[BrooklynsReefMan1]

What i did was i got EggCrate From Lowes

cut the crate to size and what i feel it does is it can take heavy light i have 130 watts from 2 Pc 24 inch fixture and it wont even get warm the crate and allso it dosent get week in the middle either if you want ill pm you the lowes consumer report on it

[ellebelle]

Egg crate blocks a lot of light. The mesh Kathy uses doesn't. Definitely a HUGE difference between the two.

[KathyC]

Quote: Originally Posted by BrooklynsReefMan1 What i did was i got EggCrate From Lowes cut the crate to size and what i feel it does is it can take heavy light i have 130 watts from 2 Pc 24 inch fixture and it wont even get warm the crate and allso it dosent get week in the middle either if you want ill pm you the lowes consumer report on it

Thanks Lissa

Brooklyn...the issue with eggcrate is twofold. One point being that many fish can jump right through it..firefish, gobies, my Royal Gramma went flying past my head one day. The squares are too large for safety's sake.

The other point being what Lissa mentions..and has nothing to do with the heat...you lose a bunch of light putting eggcrate over your tank.
Think about it...any light that is coming straight down will get into your tank, but you are cutting off much of the lighting that goes into your tank at an angle. Put your camera on a tripod & take a pic with the eggcrate on, and then one with the eggcrate off, you'll see the difference

[Domboski]

Thanks for the mesh Kathy!

[boardryder]

So I thought this would be a great idea to do and did some quick research that everyone might enjoy. I was worried about the plastic under metal halides, but you might worry about your inhabitants before worrying about the plastic if that were the case. At worst it will expand and become a little loose. I believe the pond netting is polypropylene.

http://www.polymerprocessing.com/polymers/PP.htmlhttp://www.polymerprocessing.com/polymers/PE.html
http://www.dynalabcorp.com/technical_info_nylon.asp

Anyway, how is this top doing for everyone? Is it worth doing myself? Is the stuff everyone is using water pond and garden netting? Thanks.

[KathyC]

Quote: Originally Posted by boardryder So I thought this would be a great idea to do and did some quick research that everyone might enjoy. I was worried about the plastic under metal halides, but you might worry about your inhabitants before worrying about the plastic if that were the case. At worst it will expand and become a little loose. I believe the pond netting is polypropylene. http://www.polymerprocessing.com/polymers/PP.htmlhttp://www.polymerprocessing.com/polymers/PE.html http://www.dynalabcorp.com/technical_info_nylon.asp Anyway, how is this top doing for everyone? Is it worth doing myself? Is the stuff everyone is using water pond and garden netting? Thanks.

Yes, the netting is polypropylene and it is UV protected and doesn't get brittle under MH's or the sun for that matter Locally it is available at Ace Hardware stores in the Pond Supplies section. The most important point is buying the 3/8" mesh size. With the larger size (1/2") the fish can jump though the openings.
The acrylic that I have been using doesn't expand under the MH lighting at all. The only issue is with slight warping due to trying to span long distances ..in this case a long distance can be 24"... I could not get anyone to cut the acrylic smaller than 3/4" in width due to the danger of cutting it so thin. I'm certain the covers woild not bend at all had I designed them to rest on the upper rim of the tank rather than the inside lip of each opening, but the idea what to keep them flush with the top to be more visually pleasing. A thicker acrylic sandwiching of the netting might make a stronger (no warping) cover also. I am considering trying this with the remaining acrylic I have available.
The cover on my 20" X 18" cube has shown no warpage at all, but again, the distance is smaller.
In all ,the covers have been a great asset and saved the lives of many a fish to date

I do have a newly designed cover but have not posted any pics yet as this one is easier to make, will not warp, will easily fit almost any tank and does not need to be custom made for each application... and I'm going after a patent on this one

[bigsink]

I can back Kathys covers 100%. She hooked me up with one about a year ago. It is for an AGA 75 gallon tank. The mesh and design have held up beautifully. No warping or anything. It is fully functional and pleasing to the eye. Hopefully will see the new design soon.

[RyanG]

Kathy did you use plain plexi or did you find some UV resistant somewhere?

[KathyC]

Regular plexiglass. It doesn't require any UV protection under MH lighting as DE bulbs should always have a UV glass under them anyway and it is already 'built in' on SE bulbs

The fact that the mesh is UV protected was just a coincidence.

Quote: I can back Kathys covers 100%. She hooked me up with one about a year ago. It is for an AGA 75 gallon tank. The mesh and design have held up beautifully. No warping or anything. It is fully functional and pleasing to the eye. Hopefully will see the new design soon.

Thank you John..and yes, hopefully your second cover will be ready before the end of the weekend

[boozeman]

I find that the higher moisture content of plexiglass makes it more susceptible to warping under very intense lighting whereas acrylic does not.