tank cover

[firefightered]

I have a new 30 gal live rock and fish only tank (fish not in tank yet). Should I put a plexy glass top on it or should I build a wood top. I also have crushed coral and oyster shell for sub. Should I also use som sand or live sand?

 

[ifirefight]

Originally Posted by firefightered
I have a new 30 gal live rock and fish only tank (fish not in tank yet). Should I put a plexy glass top on it or should I build a wood top. I also have crushed coral and oyster shell for sub. Should I also use som sand or live sand?

NO glass top.... And you might want to think twice about a crushed coral substrate....Go with Live sand instead.

 

[firefightered]

I already have the crushed coral in and the tank is almost ready for fish. What kind of problems are related to the crushed coral and can I just put some sand on top?

 

[ifirefight]

Originally Posted by firefightered
I already have the crushed coral in and the tank is almost ready for fish. What kind of problems are related to the crushed coral and can I just put some sand on top?
There are numerous threds on here about that...you can do a search.. but basicly..its a lot harder to maintain than sand. I myself started with crushed coral...and 6 months later took ALL the rock and corals out of my 130 gallon..to replace the crushed coral with sand. So if I were you,,,I would start out with the sand in the first place....Im sure others will agree. If you put sand on top of the crushed coral.....it will settle to the bottom and you wil;l still see the CC.

 

[emtguy]

Just outa curiosity, why no glass top?

 

[travis89]

a glass top doesn't allow for good gs exchange which can cause your temp to stay too high, or your ph to stay low. The only reason I ever put a top on my tank is if I have a fish thats a known jumper.

 

[firefightered]

Thanks firefight! Are you a firfighteras well and where. I'm at Redstone in Alabama.

 

[apos]

Are there any alternatives to a flat glass top? Any way to prevent jumpers AND have lots of air exchange?

 

[greenhorn]

i understand eggcrate will keep the fish in as well as providing ample gs exchange

 

[notsonoob]

Second the eggcrate...have it on mine...soon to be both

 

[apos]

hmmm, interesting. But what about light? Wouldn't eggcrate seriously mess it up, or melt or catch on fire from the heat?
(obviously not, since it hasn't happened to you or anyone I've ever heard of, but why not and how exactly is it being put on?)

 

[notsonoob]

No problems. My MHs are well above the surface.
You probably also could use a fan on the side if you were worried about heat. Light is actually better I think with the egg crate.

 

[mcbdz]

You may already know this, but just incase. Eggcrate is the plastic screen type light cover you find in the lighting section of a home improvement store.

P.S. I'm a nurse, so when I first started the only thing I thought of when I heard eggcrate was the thick foam mattress padding.

Boy are things different in this hobby.

 

[apos]

Oops, yeah that's exactly what I thought of: the stuff with all the foam peaks and valleys.

 

[bcott]

Do any of you guys have any pictures of your tank with the egg-crate on top of it? Just wanted to see what it looks like. Thanks all!