glass cover good or bad ?
 

i use a 5 mill glass cover over my tank but i am conserned about gas exchange and reduced light any thoughts on this .

Your concerns are correct. It is usually recommended that covers be removed. For the same reasons you have stated.

Re: glass cover good or bad ?
 

My lights are either directly on top of the glass covers or a few inches above. I keep my covers on to prevent splashing water and condensation from ruining my lights. There is a gap at the back of each tank where gas exchange and evaporation occurs. I make sure there is a lot of water surface movement from my powerheads, so there is plenty of gas exchange. I also clean the glass weekly in the sink with tapwater when I do my water changes.

I use eggcrate - stops a lot of splashing (suprisingly), it is open
(gas exchange), I dont have to clean it, and it is light ( I can lift it off myself!)

The only reason to have glass is if you NEED it to set your lights on.

I always use glass covers to stop splashing. There is no glass cover that fits so tight as to impair gas exchange. I have not found a real great light loss when I measured it. So for those reasons it is your choice. :mrgreen:

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Hey Bob, I'm curious as to the actual specs that you mesured with and with out glass. Could you run a test for me? I'd like to know the difference between: No glass, Glass, and Glass after two weeks of sediment build up.

Thanks!

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i was considering egg crate,but from what,Beverly said about her useing glass,with no problems i guess i will still use it for the near future,i do clean it every 2-3 day to wash off the salf spray and there is a 3" gap in the back for gas exchange,but my lights need to sit on it,i would like to get/make a hood but i cant make anything ,well anything that would work and havent been able to find a hood to fit ,without it costing a ton.

Re: reply
 

I put a chunk of 3/16 glass between the bulb and the sensor to see how much glass reduced the light and it went from 426.4 to 421.3

so abosulty clean glas reduced the light 1.2% but that number would increase very fast as the glass gets dirty. if you find you are getting salt spray on it I would recomend cleaning it every second day if you have critters that depend on the light.

Steve

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Cool, My next question would be where to get one og those handy meters that you use for testing light intensity\spectrum etc.

DBD,
IMO I wouldn't run a tank without a top, they protect debris and stuff from magically falling into the tank and also for keeping the jumpers under water :biggrin:
I have been using a 1/2 sheet of acrylic over my tank now for almost 7 years and things are growing great. The trick is to keep it clean, which I give it a rinse in the shower about once a week. I have three 2" holes drilled for feeding, gas exchange and also for my return lines.

Did I mention that I'm only running NO's :mrgreen: