Glass tops

Aquariumist · 06/08/2006, 09:22 AM

I have a newly established 46 gallon bowfront with a 7 gallon sump/fuge. as for lighting Ihave a 36" Coralife lunar aqualight. My question is that my tank burns off around 1-2 gallons of water per day, and it seems very abnormal. I am getting a drip system to help level off evaporation, but will a glass top help also, or will it hurt it? Does anyone have any experience with this kind of problem?

rsxs1212 · 06/08/2006, 09:24 AM

i have a glass top on mine and im running MH's i am amazed how much evaporation it colects then drips back down into the tank. i recomend them... the only thing is that salt forms on it and you have to clean the glass regularly to keep maximum brightness. it also prevents fish that are tired of the tank-life from jumping out. im happy with mine

Fiziksgeek · 06/08/2006, 10:59 AM

A glass top with help cut down on evaportation tremendously. However, there are drawbacks.

It will reduce light penetration (even when clean) by several percent. Though you will probably still have more then enough light on your small tank.

It will trap heat. So unless you already have a chiller, one may become necessary.

It reduces exposed surface area which results in less oxygen exchange.

I am sure there are more...That being said, I use a glass top on my 135 and have no problems, haha. The 1-2 gallons of evap you see are on the high end, but I would not call that abnormal.

rsxs1212 · 06/08/2006, 11:27 AM

yeah evaporation is normal. and yes i agree there are drawbacks but none that make glass tops not useable or wanted

Aquariumist · 06/08/2006, 01:37 PM

thanks, i think i may get one, although a chiller is way out of budget for me right now.

rsxs1212 · 06/08/2006, 02:29 PM

ehhh chiller is not needed in my opinion. i have a glass top and my heaters are set at 78. guess what, my tank stays at 78 consistently. i think the glass actually helps block out the heat from the light in my opinion but not sure

Blown 346 · 06/08/2006, 02:36 PM

Glas tops will block some of the heat from lights, but once the glass gets warm the heat built up in it will go into the tank. They can basically act like a suana, the will trap heat and keep it in the tank. Most of the evaporation you see is from the tank, but the sump shows it.

Fiziksgeek · 06/08/2006, 03:40 PM

My thought is:

Try the glass top and see what happens. Monitor your temp closely, and if you have a problem, take it off. No one can really tell if you will have a problem or not, you will just have to try it.

RichConley · 06/08/2006, 04:04 PM

Evaporation cools your tank. Anything you do to decrease evaporation is goign to cause your tank temp to go up. If your heaters are still running occasionally, this may not be an issue...but if they aren't, you are going to see some serious temp increases.

rsxs1212 · 06/08/2006, 07:33 PM

yeah i guess it depends on what the room temperature in your house is i consistenly keep mine around 65 and my fish room is a little hotter from the MH's

PatMayo · 06/08/2006, 09:20 PM

Aside from the heat issue and oxygen exchange, there is another issue. As you get more corals and the tank starts using calcium and alkalinity, you will welcome the evaporation because you can probably drip limewater which will keep the alk and calk correct. It's cheaper to use limewater rather than commercial 2 part additives. You get two things at once, your evaporated water put back into the system plus the calk and alk the system will eventually need.

I had a 46 bow before I got the 90 and I used a top on it. I eventually settled for just a center piece of the glass and left the front and back open. Worked well for me.

The best thing to do is experiment and you will find the best solution for your situation.

Regards,

Pat

ho bag · 06/09/2006, 08:18 AM

i was gettign evap issues on my 50g, added a glass top and got heat issues, i leave about 2 inches open on the back and it keeps the water in and lets the heat out. But i must admit the heat issue is mostly due to the 75+ temp in my damm appartment.

Aquariumist · 06/09/2006, 08:53 AM

thanks everybody, I am going to try the glass top, and see what happens. I am planning on adding limewater to my drip system, and i will keep the hinged lid partially open. I have to say, i am a bit late in setting up my tank. i am leaving on tuesday to Colorado for a month, coming back for a week, then leaving for 2 and a half weeks for the bahamas. So i have to experiment quick.
Oh, one more thing, what heaters do you guys reccomend? I need to get another one as I dropped mine(not in the tank, dont worry).

Fiziksgeek · 06/09/2006, 08:58 AM

I use finnex titanium of a Ranco Controller.

I woudl highly recommend getting some type of controller. They are much more reliable.

rsxs1212 · 06/09/2006, 09:11 AM

yeah i agree controllers are important...you dont want to have your whole system relying on that one 20 dollar heater you have or whatever it cost

06/08/2006, 09:22 AM	#1
Aquariumist Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Miami, Fl. Posts: 208	Glass tops I have a newly established 46 gallon bowfront with a 7 gallon sump/fuge. as for lighting Ihave a 36" Coralife lunar aqualight. My question is that my tank burns off around 1-2 gallons of water per day, and it seems very abnormal. I am getting a drip system to help level off evaporation, but will a glass top help also, or will it hurt it? Does anyone have any experience with this kind of problem?

06/08/2006, 09:24 AM	#2
rsxs1212 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Bradenton Posts: 1,148	i have a glass top on mine and im running MH's i am amazed how much evaporation it colects then drips back down into the tank. i recomend them... the only thing is that salt forms on it and you have to clean the glass regularly to keep maximum brightness. it also prevents fish that are tired of the tank-life from jumping out. im happy with mine __________________ 60% of the time it works every time Current Tank Info: 75g RR,asm g3, eheim 1250, 2 1200's one highflow maxistream mod (may do another or med flow.) , 30g sump,fuge, 4x54 T5 lighting SLR reflectors, RO/DI top off, 20L FOWLR, 10 g prop/sps dedicated

06/08/2006, 11:27 AM	#4
rsxs1212 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Bradenton Posts: 1,148	yeah evaporation is normal. and yes i agree there are drawbacks but none that make glass tops not useable or wanted __________________ 60% of the time it works every time Current Tank Info: 75g RR,asm g3, eheim 1250, 2 1200's one highflow maxistream mod (may do another or med flow.) , 30g sump,fuge, 4x54 T5 lighting SLR reflectors, RO/DI top off, 20L FOWLR, 10 g prop/sps dedicated

06/08/2006, 02:29 PM	#6
rsxs1212 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Bradenton Posts: 1,148	ehhh chiller is not needed in my opinion. i have a glass top and my heaters are set at 78. guess what, my tank stays at 78 consistently. i think the glass actually helps block out the heat from the light in my opinion but not sure __________________ 60% of the time it works every time Current Tank Info: 75g RR,asm g3, eheim 1250, 2 1200's one highflow maxistream mod (may do another or med flow.) , 30g sump,fuge, 4x54 T5 lighting SLR reflectors, RO/DI top off, 20L FOWLR, 10 g prop/sps dedicated

06/08/2006, 04:04 PM	#9
RichConley Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bostonian in Chicago going to DC Posts: 9,908	Evaporation cools your tank. Anything you do to decrease evaporation is goign to cause your tank temp to go up. If your heaters are still running occasionally, this may not be an issue...but if they aren't, you are going to see some serious temp increases. __________________ NO TANKS!!!

06/08/2006, 10:59 AM	#3
Fiziksgeek Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Oxford, CT Posts: 1,565	A glass top with help cut down on evaportation tremendously. However, there are drawbacks. It will reduce light penetration (even when clean) by several percent. Though you will probably still have more then enough light on your small tank. It will trap heat. So unless you already have a chiller, one may become necessary. It reduces exposed surface area which results in less oxygen exchange. I am sure there are more...That being said, I use a glass top on my 135 and have no problems, haha. The 1-2 gallons of evap you see are on the high end, but I would not call that abnormal.

06/08/2006, 01:37 PM	#5
Aquariumist Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Miami, Fl. Posts: 208	thanks, i think i may get one, although a chiller is way out of budget for me right now.

06/08/2006, 02:36 PM	#7
Blown 346 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Rockford, Illinois Posts: 6,596	Glas tops will block some of the heat from lights, but once the glass gets warm the heat built up in it will go into the tank. They can basically act like a suana, the will trap heat and keep it in the tank. Most of the evaporation you see is from the tank, but the sump shows it.

06/08/2006, 03:40 PM	#8
Fiziksgeek Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Oxford, CT Posts: 1,565	My thought is: Try the glass top and see what happens. Monitor your temp closely, and if you have a problem, take it off. No one can really tell if you will have a problem or not, you will just have to try it.

06/08/2006, 07:33 PM	#10
rsxs1212 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Bradenton Posts: 1,148	yeah i guess it depends on what the room temperature in your house is i consistenly keep mine around 65 and my fish room is a little hotter from the MH's __________________ 60% of the time it works every time Current Tank Info: 75g RR,asm g3, eheim 1250, 2 1200's one highflow maxistream mod (may do another or med flow.) , 30g sump,fuge, 4x54 T5 lighting SLR reflectors, RO/DI top off, 20L FOWLR, 10 g prop/sps dedicated

06/08/2006, 09:20 PM	#11
PatMayo Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Seattle Posts: 2,843	Aside from the heat issue and oxygen exchange, there is another issue. As you get more corals and the tank starts using calcium and alkalinity, you will welcome the evaporation because you can probably drip limewater which will keep the alk and calk correct. It's cheaper to use limewater rather than commercial 2 part additives. You get two things at once, your evaporated water put back into the system plus the calk and alk the system will eventually need. I had a 46 bow before I got the 90 and I used a top on it. I eventually settled for just a center piece of the glass and left the front and back open. Worked well for me. The best thing to do is experiment and you will find the best solution for your situation. Regards, Pat __________________ 90 AGA Megaflow (Setup 1-24-06) 120 Lbs. Liverock EuroReef RS 100 Skimmer 2 X 150 MH 2 X 96 watt PC Actinic 2 Clarki Clowns (31 months old) 1 Niger Trigger (Owned 6 months) 2 Tunze 6055 PH Current Tank Info: 90 AGA Megaflow To Be Mixed Reef

06/09/2006, 08:18 AM	#12
ho bag Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 52	i was gettign evap issues on my 50g, added a glass top and got heat issues, i leave about 2 inches open on the back and it keeps the water in and lets the heat out. But i must admit the heat issue is mostly due to the 75+ temp in my damm appartment.

06/09/2006, 08:53 AM	#13
Aquariumist Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Miami, Fl. Posts: 208	thanks everybody, I am going to try the glass top, and see what happens. I am planning on adding limewater to my drip system, and i will keep the hinged lid partially open. I have to say, i am a bit late in setting up my tank. i am leaving on tuesday to Colorado for a month, coming back for a week, then leaving for 2 and a half weeks for the bahamas. So i have to experiment quick. Oh, one more thing, what heaters do you guys reccomend? I need to get another one as I dropped mine(not in the tank, dont worry).

06/09/2006, 08:58 AM	#14
Fiziksgeek Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Oxford, CT Posts: 1,565	I use finnex titanium of a Ranco Controller. I woudl highly recommend getting some type of controller. They are much more reliable.

06/09/2006, 09:11 AM	#15
rsxs1212 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Bradenton Posts: 1,148	yeah i agree controllers are important...you dont want to have your whole system relying on that one 20 dollar heater you have or whatever it cost __________________ 60% of the time it works every time Current Tank Info: 75g RR,asm g3, eheim 1250, 2 1200's one highflow maxistream mod (may do another or med flow.) , 30g sump,fuge, 4x54 T5 lighting SLR reflectors, RO/DI top off, 20L FOWLR, 10 g prop/sps dedicated