by reflecting it in the water (it is specifically made for reflecting light).

 

[sandiegan]

Eggcrate can be found in home depot and probably other home improvement/hardware shops. Personally I don't bother with it unless I have something that can/will jump. Lots of fish can jump, I've heard of percs going, hawks going, but I hear a lot about firefish jumping. Never heard of a damsel going carpet surfing, and I'm not sure too many ppl would care anyways. HTH