Picture Wanted of Egg crate top
 

I have been hearing alot about egg crate tops....not exactly sure what they look like...wondering if anyone has a pic of one on their tank..i have a purple firefish i dont want to jump out..as well as a diamond gobie...thanks

kris

You know what egg crate is right? The actual material itself?

Just picture this , cut to fit the top of your tank...

(searching for pic, other one didnt work)

http://www.astechplastics.ca/images/egg_crate.jpg

I'ts flourenscent light diffuser (sp) You see it all the time in offices, warehouses etc. If you ask at any building supply store they should have it but they look at you funny when you call it egg crate - try light diffuser - it comes in pieces basically the same size as a standard ceiling tile.

This is the best picture I have online (I've never really photographed the top of the tank, sorry..). Anyhow it's just a piece of eggcrate cut to size and resting on the edges of the glass.

http://members.shaw.ca/hobiesailor/a...rIwasaki-2.jpg

Awesome Thanks

I will stop by staples or something a bit later...dont want the carpet surfing to continue on this forum....third time may not be the charm..thanks again

kris

I'd hit up Home Depot or Rona.

As muck said, home depot or rona, they won't have it at staples.

Look in the lighting section also, that is where you will find it.

If you spend a little more $$$ you can get the reflective type. Looks signifigantly less ghetto & you get a bonus reflector. ***NOTE*** the eggcrate may sag & bow depending on how hot your lights become; you may need to reinforce or even double up for long-term sucess.

FWIW, I hate the look of this stuff. It blocks a lot of light, and is very bright (from all the light it catches), so it is by far the most distracting top I've ever put on a tank. I have it on one tank, but took it off the other... as soon as the summer heating season is over, back to glass!

Matthew

thanks for all the input...So Matt, you would recommend a glass top? I have thought about doing a glass top and since i am in the window business it would be easy for me to get my hands on a custom cut piece of glass...I will think about it..i just hate the look of the glass after it gets mildewy..and ugly and dont want to clean it all the time...

kris

A glass top filters out too much light IMHO. It depends on what kind of lights you use too.

In the T5 vs PC thread, one of the members makes a very knowledgeable post about how much light enters the aquarium with regards to depth and type of lighting. Thusly, a glass top is less distracting than holey eggcrate, but it takes away even more efficiency of the lighting.

actually glass blocks less light than you think, I did a test with a sheet of glass about a year ago and posted the results.. basically it wasn't even worth worrying about with 1/4" glass as it was almost no difference on the PAR level.

the problem that glass does present is it retains heat.

Steve

Really? Hmmm, thanks for informing. I was always under the impression that glass tops blocked quite a bit. Although, since I am using T5s, I try to get as much light as possible.

What about using reflective egg crate ?

The reflective paint on that egg crate flakes off. I wouldn't want that falling in my tank.

I have the coralife 2-96W lighting fixture so for me i am guessing the less obstruction the best..i have a 33 G tank. So it isnt that deep.24 inches..so i may just go the egg crate route, but i stopped by Rona tonight and they didnt have it..anyone on the lower mainland seen any at any stores lately...

thanks

kris

Got some at Home depot