tanks without canopy ?

slant77 · #1 01/26/2007, 07:36 PM

i dont want a canopy but i have fish that like to jump so i have left my glass lid on for a year now. I see that some people say use egg create instead. Is there some evidence showing light loss between a glass lid and egg create. thanks

WaterKeeper · #2 01/26/2007, 08:02 PM

The eggcrate used is the same as in fluorescent light fixture and does transmit light. While not as efficient as glass the actual lumen loss is low. No need to increase lighting if comtemplating a switch.

dbartco · #3 01/26/2007, 09:27 PM

reef or fowlr? Yes it may cut it as much 40-50% I gathered

BadOleRoss · #4 01/26/2007, 10:05 PM

I lost about 30% of my light when I put egg crate over my tank. I quickly removed it.

MR PALM BEACH · #5 01/26/2007, 10:27 PM

I used my glass canopy for about 3 months till I couldnt deal with the nasty salt creep. I love not having an cover, easy access.

prestage3ek · #6 01/26/2007, 11:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by slant77
i dont want a canopy but i have fish that like to jump so i have left my glass lid on for a year now. I see that some people say use egg create instead. Is there some evidence showing light loss between a glass lid and egg create. thanks

I had this happen today. Yesterday I bought a spotted pajama cardinal, today when I got home from work he was on the floor in front of my tank, I was sad

slant77 · #7 01/26/2007, 11:58 PM

yes my tank is a mixed reef

chrisstie · #8 01/27/2007, 12:04 AM

I lost a midas blenny WITH eggcrate. I dont see a noticable difference with it under my T5s .. if anything it helps those things are stroooonggg!

My solution to making sure no one jumps out is to wrap the eggcrate with wedding veil material. You could also just make a frame that sits on the rim and have it with eggcrate pulled around it (think like tennis racket but tank-top shaped)

it seems to work so far

The0wn4g3 · #9 01/27/2007, 12:10 AM

I would try going to walmart and buying one of those large fishing nets, the green ones I think. Unscrew the circle from the handle and strip the net off, cut from one side to the middle so that is creates a rectangle like shape, and lay it across the tank. There is still a chance the fish can get through the holes, but the tank will still receive good air flow, will not trap heat, and will block very little light.

just my 2 cents =)

IslandCrow · #10 01/27/2007, 01:29 AM

Make sure you put the eggcrate on right side up. I can't visually see any significant loss in light, so I have a hard time believing there's a 30% reduction, and certainly not 40-50%. Glass lids have other issues, like trapping heat and not allowing proper circulation of air. Also, even though there may be less light loss if the glass is clean, it's unlikely that glass is going to stay clean very long on a saltwater tank.

euphoricgear · #11 01/27/2007, 02:57 AM

i saw this guy make one like those window screens but used like vinyl mesh. look for it. he said that there was no ligth loss at all. you should try that instead of eggcrate

pcurry18 · #12 01/27/2007, 05:33 AM

When light is passed through one medium to another it is refracted. When light refracts and is contained with in the glass by a dialetic its called internal reflection. SInce your glass hoods arent surrounded by a dialetric (which would be pointless in a marine aquarium), the light you have will pass through the glass and refract and cause a loss of light (dispersion). I dont use any glass hoods. In fact, i go without anything covering my tank...it works for me and i get excellent PAR at 30" with 250W MH. Hope this helps.