[tpeck]

I have a 92 gal corner tank that's been up and running for over 2 years and everything is going fine. My question is whether there is any benefit to removing the glass cover and suspending the light fixture instead of having it rest on the glass. Would this make the corals brighter and grow faster, or just be unnecessary change to their environment?

[carym]

I have run both way, when I had glass covers I still had the light suspended because I didn't want it sitting on the glass heating the glass up. I found that the tank ran warmer (harder to cool it) when the glass tops are on. With them off you have another set of issues to deal with but I find you get better evaporation which in turn cools the water. If you go top less then and you have any fish that like to jump then you may have some committing suicide. I have a lost my fair share this way. You can put egg crate on top of the tank and it's suppose to not cut down the light very much but everytime I have tried it I remove it immediately because it doesn't seem like it as bright of light getting to the bottom of the tank.

Just my 2cent worth...

[pogodzib]

Advantages of a glass top are: Keep fish from jumping out, helps prevent salt creep, prevents water from splashing onto light bulbs/fixture

Advantages of going topless are: More light penetration into tank, easier to cool tank, no glass top to clean, better air exchange


ersonally, I prefer to NOT use glass tops, but I also try to avoid most jumping fish.

[tpeck]

Thanks for the input. I think I'm going to try it without the top and see what it looks like, if it doesn't help I can always put it back on. I don't think any of my fish are jumpers but if anyone knows differently, I have 3 lyretail anthias, a pair of ocellaris (1regular, 1black) clowns, 2 spotted cardinals, a tomini tang, a pair of blue hippo tangs, a yellow coris wrasse, and a coral beauty angel (recently lost my foxface)

[carym]

Watch the lyretail's, I had one jump, not sure if something else chased it out or if it just carried away going after some food that was floating on the surface.

[N9CQB]

I had glass covers on my 90 for 2 yrs. I found that with them off the air exchange was much better. corals perked up & I lost less fish. I think O2 in the closed up tank were too low

[Magaman]

We have a 125, and put glass tops on during the winter and off during the summer, basically to keep the tank warm in winter and cooler during the summer. Also during the summer when the glass if off we made covers out of those florescent light grate things, this way no one gets out, unless they really can aim for the spaces.

[BLKBRDTA]

I keep the top open, like pogodzib stated, better PAR results are obtained without the use of a cover as well as a greatly improved gas exchange rate. However, if I am leaving town for more than 2 days, I usually place a cover over the top only to decrease the rapid evaporation in the sump. This will end as soon as I hook up an ATO system to my RKL controller.

[tpeck]

Have had the top off for two weeks now and everthing is fine. The light in the tank is much better and makes all the colors really seem to pop. No problem with any fish jumping so far and the water evaporation is really not much more than it was. thanks to everyone for their thoughts & i hope to have some pics up soon

[pogodzib]

Good to hear that everything is going good without the cover Troy.