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Hello there,

I'm looking for suggestions for a tank cover. Currently I have a glass cover but when its down with no fan on and the lights on the tank can easily get about 90+ degrees. (Woke up this morning to 88 degrees) With the fan on it sits about 86 degrees and at night and very cool days its between 80-82 degrees.

Recently I've been keeping the tank lid cracked to let out the trapped heat but I do have a jumping fish so its not something I really like doing.

If anyone has any suggestions on another type of cover that wont melt it would be appreciated.



Tigermom

if you wanted to, you could get a hood designed for a lizard cage:: one made of plastic that is slotted all over the place, and somehow rig your light up to that...of course you would have to deal with the light melting the hood, but if you prop it up above the hood correctly it should work

-a solidary predator, the firetruck stalks its prey

A wire screen cover as is used for small mammals and herps should be fine, provided that there is some covering between the water and the light fixture so that doesn't get wet. What kind of filtration do you have? This also might be an issue because most covers designed for terrestrial animals won't have any easy way to accomodate a HOB filter.

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it sounds like you are using incandescent light bulbs!

those are bad news for all fish tanks!

i do use one incandescent and one soft white bulb for my 15g and i used a peice of wire mesh (like 1/2 inch grid) to allow the humidity and the heat to dissapear...

also if you are using incandescent bulbs toss them (or save them in case of emergency or necessity) and go to the home goods store and buy some 5500K (or kelvins) daylight flourescent bulbs...

but it would be better if you described your tank and lighting!

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

I agree with brandeeno. Theres not too large of a chance that the tank's (without incandescent) temps can reach a whopping 88º!!! That also depends on the hood too. If you are using a DIY glass hood, i suggest getting something to raise it about an inch above the frame. Maybe some lighting clamps for those strip compact flourescent lights. If you are using an all glass (or similar brand) glass hood, i would cut out some vinyl panels from the back part where the filter is, and then cover it with some chicken wire screening or something of that kind.

Honestly, it sounds like incandescents, so go pick up some 6500K (5500 wont grow plants as well) daylight, not sunshine, bulbs. They are screw-in types, and will save you some money in energy bills.

Good luck!

EDIT: It could also be that the light is too close to the water, maybe raising it an inch with the mentioned clamps would work. What type of fixture are you using, as i am now curious.......Might not be incandescents.......What if it is metal halides....?

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Hi everyone,

Thanks for the replies. Well my lighting fixture is this exact one.
[link]
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+11418&pcatid=11418[/link]

And the bulb is the SunPaq Daylight 6700°K 96w
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+11422&pcatid=11422

The light is already on the feet that some lighting fixtures come with.
The filters I have are and Aqua Clear 70 and a Whisper 40.

I am also surprised that the tank gets that hot, but it actually does. I even bought a new a thermometer to check as well as take the one out of my other tank to check and they all read the same.

The hood I guess is a DIY hood. I got it second hand with the tank from someone. All it is, is two pieces of glass and this black thing that keeps it together and allows me to open the hoods front piece of glass back.

I like the ideas of wire screen and mesh and raising the glass. Is it possible to cut circles in the glass and then covering then with some type of mesh like vents? If i got the mesh do I just place it over or something? Does anyone know if something like egg crate would work?

Tigermom

egg crate might work.. but the melting might be a possibilty as with the heat produced with the lighting...

i would say the cutting holes might be sufficient, but would be pricey to fiund a glass cutter then pay for them to do it...

try replacing the bulb with another to see if it is just he bulb... if not you could return it!


\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

Is your heater plugged in while you are experiencing this difficulty with overheating? If so, it is possible that the thermostat inside is broken and it is just constantly heating the water without shutting off when it's warm enough.

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Superlion, good point. I think you should get that heater checked or get a new one. THat actually could be the problem...

Maybe the DIY hood is the problem also? If it has two glass sheets, there is bound to be some sort of greenhouse effect then. You know, global warming, that type of greenhouse effect? Anyways, i would just get a new hood probably, and maybe this time it will cool off. If you use the eggcrate, then be careful about melting, if the temp is from the lights themselves. I would put my hand under the lights, and see it they are the problem. Most likely its not, but i really dunno....Flouros arent supposed to emit that much heat.....

I would just cut some vents, and cover them up, like you said. If there really is no heat escape, then you really should make one. You could lift the opening hood part up, and keep it about an inch up with some rubber stoppers, until you can get a new hood, or until the vents are made.


Good luck!

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