to cover or not??

[Bobby A.]

i have had a set of the coralife aqualights plus for a couple weeks now. my water temp used to average at 77-79 degrees. but now when the 10000ks come on it goes from 79 to 82.5 is that a little high for corals??

the lights are on little legs raised above the top of the tank about 4 in. but i keep the glass tops on it.
i read somewhere it wasnt good to keep them off. is that true?? if so why?

i have a longnose hawk and heard they are bad for jumping out. thats why i left them on. i have had him for two months now would he still jump?


any info would help. thanks.

[steri]

I keep a top on my tank because I am too concerned about fish jumping out, and evaporation is much greater when you have no top on the tank. Also, I just like the look of a top better.

My Zoa's and Xenia seem to be doing just fine!

[AZDesertRat]

Remove the glass tops. You will get better oxygen transfer, lower temperatures and better light penetration. Evaporation is a good thing, it cools the tank.

[Bobby A.]

when replacing evaporated water. you add fresh non salted water, right??

[WaterKeeper]

To be sure. The salt in the water does not evaporate.

[jtemple42000]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9402699#post9402699 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Bobby A.
when replacing evaporated water. you add fresh non salted water, right??

Correct. No salt in top off water.

steri:

If you are worried about fish jumping out you can go to Lowes, Home Depot, etc and buy light diffusers for drop ceilings...

[Agu]

Time in the tank doesn't determine if a fish will jump. They jump when they feel like it. That's why I like having some kind of cover over a tank with jumpers.

You can leave the glass tops on if you provide for other ways of gas exchange. A hob filter achieves the air water interface the facilitates gas exchange and evaporative cooling. So do a sump, a hob refugium, and even a skimmer. Even a small fan blowing over the open area where glass doesn't quite meet an edge can help.

Here's a pic of a partial hood I made. The areas not covered by the light have eggcrate inserts to prevent jumping.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/2DSCN1585.jpg

[Agu]

Shot of the inserts,

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/2DSCN1583.jpg