Pros and Cons on a lid less aquarium
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+pro:
plants can grow/flower out of tank
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cons:
i never had that happen (yet) :icon_frow
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Cons: nerites and amanos strike out into the world on their own and the risk of jumping fish
Pros: clean look, air circulation, no cleaning the top
Somewhere in the middle: Acrylic tank with a 2in rim. I have that now and love that it keeps my nerites and amanos in their proper place but I don't have much of a lid to worry about and no fish loss to date from jumping.
Pros: clean look, air circulation, no cleaning the top
Somewhere in the middle: Acrylic tank with a 2in rim. I have that now and love that it keeps my nerites and amanos in their proper place but I don't have much of a lid to worry about and no fish loss to date from jumping.
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Adding to the list of escapees: snails.
Dried up snail shells littered around the tank is not a pleasant thing to look at. Except if you're into collecting them.
My trumpet snails are notorious for climbing over the rim of the tank and falling, where they will eventuallu dry up.
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Dried up snail shells littered around the tank is not a pleasant thing to look at. Except if you're into collecting them.
My trumpet snails are notorious for climbing over the rim of the tank and falling, where they will eventuallu dry up.
Sent from my X10a using Tapatalk
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Cons:
+1 for evaporation being a con in Florida. I hate it to because I already have liquid rock. Then I have to constantly top off so the hardness only goes up.
Jumping fish although i have been lucky and the only fish I ever had jump was upon introducing him into the tank. He was not liking the water parameters apparently. I made a makeshift lid for the tank for a few days and haven't had an issue since.
Pros:
Feeding fish is easier
Looks
Air Exchange
For some the cooling factor if your room runs a bit hot
Pros: Just looks more real
Easier maint., & feeding
Fish Suicide Jumpers, eliminates the stupid fish from the gene pool
Cons: Heating, we keep the house pretty cool in winter 60 days if were aren't home.
Up to 68 at night. So the heater works overtime. This year I'm going to cut
a sheet of Lexan to use as lids.
Easier maint., & feeding
Fish Suicide Jumpers, eliminates the stupid fish from the gene pool
Cons: Heating, we keep the house pretty cool in winter 60 days if were aren't home.
Up to 68 at night. So the heater works overtime. This year I'm going to cut
a sheet of Lexan to use as lids.
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Every tank I have is lidless. I think they just look much better. If you are keeping your tank water temp in the mid to lower 70's then evaporation shouldn't be too bad but just remember that if you just keep topping it off with tap water you will be slowly raising the hardness and also in most cases, the pH of the water too. To be safe when topping off it is best to use RO or some sort of purified water as this will keep the water chemistry pretty much the same.
Fish can and will jump out some are just more suicidal than others. Since your not injecting co2 you won't have to worry about a mass jump off due to having the co2 concentration too high which does happen from time to time.
Having to constantly clean the glass would be a major turn off to me. If you don't clean it you will end up cutting your light intensity by 50% or more due to all of the build up and deposits left behind.
I say, say no to lids!
Fish can and will jump out some are just more suicidal than others. Since your not injecting co2 you won't have to worry about a mass jump off due to having the co2 concentration too high which does happen from time to time.
Having to constantly clean the glass would be a major turn off to me. If you don't clean it you will end up cutting your light intensity by 50% or more due to all of the build up and deposits left behind.
I say, say no to lids!
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Since so many claim that one of the cons is fish jumping out - wouldnt it be easy enough to put a screen on the top?
Would be easy to pull off a section for feeding...?
Would be easy to pull off a section for feeding...?
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Screens are known to reduce lighting. Also thought I should mention this thread has cursed me I never had a jumper until I posted on here and all of a sudden i have had three jumpers in three days. I have checked all my water parameters and nothing has changed.
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After installing my screen mesh, I've lost zero fish. Plus with a screen mesh you don't have to worry about nasty condensation that turns into calcium build up that's a pain to remove. I feed my fish straight through the screen as well as dose my dry ferts. It's a win win IMO.
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In response to TactusMortus post above, did you notice any light drop-off?
(Although I suppose that may be difficult to measure....)
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Don't mean to LOL but I think it's time to invest in a mesh top bro. :icon_lol: sorry.
Not significant at all. I have a TEK 4x54W fixture which I'm only running 2 bulbs, currently suspended about 11" from the top. I use 1/4" mesh which is perfect to keep in anything from a rummynose tetra up. Anything smaller is fair game with Mr Carpet.
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Pros: wider variety of ways to install lights, not limited to equipment that will fit into the tiny space allotted by hoods and covers, air circulation, ease of access to tank, plants can grow out of water, better light distribution
Cons: shrimps can jump out, snails will sometimes climb out, some fish I like to keep are jumpers, my cats like to get into my aquariums, it is far easier for airborne contaminants (such as cat hair, cleaners, etc) to get into tank, water loss through evaporation (I also live in Florida)
Cons: shrimps can jump out, snails will sometimes climb out, some fish I like to keep are jumpers, my cats like to get into my aquariums, it is far easier for airborne contaminants (such as cat hair, cleaners, etc) to get into tank, water loss through evaporation (I also live in Florida)
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