Glass top for Mini-Bow?

[donna4909]

Do I need to get a piece of glass cut for my 2.5 Mini-Bow?

 

I have the stock hood, but I'm worried about salt creep and evaporation.

[jmorris]

I prefer not to have glass tops on my tanks. they trap too much heat, reduce lighting intensity, and reduce gas exchange. on the other hand, if kept clean they do not reduce light, and keep fish from jumping... but then again... what fish are you putting in a 2.5?

 

If you still really want a top, just use a 1/4" thick piece of acrylic, as this will be thick enough not to bow/warp too much with the humidity & heat (acrylic does this... trust me!), and yet still very cheap and easy to work with. Make sure to have plenty of airation/gas exchange in the filter or somewhere if you cap the tank though!

 

Jared

[robmacy]

jmorris is right. you really need to keep some oxygen flowing for good gas exchange. i'd monitor the heat the day you put anything on. if the tank gets too hot, you could lose everything.

[coralcrazy]

no glass top...just throw the mini bow out the window

[donna4909]

*lol* I'd rather not throw it out the window.

 

No fish, just a couple mushrooms.

 

I'm really worried about the lighting being unprotected. Sure, it has a little shield over it, but it doesn't look fool proof.

 

It wouldn't be totally covered. There would be a 5" x 3" cutout for the HOB filter.

[jmorris]

It will work without the cover if you will wipe the salt residue off on a regular basis.

 

Oh, and just as a fail-safe, whichever way you go, remember to always use a GFCI outlet for any fish tank related electrics (ask at Ace, Minards, Home Depot, or Lowes, any good hardware/home improvemtn store should have the whole outlet replacement, or at least modular plug-in models)