# open top tanks



## RI chiclids (Dec 11, 2009)

can anyone tell me what the advantages/disadvantages are?i know that you will have more evaporation with open top but what else is there?


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## ashappard (Jun 3, 2006)

*advantage *
better accessibility​easier cooling in summer with fans blowing across the surface​emersed growth can extend well above the water line​rimless tanks look cool as open top with suspended lights​
*disadvantage* 
evaporation​things can fall in easier​kids / pets can get into the tank easier​loses heat faster in the winter, for rooms that aren't so warm​fish that are jumpers may end up on the floor​


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## RI chiclids (Dec 11, 2009)

i forgot all about suicidal fishesi have a couple sae in the tanks i thought i read that they are "jumpers"any truth to this?


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## ashappard (Jun 3, 2006)

RI chiclids said:


> i forgot all about suicidal fishesi have a couple sae in the tanks i thought i read that they are "jumpers"any truth to this?


I had one jump out of the tank before, he was being chased a lot by a more aggressive fish.


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## Felf808 (Mar 21, 2006)

Every now and then I find a dead CRS on the carpet


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## PlecoFanatic (Sep 29, 2009)

I've lost a CAE and a female betta from open top. and my basement is cooler so it would never get to temp 75g w/300watt. so needless to say the tops are back on. temp stays normal now and no dead fish.


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## Bryeman (Aug 24, 2009)

RI chiclids said:


> i forgot all about suicidal fishesi have a couple sae in the tanks i thought i read that they are "jumpers"any truth to this?


None of my SAE have ever jumped out, nor any of my other fish, but it does happen.


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## Felf808 (Mar 21, 2006)

Bryeman said:


> None of my SAE have ever jumped out, nor any of my other fish, but it does happen.


I had one SAE that was so excited to see me near the tank that it jumped out in anticipation of food lol


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## armedbiggiet (May 6, 2006)

The only time fish(neon) or shrimps that jumps out are cause some one hit the counter top too hard where my fish tanks at.


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## bosmahe1 (May 14, 2005)

I'm amazed that I only lost one Hengel's Rasbora in an open top. When my lights turn off at night, the Hengel's go spastic for some reason, the Cardinal Tetras hardly react.

One bad thing. My tank is in the basement where the temperature often drops to the high sixtys and I hear the Hydor ETH heater (300 watts) click on and off constantly so, I'm sure that affects the light bill.


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## jeremy1 (May 6, 2007)

RI chiclids said:


> i forgot all about suicidal fishesi have a couple sae in the tanks i thought i read that they are "jumpers"any truth to this?


Yes, I have had SAE jump out before also amano's and especially neon tetras.


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## Stimz (Aug 18, 2009)

jeremy1 said:


> Yes, I have had SAE jump out before also amano's and especially neon tetras.


I've had a SAE jump out as well, out of the 5 total I had, one randomly went into shock and died in the tank... I have no idea why, it was the only fish I had that died.

I've also had a dwarf chain loach jump out when I wasn't home, but it managed to jump into a bucket full of water and plant trimmings, unless I somehow nabbed it while trimming...which would be funny since I had to tear up my tank trying to remove them for ick treatment.


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## RI chiclids (Dec 11, 2009)

soooooo sae's are jumpers.lol.i put 4 in my 20 gal and this morning only 3,ive decided to keep tanks covered,i tink he may have been eaten by the green severum thou.he is usaually pretty timid but LOVES earthworms who knows.thanks for all the responses also everyone!


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## goddessjen (Dec 30, 2009)

The evaporation sucks and some fish think they are birds until they hit the floor. On a happier note easier maintenance.


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## jestep (Nov 14, 2009)

In the past many years, I've lost 2 discus, a handful of tetras, and a few other random fish. I've also saved at least 2 other discus that I found soon enough.

Depending on how expensive the fish are you're keeping, a cover of some sort can be a necessity. I don't think there is many types of fish that would be immune to jumping of spooked or whatever reason causes them to jump out.

I like the look of open top tanks a lot more, but when your fish are worth say $80 each, and significantly more based on how long you've kept them, it's a rough sell.


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## DarioDario (Nov 14, 2008)

Does having a cover affect the amount of light getting to the plants?


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## 90gal (Jan 7, 2008)

There's a thread on light loss using a light meter somewhere that I read. My memory of the thread was that you don't lose that much light by having a glass top on as long as it's kept clean. I however, have insanely hard water and it constantly spotted and was a mess, so I have open top under my canopy. I was worried about the wood warping (3/4 oak ply) but it hasn't been too bad. My only jumpers are silver hatchets; which I've lost two in six months, so...


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## NatalieT (Mar 20, 2007)

I've got a screen cover on my tank (the kind sold to keep lizards in), and the light fixture sits on top of that. This means I can feed the fish without opening anything, and I can look in from the top; but it keeps fish in and everything else out (I have children and a dog, so I would worry about the light fixture getting knocked in, and toys landing in, and the dog trying to drink from it, etc.) The screen cover doesn't seem to block very much light, either.


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## David Hui (Dec 10, 2004)

There are so many advantages for open top tank, and I found the only draw back is fish jumping out. One major advantage would be much easier access.


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## DarioDario (Nov 14, 2008)

My biggest concern with my current open top is the amount of water that evaporates through out the day. About a gallon of loss. I have considered getting a glass top but its gets dirty to quickly. So the trade off between light and water loss.


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## bosmahe1 (May 14, 2005)

I like the quick access of open tops and the fact that I don't have to clean the glass. I don't mind adding water since I use dry ferts anyway. I use a pitcher, put in the ferts, add tap water and add a couple drops of Prime and pour it in. Disadvantage is, the tank is in the basement and since its cold (high 60s), the heater runs fairly constantly.

Another disadvantage, we had company with 5 year old children so, I had to dig Hot Wheels and rabbit bedding out of the tank.


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## NatalieT (Mar 20, 2007)

bosmahe1 said:


> Another disadvantage, we had company with 5 year old children so, I had to dig Hot Wheels and rabbit bedding out of the tank.


Sounds familiar :lol: That's why I ended up with screen covers on mine--I can feed and top up water right through the screen, and I only have to take it off if I want to get my hands in the tank to prune or replant. And the cover keeps the Hot Wheels OUT of the tank!


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Evaporation is not always a bad thing. Visited my son these past few weeks and the static in his house is unbelievable! His air is so dry that after a weekend there I come home with alligator skin! If he had a few tanks set up the problem would be solved!


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## bosmahe1 (May 14, 2005)

Tex Gal said:


> Evaporation is not always a bad thing. Visited my son these past few weeks and the static in his house is unbelievable! His air is so dry that after a weekend there I come home with alligator skin! If he had a few tanks set up the problem would be solved!


See!!! I keep telling my wife we need a fish tank in the family room and the bedroom!


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## bosmahe1 (May 14, 2005)

NatalieT said:


> Sounds familiar :lol: That's why I ended up with screen covers on mine--I can feed and top up water right through the screen, and I only have to take it off if I want to get my hands in the tank to prune or replant. And the cover keeps the Hot Wheels OUT of the tank!


Screen covers sounds like a great idea but, I just really need to reach in there and grab that one floating leaf.


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## newguy (Mar 18, 2006)

ashappard said:


> *advantage *
> better accessibility​easier cooling in summer with fans blowing across the surface​emersed growth can extend well above the water line​rimless tanks look cool as open top with suspended lights​
> *disadvantage*
> evaporation​things can fall in easier​kids / pets can get into the tank easier​loses heat faster in the winter, for rooms that aren't so warm​fish that are jumpers may end up on the floor​


good summary, adding to this:

*advantage *
Act as a high efficiency humidifier during the winter months. Most people dont realize that their place is drier than the desert (~15 %), which leads to all sorts of problems. I was shocked(physically too!) after i got a hydrometer how dry my apt is.​
*disadvantage* 
Ugly surface scum for all to see, you need a molly to take care of it.​
But really the biggest problem is it severely limits the type of fish you can get, you be surprised how many are jumpers.


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## jestep (Nov 14, 2009)

newguy said:


> ]Ugly surface scum for all to see, you need a molly to take care of it.


The eheim surface skimmer works really well if you have a compatible Eheim or other canister filter. Otherwise, surface scum is the #1 reason I would have an overflow on a FW tank.


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## DarioDario (Nov 14, 2008)

jestep said:


> The eheim surface skimmer works really well if you have a compatible Eheim or other canister filter. Otherwise, surface scum is the #1 reason I would have an overflow on a FW tank.


Or grab those $23 really nice ADA lily pipe imitations on eBay


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## bosmahe1 (May 14, 2005)

I adjust the height of the outflow to eliminate surface scum. I balance between scum elimination and CO2 loss. No scum, 1.7 bps CO2, I'm satisfied.


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## londonloco (Sep 25, 2005)

I aim a powerhead at the surface...use excel in that tank.


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## gaara (Feb 5, 2010)

Actually fishes do jump out of any open top tank.
If they got shock or @ feeding time.
I not that good in aquatic plants but i do do my personal reseach on fishes.
Big or small.
But open top tank is still much easier to work on.


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## gaara (Feb 5, 2010)

:wave:Actually fishes do jump out of any open top tank.
If they got shock or @ feeding time.
I not that good in aquatic plants but i do do my personal reseach on fishes.
Big or small.
But open top tank is still much easier to work on.


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## joshd (Oct 16, 2009)

My 2 cents is that you are going for ascetics with a planted tank. 
Have you ever seen a rimless tank with a piece of glass sitting on top? 
So for me a big factor is the ascetics. That being said one of my tanks is an acrylic that has 70% built in lid, and I am still waiting for the day that I can get my self a nice rimless tank with that ceiling mounted light.


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