Aquariums without hoods ... safe?

[PDX-PLT]

Yea open tops look cool. But there are downsides. The obvious one is that you may lose an ocassional fish to jumping. The biggest is that there will be *lots* more evaporation. Of course this will drive more water replacements, but a potentially more serious problem is that all that evaporation carries away alot of heat. This means you may need a bigger heater, and you'll use more electricity - heaters are the biggest electricity users in most tanks (I know one big LFS that just heats the whole store to 80 degrees rather than pay for the electricity for heaters in every tank). This is especially the case for higher-temperature tanks like those for Discus.

As to glass breakage, my All-Glass tops are 3/16" thick and would be very hard to break. I'd worry about plexiglass (acrylic) warping and/or yellowing under bright lights. Lexan (polycarbonate) may be a better choice if you go the plastic route.

 

[excuzzzeme]

I have glass lids on most of my tanks and have no problems using them. With using glass lids, I still have places to plug up as I have some fish that are known for jumping. There is no way your tank is going to be air-tight by using them. I would rather use them than to have a floor flopper.

 

[dundadundun]

there's a few ways to look at this.

first there's different species to choose from. you can check out other peoples open top tanks, ask around, etc. and limit yourself to species that are notorious for not leaving the water column.

there's nothing wrong with a glass lid but if you really like the look of a topless tank you can lower the water level a bit too.

there's also different kinds of tanks. a paludarium or riparium would require a lower water line usually and both can make for a stunning display. they would be a lot tougher for fish to jump out of.

 

[FISHSHROD]

Thank you guys because everywhere I read it tells me not to get a glass hood. I'm going to pick one up tomorrow. Thank you again.

I have tried to use glass hoods a couple times but they eventually get all hazy and dull . I kept all my tanks for the past 25 or so years without hoods until just this year when I built a canopy for my125 gal.
I also believe that the glass tops hold to much heat in the water.

 

[CornBreadjiffy]

Just cover the tank and when you want to pay some attention just take it off thats what iI do to my tanks just so that I can handle and play with them

 

[Plague]

I'm running a 55g open hood tank due to my light fixture. Water evaporates really fast and I have to top it off every week. When fish are jumpers it will usually say so in their profile, so you shouldn't worry if your fish will suicide.

 

[aXio]

My tank is open top atm and I've never had a problem with a fish jumping out. I keep Angels, Gourami, Tetras, Barbs, and Plecos. But My water evaporates really fast because of my lighting... but that kinda forces me to do weekly water changes so it's not too bad.

 

[CWO4GUNNER]

If you have some experience fish keeping then I would say that there are a few important considerations to consider depending on your climate. I live in a very arid desert and in summer the difference between having a snug top on an aquarium (glass and back plastic cut out) and open or not-snug (no top or no back plastic cut out) is huge in both maintenance and cost. Without a snug top evaporation maintenance is weekly, TDS climbs unless I replenish with RO, and home AC cost is about $50 more a month. So for me a snug top that can capture moisture is very important. So important that Im experimenting with using clear visqueen plastic that covers the tank top and is weighted in the center to capture and re-condense moisture back into the tank, and a sponge air valve that allows air to pass but not moisture. Ill post the results if Im stressful.

 

[aXio]

Interesting... I never thought of the evaporating water increasing AC costs...because my room does get pretty warm.

 

[PDX-PLT]

I also believe that the glass tops hold to much heat in the water.

LOL, spoken like a Floridian.

Up here, when you're trying to keep a Discus tank at 84 in a room that may drop down to 60 at night, there's no such thing as "too much heat in the water".