do you have lids on your tanks?

[jeepdad]

do you have a lid on your tank? Or do you have an open top? Reason I'm asking, I wonder if having a lid on the tank restricts gas exchange in any harmful way or if an open top promotes better exchange ? Or if it is insignificant either way?

[TonyAPBTx]

I don't have a lid on my tank. I've never had a problem and have grown out my current discus for a year as far as them jumping out of the tank. I think having a bigger tank my help in that regard if the discus get spooked.

The reason I don't have a lid is because I have a planted tank and a lid would cut out some of my light getting to my plants. It also does also lead to losing more water to precipitation than you would with a lid too. This is a bigger difference than you would think especially with the higher temperatures that discus are typically kept at.

What type of filter will you be using? I think this will have more of a difference in gas exchange than having a lid.

[PAR23]

do you have a lid on your tank? Or do you have an open top? Reason I'm asking, I wonder if having a lid on the tank restricts gas exchange in any harmful way or if an open top promotes better exchange ? Or if it is insignificant either way?

LOL....Please put a lid on your tank. I like many other members have lost fish from jumpers. It always turns out to be the best/favorite fish in your tank. Don't worry about gas exchange, it's perfectly fine with a lid on.

[Second Hand Pat]

If you do not want a solid lid use egg crate. It allows the light in and the gas out. Reefer use this on their tanks.

[MGKelly]

I put lids on my tanks, right after my nicest Blue Knight jumped out.

Joe

[jeepdad]

I have a 55 gallon tank with the 2 seperate hoods and lights. I have the 2 lids in the front and an open area in the back of the hoods which is where I would think the gas/oxygen (whatever you call it) exchange happens. I have a hydro sponge filter and also a hang on the tank filter.

And a story about jumpers.........a buddy of mine had piranhas in a 55 gallon tank, and had a german shepherd that liked to drink from the tank. You can picture the shock of the dog when a piranha latched on to his tongue! Of course the fish was flopping on the floor when my buddy came down to the commotion!

[Larry Bugg]

Count me on the list of those that learned the hard way. I lost several fish before I wised up and yes it is always the nicest that jumps. I don't think the size of the tank makes any difference at all. I lost a nice uatuma blue out of one of my 125's a while back.

[Keith Perkins]

Hmm, let me go down and check.

[Keith Perkins]

Heck Yea I have lids on my tanks. It wasn't my favorite fish, but it was a proven male. And I think it's replacement has turned out to be female. :(

[Ryan]

Discus are easily spooked, especially when sleeping/just waking up. I've heard mine crash into the glass canopies many times. I keep glass lids on all my tanks. They have the plastic strips on the back that you can cut out spots for airhose, cords, or HOB filters. All mine have cut-outs in the back. This should allow for gas exchange. I've never had an issue. Then again, I don't keep live plants -- all my discus tanks are either bare bottom, or sand/driftwood.

[Joker43]

You'll have less heat and water loss with a lid i'm sure. I've lost a few fish from forgetting to close the lid after feeding. Most cichlids like to argue and chase and eventually one will break the surface.

Tito:jester:

[jball1125]

Im all for lids. Probably because im against dried up fish on the floor.

[ockyra215]

Last year I lost 2 fish due to not having a top on my tanks I advise highly to put a top on your tank !!

[Jennie]

hmm question not really answered here abt gas exchange??

[PAR23]

hmm question not really answered here abt gas exchange??

As long as there is a small opening, gas exchange should be fine.

[Second Hand Pat]

If you do not want a solid lid use egg crate. It allows the light in and the gas out. Reefer use this on their tanks.

If there is concern about gas exchange and a larger opening is desired, Home depot has sheets of egg crate which can be cut to the desired size to fit the top of the tank. It allows the tank to breath and does not block the light.

[Jhhnn]

I always have lids, and keep them tight, without large openings. I also run a central airpump w/ sponge filters & airstones, keeping fairly strong bubble columns. The breaking bubbles at the surface strongly promote gas exchange, and keep the air under the lids from becoming stagnant. Lids help reduce heat loss and evaporation, prevent jumping.

[MNM007]

Please put a lid on your tank, I've learned the hard way after my snow white AND my blue diamond jumped out the tank after being spooked. Better to be safe than sorry.

[3dees]

open top for my 120 gal. I have wood sticking out and no way to put a top on. one festivum jumped out but I was in the room so I did'nt lose him. I do add a gallon of water every morning. open or a lid, I don't think it will make a difference on gas exchange.

[NODAK1979]

Oh yes. My cat looks at my tank and licks her lips. She's only jumped on top of the lid once....but I don't even want to tempt fate on this.

[strawberryblonde]

I have a lid, an ugly plastic lid that is badly designed and doesn't leave adequate room for my t5 lighting. I refuse to remove the lid however, because I have cats who think sitting up there and staring down through the equipment opening is simply the bees knees. And knowing my luck, my fish would take a flying leap if there was no lid.

I love the egg crate suggestion on this thread! I'm gonna be making yet another trip to the big city to find me some at Lowe's this week. =)

[Second Hand Pat]

open top for my 120 gal. I have wood sticking out and no way to put a top on. one festivum jumped out but I was in the room so I did'nt lose him. I do add a gallon of water every morning. open or a lid, I don't think it will make a difference on gas exchange.

3Dee, If you wanted a egg crate top you could cut the holes where ever the wood sticks up. I have a egg crate on my 75 and the one piece of wood sticks up about an inch. At the moment the egg crate sits on top of the wood until I either cut the crate or the wood. Still waiting for the wood to become water logged.

[ss16534]

mine jumped from 12 feet luckily it landed on blanket which was down n at time i was there so i put her back in tank ,
always put lid on tank

[hedut]

I cover all my fish tank to safe electric bill :)

[Eddie]

Yup, a topless tank leads to your favorite fish becoming a door stop.

[PAR23]

Yup, a topless tank leads to your favorite fish becoming a door stop.

Or also known as a Freezed Dried Discus.

[Asparagussy]

Anyone know where to get a custom acrylic top cut? I have a 45 hex n its not a very common shape i guess since I cant find glass pre-made tops anywhere and wont want to pay to get glass cut, will acrylic even be any cheaper?

[TURQ64]

Well, I took some Lexan that I had from some marine apps purchased at Home Depot, and sawed it to shape on my tablesaw...

[seanyuki]

Try Glasscage.....they have both hinged glass and acrylic aquarium tops perhaps they can custom one for you.

http://www.glasscages.com/?sAction=ViewCat&lCatID=27



Anyone know where to get a custom acrylic top cut? I have a 45 hex n its not a very common shape i guess since I cant find glass pre-made tops anywhere and wont want to pay to get glass cut, will acrylic even be any cheaper?

[Keith Perkins]

I don't know, what do you think it would cost to send the glass up to you?

[Jhhnn]

Anyone know where to get a custom acrylic top cut? I have a 45 hex n its not a very common shape i guess since I cant find glass pre-made tops anywhere and wont want to pay to get glass cut, will acrylic even be any cheaper?

Having double strength window glass (1/8") cut to size is not expensive- you'll probably pay more for the back strip and hinge. Acrylic needs to be fairly thick if it's not to bow much, raising the price. Which way is cheaper? Dunno, but tops are a necessity, imho...

[jeepdad]

coincidentally, my boy has a 125 gallon tank that he built into his wall. He has a small opening in the back of the tank for his filter,etc. Wouldn't ya know it that his favorite Oscar just jumped through the small opening and of course wasn't found til wayyyyy too late.

[NODAK1979]

On second thought, maybe I should take it off and see how good of a fisher my cats are. Since they've never done it before, it'd be an interesting experiment in instinct.

(While I'm not being serious, I WOULD like to see my fat cats attempt to hunt.)

[brewmaster15]

Tops on my tanks... don't know why it happens, but its it always seems to be the best, favorite or most valuable discus that jumps tank...They don't need much space either...I had a large 7 " male that had to be a good inch at the thickest jump thru an opening that was the same size.:mad:

one note though...I have several acrylic lids here and they are prone to warping and sagging ....be advised... it not too big a deal...I just flip them over when they sag.

-al

[strawberryblonde]

one note though...I have several acrylic lids here and they are prone to warping and sagging ....be advised... it not too big a deal...I just flip them over when they sag.

-al

Thanks for the scoop on acrylic tops! I was all gung ho about adding an egg crate top to my tank (in order to make better use of my lighting) until one of my cory's jumped ship through a hole no bigger than the width of his body 3 days ago. Poor fella thought he was making a break for the river I guess, but instead my dog leapt off the couch and scooped him up before I could reach him.

So for the last three days I've been pricing acrylic and hinges and now that I know they sag, I'll just switch over to glass. Easier to cut anyways. =)

SB

[jball1125]

Thanks for the scoop on acrylic tops! I was all gung ho about adding an egg crate top to my tank (in order to make better use of my lighting) until one of my cory's jumped ship through a hole no bigger than the width of his body 3 days ago. Poor fella thought he was making a break for the river I guess, but instead my dog leapt off the couch and scooped him up before I could reach him.

So for the last three days I've been pricing acrylic and hinges and now that I know they sag, I'll just switch over to glass. Easier to cut anyways. =)

SB

Hopefully your dog doesn't build up a taste for your fish. You might come home one day and find a fat wet dog and no fish.

[strawberryblonde]

Hopefully your dog doesn't build up a taste for your fish. You might come home one day and find a fat wet dog and no fish.

LOL, and 10 minutes after that the local shelter would have a fat wet dog for sale!

[jball1125]

LOL, and 10 minutes after that the local shelter would have a fat wet dog for sale!

I would feed him to the gators and see how he likes it. LOL JK

[Second Hand Pat]

Thanks for the scoop on acrylic tops! I was all gung ho about adding an egg crate top to my tank (in order to make better use of my lighting) until one of my cory's jumped ship through a hole no bigger than the width of his body 3 days ago. Poor fella thought he was making a break for the river I guess, but instead my dog leapt off the couch and scooped him up before I could reach him.

So for the last three days I've been pricing acrylic and hinges and now that I know they sag, I'll just switch over to glass. Easier to cut anyways. =)

SB

Wrap your egg crate with window screen.

[strawberryblonde]

Good idea Pat! I wonder how much light that would diffuse and/or block?

My issue with my current hood is that it's one of those hard black plastic types with just two pre-cut slots for lighting. The slots are only 18"x3", which precludes using t5 lighting as well as LED lights. Or should I say that so far "I" haven't been able to find anything stronger than standard fluorescent tubes in an 18" length.

On top of that, the tank is deep so there's no way a standard tube will ever produce enough light to reach the bottom, and due to the shape it also doesn't get any light in the back 1/3 of the tank from either of the two pre-cut areas.

I love the egg crate idea and if window screening won't block too much of the light I'd definitely love to try it.

SB

[Second Hand Pat]

SB, you are in a tuff fix lighting wise. Can you change out your hood? or modify it to give you more options?

Window screening is pretty cheap. you might buy a roll and try it. I would not think a single layer would block too much light. I use window screening in several layers to dim the lights over my wilds tanks. I wonder if you could get the screening in white.

[strawberryblonde]

Definitely changing out the hood as soon as I can head back to the big city to buy materials. I think the idea of egg crate is awesome since it's inexpensive, easy to work with and would give me 34" across and 30" front to back to work with.

Hmmm, I think I'll go ahead and try the window screening in a single layer on the egg crate, but buy a hunk of glass while I'm there just in case it doesn't work. (Yep, trips to the big city are such a royal pain that I tend to overbuy supplies each time I'm there)

[Second Hand Pat]

You must live in the mountains! Idaho is a beautiful state, full of wildlife and natural beauty. Knew a lady from a horse forum who's husband was a forest ranger there and the pictures she would post...wow.

I would like to know how it all works out for you.

Pat

[strawberryblonde]

I live in a high plains desert area...between two mountain ranges. It's gorgeous and the gems I find on the ground around here make the move to Idaho totally worth it. LOL

I left SC three years ago and haven't looked back! Oh hey, you're in FL. My kids and grandkids live in Sarasota!

I'll keep you posted on how the top turns out. Maybe even post a couple pics for anyone else who runs into the same type of hood problems.

SB

[Second Hand Pat]

I'm in Orlando but lived in Co. for 8 years. Loved it. If you ever get down to florida you should look me up. Pictures would be good, of your hood that is.

[Keith Perkins]

SB, I've got a really good friend in Buhl. Not exactly your part of Idaho, but still.

I'm really lucky, I've got an older guy in my church who's a glazier and his glass prices are cheap.

[Darrell Ward]

The only people who don't have tops on their tanks, are the ones that have not had a spooked fish swan dive to the floor yet. I don't even like small gaps in the tops. I once had a 125 gal. that had a center overflow box. One day I heard a splashing coming from the overflow. I climbed on a step stool with a flashlight, and low and behold, a six inch wild green was in the box! How he got in through that tiny gap between the box and tops, I still don't know. All they need is a tiny gap.

[wendy9722]

LOL, and 10 minutes after that the local shelter would have a fat wet dog for sale!

LoLs, yahh that is probably what I'd do....

[wendy9722]

Lid on all my tanks and no problems with gas exchanges here. Add air. I think it helps but I could be wrong. :)

[strawberryblonde]

LoLs, yahh that is probably what I'd do....

ROFL! I was worried the dog lovers out there might take exception to my comment when I wrote it. But then they haven't met my husband's dog. She's a 1 year old Plott hound. She's a royal PITA at this age and daily she hears me muttering "dang it dog, I swear I'm taking you to the pound if you don't stop ______"!

I'd never actually do it since I love all animals, but good lord that dog can do some amazingly irritating things...like opening every door in the house..and opening dresser drawers in order to steal sox...and opening the garbage bin so she can check for yummy leftovers. And then there's the little Cory she gulped down. I swear she turned to me as I was dashing across the room and GRINNED at me!

Dang dog.

[wendy9722]

ROFL! I was worried the dog lovers out there might take exception to my comment when I wrote it. But then they haven't met my husband's dog. She's a 1 year old Plott hound. She's a royal PITA at this age and daily she hears me muttering "dang it dog, I swear I'm taking you to the pound if you don't stop ______"!

I'd never actually do it since I love all animals, but good lord that dog can do some amazingly irritating things...like opening every door in the house..and opening dresser drawers in order to steal sox...and opening the garbage bin so she can check for yummy leftovers. And then there's the little Cory she gulped down. I swear she turned to me as I was dashing across the room and GRINNED at me!

Dang dog.

lols, I dont think that I could actually do that to my dog. I'd think about it with the cats especally my husbands cat. He is a real pita!!!!