covering the tank

[BCReefer]

Steve,

If your hood is high enough why not make the cover part of your hood, that way you can control the evaporation.

I purchase last year a MH actinic lighting set. It came in a enclosed reflector with an acrylic bottom and of course a built in fan. I did try it with out the cover for a while but I noticed that water evaporated more than I wanted and the temperature rose during the day by more that 2 degrees. I was also worried about a fish jumping and splashing water on the bulb so I put the cover back on.

Since then I have built a wooden hood which the light kit slides in and out. The lighting is 8 “ from the water compared to 4” that I had before so I might try and go without the cover again. On my system the cover is part of the lighting system and does not rest directly on the tank. Darren is right, the cover does constantly need cleaning.