Open Tops/Rimless Tanks with fish

[Rbacchiega]

For those running open top, what kind of fish are you housing? I know I won't have water in my 50 for a long time, but I like to have things at least partially figured out. This tank is going to be entirely SPS (seriously Doug!) and was thinking a shoal of 5 or 6 Green or Blue Chromis would be just the right touch...

Thoughts? Suggestions?

[Myka]

My tank is open top...as are all my tanks, always. I've had a few carpet surfers; a Yasha Goby, and a couple of small freshwater fish/shrimp.

[Whatigot]

oh man.
I'm also all open top.
you can see my fish in my sig, but I have also had a yellow tang in there in the past without it surfing.

I used to have three zebra dart gobies but now only 1...
I have only ever had one CONFIRMED carpet surfer (a pink/blue spot prawn gobie) as I have a couple cats and a dog who watch over the tanks for me during the day and night when no one else is around so if one jumped, it might wind up lunch or buried in the kitty litter before I found it.

I have lost in the past a gramma, a few jawheads (though none to jumping, they all died before they had the chance) a couple clown gobies and a carpenters flasher wrasse...

Virtually all of my fish are known surfers but I think as long as there isn't a major aggressor in the tank, once a fish is established, there is very little reason for it to jump.

[Rbacchiega]

herm. Thanks. Now more too think about. I know I only want a couple fish, with the main focus of the tank being the corals. But it definately gives me something more to think about.

[Delphinus]

Is building a wooden skirt (like an open top canopy, so to speak) an option at all?

I could see a chromis jumping is the only thing. I've been using an eggcrate cover over my 115g but it wasn't enough to stop a canary wrasse from surfing. I've been meaning to look into bird/garden netting locally, seen some tanks on RC with that and it's not offensively obtrusive.

I used glass covers over my golden dwarf moray tank, I thought it was pretty well sealed up but he still found a way out. If I ever try an eel again it will be with a wooden top, may still go with an open top if it's tall enough, but at least with walls that they can't slither through.

Anyhow guess what I'm saying is there's always a risk. Sometimes it's not a problem and it's fine, sometimes no matter what you do it isn't enough.

[Rbacchiega]

I hear you, Tony.

The only thing is, I want this tank to be as clean as possible. That's another eason I'll be going with a barracuda pump. I might just be able to get enough flow going through the tank that I won't need extra powerheads. Bare Bottom tank, lots of flow...might need to upgrade my skimmer though now that I think about it...herm...