Lid on Sump

[Foooz]

I am considering at least partially covering my sump to reduce evaporation. Obviously there will several opening for equipment and return/drain lines. Are there any pros/cons to doing this?

[DrPheel]

other then salt creep building up on the lid and maybe a little bit of heat accumulating I do not see any major cons. Most professional sumps are covered ! Just make sure you keep it clean and you will be good,

[SoloGarth]

Well I have done this in the past. Not to reduce evaporation as I view that as generally positive but to control salt creep. Unless your DT is covered it probably won't make a huge difference in evap rate. To me it was just a pain having to remove the covers all the time

[Foooz]

Thanks. My DT is completely covered.

[mattgumaer]

The cons I think would be: 1) increased heat; 2) decreased gas exchange (particularly with a covered tank); and 3) issues with access to the sump and keeping the cover(s) clean. The pros would be: 1) decreased evaporation; and 2) confining any salt/splash to the sump. Personally, I think the answer to evaporation, if possible, is a good ATO setup with a nice big reservoir to hold RO water so that you don't have to fill it too often. Even with a setup that doesn't add a ton of heat to my tank, which is set up in my basement, I think my tank would be warmer than I would like if I covered my tank and sump.


Matt

[Foooz]

Going to leave uncovered. I think I may have solved some of my issues. Bad thermometer my tank is at 82.7. Per LFS, polyps like cooler water which may be part of the issue in my other thread. Also algae seems to not be going away which I think higher temperature can help algae to grow. Hooked up fan blowing across sump to see if that helps.
Thanks everyone.