Can I keep the tank covered and 3/4 of the sump covered if...

hot4teacher · 01/19/2006, 03:22 AM

If I have the display tank covered with glass (small areas for feeding and a little O2 exchange) and 3/4 of the sump covered with an airstone, will I run into trouble with a lack of gas exchange?

I need to keep the surface covered (tank is in a school) and I would like to cut down on evaporation. I know some guys don't cover anything...but our school is known to be very dusty.

What do you think?

65g acrylic
4x96w PC's
29g sump

Dana

JR719 · 01/19/2006, 04:20 AM

You should be ok. Just remember, when covered... heat... You will have to dissipate heat somehow. Do you have a chiller on the tank? And salt creep, that will be an almost daily cleaning problem. If it is a fish only tank, the salt creep won't be such a problem for light, if there are light hungy corals, you will have to clean constantly. Just something to think about.

My 2 pennies,
JR

Rborgia · 01/19/2006, 08:21 AM

I just removed my MH/PC hood for a new Tek T5 fixture, less heat... right? I figured I would cover about 90% of tank. Well even though I have almost no heat from the lights my tank temp rose 6 degrees yesterday (85) . Well I promply removed the covering and it started coming down.

I'm now just covering the rear area and the overflow and across the front yto prevent salt creep.

Rich

01/19/2006, 03:22 AM	#1
hot4teacher Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 537	Can I keep the tank covered and 3/4 of the sump covered if... If I have the display tank covered with glass (small areas for feeding and a little O2 exchange) and 3/4 of the sump covered with an airstone, will I run into trouble with a lack of gas exchange? I need to keep the surface covered (tank is in a school) and I would like to cut down on evaporation. I know some guys don't cover anything...but our school is known to be very dusty. What do you think? 65g acrylic 4x96w PC's 29g sump Dana

01/19/2006, 04:20 AM	#2
JR719 Tang Cop Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: OK Posts: 2,240	You should be ok. Just remember, when covered... heat... You will have to dissipate heat somehow. Do you have a chiller on the tank? And salt creep, that will be an almost daily cleaning problem. If it is a fish only tank, the salt creep won't be such a problem for light, if there are light hungy corals, you will have to clean constantly. Just something to think about. My 2 pennies, JR __________________ Can't sleep, clowns will eat me. America is the most grandiose experiment the world has seen, but, I am afraid, it is not going to be a success. Sigmund Freud Current Tank Info: 300 reef, Aqua controller, Deltec calcium reactor, Reeflo 250 skimmer, Icecap bla bla bla

01/19/2006, 08:21 AM	#3
Rborgia Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Westbury, NY Posts: 34	I just removed my MH/PC hood for a new Tek T5 fixture, less heat... right? I figured I would cover about 90% of tank. Well even though I have almost no heat from the lights my tank temp rose 6 degrees yesterday (85) . Well I promply removed the covering and it started coming down. I'm now just covering the rear area and the overflow and across the front yto prevent salt creep. Rich