What sort of cover should I use?
 

Alright so I need to cover my tank (for some reason ;) ). I don't like glass tops and egg crates since they accumulate salt creeps. As a result I am thinking of mesh top but I am not sure how I can accomplish it in my tank since I got my whole back taken over by float switch, skimmer and filter. Maybe use several corners to lid it up? And where can I find the required things for the cheapest?

Here are some pictures for references:
http://i1304.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0215a905.jpg

http://i1304.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7a34351d.jpg

And just an FTS :)

http://i1304.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0ab5dd2d.jpg

brs sells every thing you need along with a hand full of others i wouldn't worry about covering where the filters are. if you really wanted to i guess you could do a flapper piece

I don't want to do the BRS thing since the shipping would be like double that of the item itself :P

I am guessing these are available in home depot/lowes/rona. Really don't know which one would be cheaper through!

I was told to check out a garden centre for netting material. A while ago I bought door screen material, but it blocked too much light and I just added eggcrate but it reflects to much light out of the tank and I've got lines on my corals. I was looking at BRS as well as I need some other stuff, but looking to see if I can find other alternatives.

I was reading that 1/4" clear garden mesh doesn't hamper any light and the size is perfect to stop fish. Don't know much about these mesh/hardware stuffs....I am home depot illiterate :P

BRS stuffs are just regular stuffs I am guessing. Clear mesh and this perhaps:

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows....jsp?locale=en

I am going to follow this thread because in the future, I would like to use mesh as well.
Tank is looking good Raied

Thanks :)

I am still getting mixed reviews regarding egg crates. Some say that they should be placed the right way and there will be no cut down in intensity while other complains. Any feedback? :)

I don't know if you guys have a co-op hardware store in calgary, but I got a 4x4 sheet of screen with about 1/4" spacing for like $12 just for reference

Also with eggcrate ime it blocks a lot of light especially with leds not sure how it would affect t5s

What sort of sheet of screen are you referring? Any link?

I just use lexan covers for my tanks. Very good light transmission qualities (used by greenhouses), and keeps down the evaporation and heat loss. Not sure why everyone goes for netting and eggcrate, as they are much more difficult to fabricate, and some fish can still get through.

If your handy go get the plastic trim that is used for screen windows there are clips for the corners to join. That the mesh and the rubber stopper that hold screen in and your flying

Good idea, will have to check it out. I don't like the eggcrate at all, but for now it works. I added a wrasse who jumps at the surface every time I feed, I'm sure he would have ended up on the carpet the first day he went in. I've had enough fish jump that a cover is a must.

Mrhasan, your tank looks awesome btw!

I did check out lexan polycabonate sheet but they are just too expensive. I heard that no fishes are small enough to go through 1/4" mesh :P

Yap I am, for now, inclined towards going the mesh cover way. Still thinking.......

Thank you :D

Made my top from window screen frame and "Select Plastic Chicken Wire" from Home Hardware. It comes in 24", 36" or 48" x 50 ft rolls for around $20. It is made by Quest Plastics. 1/4 squares and it is greyish clear.

I think I got the same thing as Smudge. Here's a pick:
http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...psf53da302.jpg

It's a bit bigger than 1/4", closer to 3/8" but I've not had anything make it through, but the operative word might be "yet" :)
http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...ps130f97e8.jpg

http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...ps29e029ba.jpg

I went to Home Depot, in their screen door section you can get the rails, corners etc to make the frame.
When I made the one for my 77, I made little "U" shape cutouts to go around my returns which are over the rim. Don't do it, it sucked, looked horrible and really made the back of the frame weak so it tended to sag. I even used corners and little cut rails to go around everything.
If I were you, I'd make it as wide as I could from front to whatever sticks out the most in the back. That will leave a bit exposed probably between the frame and the actual rim at the back.

I also tried egg crate, but I found it probably reduced the light in my tank 20-30% (rough guess).

Hope that helps :)

Yes thats the same stuff I am using. I have had a fire fish jump through. :(

Rai PM me your addy and how much you need and when I get back home I'll send you a chunk

Thank you so much for the pictures. Will help me a lot in case I can't explain it to home depot :P

So I have decided to make a square screen and fill up the small gaps between the filter, skimmer and float switch with egg crate pieces since its going to be a PITA to fill the spaces with the screen.

I glued the eggcrate to the back of the aluminum frame with hot glue. A couple pieces have come loose and I have reattached with super glue. Seem to be holding up.

Awesome. That's what I plan to do too. Thanks for the heads up :)

PMed :)

This is the same stuff I was talking about lol

I haven't read through all the posts, so forgive me if something was covered ...

I like eggcrate
I have seen mesh-covered tanks before and don't like the salt creep I see on them

My eggcrate, after 10 months, has no salt creep at all
I will put up with whatever loss of light there may be :smile:

That's something that concerns me too. I haven't read anywhere about mesh getting salt creep but egg crate accumulating salt creep. This is causing a pain in my head :sad:

From my observations, Salt creep comes mostly from bubbles popping at the water surface, if you have lots of that, you're going to get salt creep regardless of what you put on top of your tank. For my 20g with all hang on skimmer + aquaclear, I get bubbles from when the water falls back into the tank, I see tiny drops of water fly around from the popping bubbles when I take my glass cover off and the salt creep on my glass cover for that tank is a huge pain.

However, for my 5g zoa/ric tank with egg crate on top, I have no bubbles popping near the surface (as there is no equipment other than a powerhead) and there is no salt creep at all.

Now from my personal experience with Eggcrate, it does reduce the light somewhat but what bothers me the most is the grid shadow I get on my sandbed as my 5g is only 10" tall.

Yap I can see bubbles popping all the time. :cry:

Why don't you just go out and spend the few bucks on a sheet of eggcrate and try it before you take all the time, money, and effort you'll spend on making a mesh cover ?

With your small tank, one sheet of eggcrate/light diffusor will cover it for, what, >$20 ?

And you'll have a bunch left over for other stuff

Give it a try
I love mine :wink:

I don't have any problem using that but people say that fishes can still jump through the holes. So many schools of thoughts just for one top :sad:

1/4" eggcrate is no different than 1/4" mesh ................... as far as hole size goes

Is there 1/4" egg crate??????? I thought all are like 1/2" or something that we use to put frag plus in.

You will get all kinds of arguements about lighting blockage etc, but pound for pound, I'll choose eggcrate
It's so easy to work with, no frames needed, can be trimmed as required, cheap to replace, etc etc, ....

+1 for that. But is there really 1/4" egg crate?

this, I agree with, which is why I still use it with my 5g despite the grid shadow. (which you won't see on a tank with T5s)

What you could do is put egg crate on top of your tank as the rigid frame, then place something else on top of the egg crate to stop jumpers in their path. Of course, that's more money in it and will probably block even more light.

1/4" is the common stuff you find @ places such as Rona or Home Depot
It's lighting diffusing material, sold in the ceiling tile area, not near the lights in my local store, but close to the bulk wood stuffs

Go buy a $14 piece Boss and try it out :wink: :mrgreen:

Thanks Greg :D I will look into it.

Ok now its getting intense! :lol:

:lol:

Egg crate never stopped my sharks from getting through :S

The most common is 1/2" not 1/4". I think what makes the egg crate still work at 1/2" is it has some depth to it, so unless a fish is jumping perfectly straight up through a particular square it usually gets hindered enough that it doesn't make it through.

That screen in the pics I posted is almost a year old, and I've never cleaned it. No salt creep here.
If you go egg crate, have someone put it on and off while you stand back and see if you're ok with the amount of light blockage. I don't know if it's because of the height of my fixture, or if it's the LED's, or what, but it's a significant drop in light on my tank.

Ah my head is hurting :sad: