cover the top?

[fish123234]

Hey i was wondering if i should cover the top of my 20h gallon aquarium. I read that being uncovered is better for oxygen diffusion into the tank, but the light i have (current) said that i should always cover the tank. any thoughts?

[iZinedane]

Hey i was wondering if i should cover the top of my 20h gallon aquarium. I read that being uncovered is better for oxygen diffusion into the tank, but the light i have (current) said that i should always cover the tank. any thoughts?

i suggest you get a cover,
some fish will likely jump out of the aquarium

[AABatteries]

I leave my 20H uncovered. Of course, I don't have any fish. Had a firefish, but velvet or flukes got the best of him :ssad: Plus with the return from the CPR I can't have a glass canopy. And egg crate is like $12 for a 4ftx2ft piece when I need less than half.

[fish123234]

Really all I am worried about are my lights rusting over, I don’t believe that clown fish are jumpers, but I could be wrong. also evaporation is ridiculous, I find myself replacing a gallon every 4 days.

[Northernguy]

The condensation will build up inside the light casing if the there is no glass in between.It will last for a few years before the damage is done though.
A lid also stops a lot of evaporation.
The gases can escape if the lid is not a tight fit.

[AABatteries]

Yes! Talk about evaporation probably lost 5 gallons in a few days once.

[rageybug]

Unless you are using super hot lights, I would put a lid on it. SW fish are way to expensive to lose to the carpet. If you are worried about heat build up or gases, just drill a few vent holes in the back of the lid, away from the light.

[labnjab]

I don’t believe that clown fish are jumpers, but I could be wrong.

I thought the same thing til we found our $20 clarkii clown on the carpet. Since then we keep an eggcrate top on the tank. I wouldn't put a completly sealed top, I would use either an eggcrate or sceen top.

[Wiggs]

Agree with everyone in the thread. Some fish may not be considered "jumpers
" but a lot of individual fish can have their own personalities. I would art least put Eggcrate or a screen.

[oldhead]

Peronally, I run mine with no lid. To me the benefits outweigh the possible jumpers. If I were you I'd look into egg crate before a glass top though.