Another random question...glass tops!

Ok i know i have been asking a million questions but now that i have joined i am so glad that i have peers to ask these questions to instead of letting them rattle around in my head haha! Anyway i took my glass tops off today for cleaning because the were getting pretty scuzzy (that may be a made up word lol) i just use the hose and spray them off then let them dry outside. anyway while they were drying i was looking in the tank and i noticed WAY more shimmer effect with the tops off and also it looked a little brighter and there were gorgeous water shimmers on my walls and ceiling...so i put the tops back on and it was back to normal, still shimmery but not nearly as much. So what i wanted to ask is is it better to keep the tops on or off? i usually keep the bigger (1 1/2 feet) back panels on and leave the smaller(6 inches) ones off becuase with my MH i get a lot of heat output and also i am lazy and hate taking them on and off (they dont lift up like they should because of my lights legs and the canopy so i have to take them off by lifting and sliding left or right when i need in there...it became a pain so off they went lol) also i have a lot of evap because i have a fan running over the lights and the top of the tank because the lights fans just dont do the trick, if i take them off will this cause an even bigger jump in evap? i am already topping off 2-3 gallons every day. so is it worth the extra evap for the extra shimmer and brightness or should i just leave well enough alone? also i dont really have any jumpers out of my little group so thats not a huge concern of mine.

Thanks everyone

 

I dont have one on mine anymore it really got nasty and didnt make the light look good at all I actualy am going to do a mesh top from Bulk reef supply, and yea the extre evap. IMO is well worth it ;D

 

are the glass tops you refer to, the glass covers for your MH lamps?
are your MH lamps SE - single end or DE double end?

if they are double end - then that glass would be UV shield and without it, you could experience some coral bleaching issues

Steve

 

I would tend to think that you will have more evaporation with the top off. I would say that it is up to your own personnel preference to how much shimmer you want, lol. I am just curious how the temperature of your water will be affected if you leave the top off though as well. I don't see a reason why you couldn't leave it off though honestly. If you are ever worried about jumpers though, you could always just make a mesh top for you setup.

Here is one thread: http://www.3reef.com/forums/reef-aq...-tanks-standard-rimless-w-pictures-74334.html

I know that I have seen a better one recently, but I cant find it right now.

 

oh no i am talking about literal glass cover for the top of the tank...the light fixture is one of those coralife aqualight pro deals and it has its own seperate sheild and they are double ended

 

yes i have been seeing along about those mesh tops...only problem is like my glass tops that would get in the way because the legs of the light over hang, and literally my canopy just fits right overtop of the legs...its a tight fit lol, you would think the would make those legs a bit smaller, but i guess they had to make them bigger to hold all that weight...im a pretty strong girl and i can barely lift the lights off by myself haha! But i think i may try it sans tops for a few days and see if my evap is too terrible...hey maybe it will actually help with the whole heat thing and i wont have to run the fan overtop and i might even have LESS evap hahaha...hey i can wish right?

 

A glass top interferes with oxygen/gas exchange and can effect your pH. Also as stated above they collect evap and get covered with a film of salt which blocks light to the animals that need it. I would ditch the cover and build one of these if you have jumpers.
http://www.3reef.com/forums/i-made/clear-mesh-jump-stopper-121802.html

 

I don't use a lid on my 90gal or my 29gal. One it holds unwanted heat & two you get too much salt build up. You'll be cleaning it ever 2 weeks.

 

Remember that there are a lot of species that are considered "jumpers" so while removing glass tops will make for a nicer looking aquarium, it will also allow certain fish to "commit suicide"

 

You can easily get a 30% light reduction through a dirty glass top. Unless you clean them everyday then you are going to get at least a little light reduction, as you obviously noticed when you removed them for cleaning. I would say ditch the glass tops. You will enjoy a brighter tank with more shimmer, you wont have to clean them anymore, and I doubt your evap goes up a ton since you already are leaving part of the top open anyways.