does any one cover their tank with a glass?

[GQ22]

I currently have four 160 watt VHO's over my tank about 5 inches from the glass with no top over my canopy and am concerned about the rise in temp this is causing. Without buying a chiller, can anyone advise on a better solution. I tried having no glass once between my lights and hood, but salt build up got all over my lights and reflectors. Anyone?

 

[DallasNYC]

I'm about 5 inches above the tank as well. I don't use glass, I usually wipe down the tubes with a rag once a week. I run three 5" fans in the hood which helps a great deal. I would think glass over the water would cut down alot on the evaperation effect the fans produce.

 

[jackson6745]

You can mount a piece of acrylic over the VHO's or maybe just raise them a bit higher from the water surface. IMO a reef should never be covered with glass. It makes for poor gas exchange, resulting in low PH and high temp. The cover also gets covered with salt and reduces the amount of light that penetrates into the tank.

 

[alrha]

i have a glass over my bulbs (space light) that keeps the bulbs clean, but no glass over the tank other than the brace - and that is enough to have to keep clean all the time.

 

[Vic8361]

I agree with Jackson on this one. He hit the nail on the head.

Vic

[ February 23, 2005, 07:40 AM: Message edited by: Vic8361 ]

 

[marrone]

Glass will filter out some of the light from lights so it's not a good thing to use. As far poor gas exchange if your using a sump/wet dry you should have more than adequate gas exchange where a glass top wouldn't cause any problem with excess trap gas resulting in lower Ph as it wouldn't be completely sealed anyway. You will have alot less evaporation with a full top, whether it's glass or acrylic.

I have an acrylic cover over my light fixture and every week or so I wipe it down. Also you may want to place a piece of acrylic between the bulbs and the water as the salt spray will start to eat into the bulbs and cause corrasion to the light fixture itself.

 

[aaron]

I had a friend who had a puffer fish that liked to squirt water at him out the top of the tank, this was fine when he was small but when he grew up he squirted a big stream of water onto one of his MH bulbs which exploded everywhere. I wouldnt have believed it if I wasnt there to see it.
He now has glas covers on his aquarium, also to thwart the occasional suicidal fish.

 

[Vic8361]

LOL aaron that is so funny I would have love to see that puffer squirting water at him. I guess in some situations there's no choice.
I have thought about putting a glass cover on my tank for a long time but it would just create to much heat for me and the glass will get full of salt creap very quickly. My lights are only four inches from the water I hope they never blow up on me.

Vic

[ February 23, 2005, 02:26 PM: Message edited by: Vic8361 ]

 

[GQ22]

Thanks guys

This has prob been the best and most practical advice i've gotten. i've never knew the air flow can lower my PH, im definitely going to take off the glass now. the prob with putting a plexi glass cover on my set up is that i've got a retrofit thats basically just a 72 inch reflector with light bulbs and cannot easily attach a cover. I think im going to try to build in a seperate plexi glass cover somehow thats hopefully not too "ghetto". Eventually im just going to get a Maristar light once i get enough money. thanks guys for the help