I will be moving my Jardini from a 6x1.5x2.2 ft aquarium to an 8x3x2 ft aquarium, I'm wondering how thick the glass of the aquarium lid should be in order to prevent it from jumping out. I've looked online but I can't seem to find anything this specific so any help will be appreciated. I'm thinking 0.5 inches or 3/8ths of an inch thick. And also, is glass safe for a lid, I've heard it's possible for them to hurt themselves by hitting their head on the lid too hard, so if you have any other suggestions for materials then please include them. What do you guys think?
.5 glass ? thats thick and heavy!! I’d personally avoid glass, if the Jardini really jumps it’ll definitely hurt itself, especially with .5 thick glass. I’d personally go the DIY screen mesh or a lightweight material like plexiglass. I think it’s not about lid material as much as it is about lid security.
Thank you for the response! I'm worried about it hurting itself or worse.
So right now on the 6x1.5x2.2 I have a light poly lid with 5 pound weights on the edges and the middle braces. I'm sure it would not be able to knock the lid off and jump out of something like this, but I was thinking I would go glass because I am forgetful and I'm worried that I would forget to put the weight back after opening the lid (it has happened a couple of times already). And I thought I would avoid this with glass by opening the lid half way only and closing it every time so I would never leave it open on accident.
So I'm wondering if I use something like plexiglass, wouldn't the fish be able to knock it over and jump out? That's why I was thinking of going with heavy glass.
Sorry if this seems overzealous lol, but I really want to avoid the disastrous situation of finding my favourite fish on the ground in the morning. The fish doesn't jump very much at all though.
I think plexy would be fine as long as you cut it and section it to the frame/brace of the tank. It’s possible the Jardini pops it up off the brace but I sincerely doubt itll knock it off. Nice thing about plexiglass is that it easily cuts and drills. You can drill two holes for your fingers or just glue on some handles. It’ll get pulled downwards into the tank from the humidity after awhile but all you have to do is flip the glass upside down and it’ll go back to normal.
I started using the clear corrugated poly that is sold for greenhouse use. I saw it used somewhere on the net just as I was thinking about lids for my last few tanks, and the stuff is great. It's cheap, does not discolour or fog, can be easily cut with a pair of shears, can be drilled for feeding holes or other openings. It does not bend or bow the way plexi does when exposed to humidity on one side.
Aside from the safety aspects of broken shards after a big fish strikes a glass top (been there...), it is also safer for the fish themselves. If they strike a heavy sheet of glass there is no flex or give to it, and the energy of the collision goes right into their heads...unless of course they break the glass. The clear poly is very light weight, so when a big fish hits it the lid easily flexes and moves, dissipating the energy of the blow; they will never break it. It's like the difference between running into a concrete wall (glass lid) versus running into a wall of 3/8-inch plywood (poly lid). Neither one feels good, but the thin wooden wall is much easier on you than the solid concrete one.
Your 8x3x2 tank has the same dimensions as a number of plywood tanks I have built over the years. The sections of the lid are large enough that a big fish is unlikely to completely knock one off and leave the tank, even without weights. Or, if you are concerned, you could make the lid one piece of poly. This would be a bit more awkward, but would still be light enough that a single person can easily handle it, but even harder for a fish to dislodge and knock off.
Aside from the safety aspects of broken shards after a big fish strikes a glass top (been there...), it is also safer for the fish themselves. If they strike a heavy sheet of glass there is no flex or give to it, and the energy of the collision goes right into their heads...unless of course they break the glass. The clear poly is very light weight, so when a big fish hits it the lid easily flexes and moves, dissipating the energy of the blow; they will never break it. It's like the difference between running into a concrete wall (glass lid) versus running into a wall of 3/8-inch plywood (poly lid). Neither one feels good, but the thin wooden wall is much easier on you than the solid concrete one.
Your 8x3x2 tank has the same dimensions as a number of plywood tanks I have built over the years. The sections of the lid are large enough that a big fish is unlikely to completely knock one off and leave the tank, even without weights. Or, if you are concerned, you could make the lid one piece of poly. This would be a bit more awkward, but would still be light enough that a single person can easily handle it, but even harder for a fish to dislodge and knock off.
Ah okay, thanks for the info! I will definitely consider a poly lid. But do you think it's possible that the fish jumps at an angle and gets out without knocking the lid off completely? And if so, should I put weights on the edges of the lid?
Oh alright yeah I see, do you know why they do that at night by any chance? Even if the room is totally blacked out?
I think I read once that it’s a style of either hunting or to scare things away but not 100% on either of those. How big the the aro right now. They jump more when younger and seem to mellow out a bit but not much as they age. Ime
Well, anything is possible; adding weights, or better yet some type of clip or hold-down, would alleviate any worry.
Accepting the idea that they are jumpers in general, do what you can to minimize this behaviour. This might include leaving a night light on over the tank; if the fish can see they are somewhat less likely to get spooked if they bump something, or something bumps them. Don't use a night light in the room that allows you to walk between it and the tank, that will freak them out.
Nocturnal fish bumbling about the tank, especially catfish with long whiskers, can increase stress leading to jumping. Reduced stress = reduced jumping.
Finally, the bigger the tank the less likely they are to jump constantly. A small tank crowded with lots of fish, and/or poor water quality, all give a jumper like an arowana an incentive to look for greener pastures outside the tank.
