pescare il custode

Hi all,
I have a 29 gal show tank which has a rectangular opening in the center (main access to the tank for cleaning etc.) and then 2 small round openings and a smaller rectangular opening toward the back of the tank (to allow for tubes and such). The tank has a large wood canopy. In my original setup I had a cover with lighting which sat on top of the tank and covered the main access; I used sea sponge cut to fit the back holes.

I recently upgraded from a standalone cover/light fixture to a t-5 retrofit mounted on the lid of the canopy. (BTW, the lights are awesome - the fish look so much better.) To keep the new lights dry I have covered all the holes with cut pieces of sheet acrylic. This is not working well as water builds up on the sheet acrylic and seeps out on to the top of the tank (such a mess) and I constantly fumble with them when feeding etc.

I suspect there might be more elegant solutions to covering the tank while still preventing evaporation and keeping temperature constant, keeping my lights dry, and making is convenient to feed the fish; I just don't know what the solutions are. :-)

All suggestions are most welcome and appreciated.

atmmachine816

Is it possible to put a baskic glass lid on the tank and flip the front up for feeding and cleaning, or is this not possible with your setup, I can't quite seem to picture it.

≈ D ≈

Hi Kat, can you put up a picture of the tank to give us a better idea on how it looks? It's kind of hard to visualize

pescare il custode

Hi! Thanks for lending me a hand. Here's a few pictures of the top of the tank. The wood canopy sits on top of the tank and is about 6" higher than the top of the tank and the lights are mounted on the inside of the canopy lid. Think of it as the top of a rectangular box of kleenex with some additional holes. :-)

Attached Images

	tank 001.jpg (310.8 KB, 15 views)
	tank 003.jpg (353.8 KB, 12 views)

atmmachine816

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...ass%20top&Np=1 Is it possible for you to buy one of these and cut out parts in the back to fit your equipment.

pescare il custode

Thanks Austin! I looked at that cover earlier and was thinking that might be the best solution - at least for the main access. I would only have to get one large enough to cover the main access, and not the full tank top. If I get it too large then it will bump up against the cords and tubes coming up through the back access holes. I don't use the back access holes for anything more than access for cords so I could still use the sea sponge method for those (I have several types of fish who are good jumpers and so I need to close all the holes).

Of course when I bought the tank I never really thought about covering the tank (I had a tank cover and canopy) and I never thought that I would want to upgrade the lighting etc. As a newbie I've found that you can do all the research you want in advance but some information only comes to you by doing it and talking with people who are doing it too! All this learning will be put to good use when I get my next tank (cuz you know there will always be more fish and more tanks!)

Thanks again

Kat

atmmachine816

Well those covers come with a plastic type thing in the back that can be easily cut for tubes and cords. As long as the area is large enough I don't see why you couldn't cut it to fit your cords/tubes. If not yes your idea sounds good. I agree, some things you find out by doing it.