cover on fish tank

[Anthony.Luciano710]

ok so my dad made me make a cover for my 125 gallon tank because the fish keep jumping out and i don't know why i just think the tank needs to breath and i would like to put fans on top for the summer instead of getting a chiller but the fish jump out. is it ok if the whole top is covered now because i don't know if theres enough gas exchange because the whole top gets fogged up from the heat. theres a sump with a protein skimmer to add oxygen but is this enough?

 

[Reeftanker3295]

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...en-top-tanks-standard-rimless-w-pictures.html
voila!

 

[KathyC]

What material did he use to make the cover.

And you are correct, the tank need to be open on top for oxygen exchange. Just depending on the skimmer is not enough.

Here is a link to a 2 part video on the easiest cover to make/use on a tank. It allows great oxygen exchange, does not interfere with the amount of light getting into the tank and will keep your fish safely in the tank. :fish:
It also costs little to make..can't beat all of that.

The videos (together) run about 15 minutes and all of the parts can be bought reasonably priced at Home Depot..except for the netting. That comes from Ace Hardware 9not sure who else carries it locally, but you could probably also find it on the net..no pun intended
Not sure if the video mentions the brand name of the netting, if not, just ask and I'll dig out one of my packages of the stuff.

http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/diy-do-yourself/77035-tank-cover-building-demonstration.html

 

[bignick]

i got you i saw this the other day this might help. also from what i know and read it sounds like you got a glass cover and lose a lot more water due to more evaporation and have to top off your water more so this site might help. http://www.reeflounge.com/showthread.php?t=31685

 

[Jzhou]

it looks like chicken wire.

 

[BYU]

thats what i made. the hardest part was finding the netting. try sports authority for bait fish netting
it actually came out really nice and i suck at home improvement stuff.
good luck

 

[JimmyR1rider]

Fans blowing over the top of the water dont help with oxygenation. All that does is cool the water temp and accelerate evaporation. Surface agitation is what oxygenates your water. Thats why one of the tips when power goes out for prolonged periods of time is to hang a bucket with small holes in it above the tank filled with tank water and the drops raining down into the tank breaks the surface and helps oxygenate the water.

If theyre not already- your return jets should be aimed in a way that they agitate the surface, your powerheads are what give flow in the tank, not the loc-line return jets.


And of course as already covered(no pun intended) make your tank cover out of pond netting type material-kind of like vinyl chicken wire. That way theres plenty of air available and with the surface agitation, youll have all the O2 the fishes need to breathe.

 

[Jzhou]

you can get those at home depot. I've used that when I was building a large cage for my breeding pair of sunburst veiled chameleons.

 

[Anthony.Luciano710]

Well I already made the cover thats the problem. I have a lot of surface agitation and I have a skimmer to oxygenate the water I was just worried about all the excess carbon dioxide being trapped inside the cover. Also will ozone help oxygenate the water as well?

Fans blowing over the top of the water dont help with oxygenation. All that does is cool the water temp and accelerate evaporation. Surface agitation is what oxygenates your water. Thats why one of the tips when power goes out for prolonged periods of time is to hang a bucket with small holes in it above the tank filled with tank water and the drops raining down into the tank breaks the surface and helps oxygenate the water.

If theyre not already- your return jets should be aimed in a way that they agitate the surface, your powerheads are what give flow in the tank, not the loc-line return jets.


And of course as already covered(no pun intended) make your tank cover out of pond netting type material-kind of like vinyl chicken wire. That way theres plenty of air available and with the surface agitation, youll have all the O2 the fishes need to breathe.

 

[JimmyR1rider]

Well I already made the cover thats the problem. I have a lot of surface agitation and I have a skimmer to oxygenate the water I was just worried about all the excess carbon dioxide being trapped inside the cover. Also will ozone help oxygenate the water as well?

Well only thing I can tell you is this is an expensive hobby- the 20-30 bucks more youll spend on doing the right type of cover can and probably will save you money on livestock in the longrun.

Excess heat will get trapped by the cover if it is solid.

I would also if youre running halides be very concerned of what the heat those let off will do to the cover. It will even with T5's warp in the near future and not be a good sturdy cover in the end.

I also like Kathy said would not rely on the skimmer to oxygenate your water. Its called a protein skimmer, not a protein skimmer/water oxygenator. The fine micro bubbles are used to have the proteins and other nutrients in the water its skimming out stick to the surface of the bubbles, and turns them into that foam after they travel up the reaction chamber, the foam gets pushed into the collection cup as skimmate. By the time the bubbles get through the skimmer into your sump, through your fuge and back to the display tank do you honestly thing that little amount of micro bubbles that came out of the skimmer are enough to oxygenate your system properly? I put my money on no.


Good luck with the system and Im sure youll get it worked out in the end.


Jimmy

 

[albano]

...sounds like you got a glass cover and lose a lot more water due to more evaporation

a glass cover should not cause MORE evaporation!

I was just worried about all the excess carbon dioxide being trapped inside the cover. Also will ozone help oxygenate the water as well?

is the cover really 'air tight'? you could 'vent' it up a litttle, without fish escaping.
Ozone should not go into the tank

 

[JimmyR1rider]

Just to clear up anthony- Of course the warping thing from heat is obvioulsy only if you used plexi. If you used glass it wont apply.

 

[Jzhou]

I'm not a big fan of plexi glass for covers. My only experienrece with them was that the heat of my metal haldies, caused it to burn. The cover idea kathy sents, seems to be the easiest and best. u can just buy everything at home depot.

 

[Arati]

Just pop the cover on and wait till midnight or when you wake up in the morning and check your PH. thats should help you make the decision.