open top tanks: how to prevent escapes

[vitaly]

i am thinking about trying planted tank with one of those lights either hanging or attached to the sides. all the pictures i see of heavy planted tanks dont have tops. how do you prevent fish from jumping out? i have had fish get out even from coverend tanks through small holes. any ideas?

 

[Gervahlt]

I would use glass tops and still suspend the light above it.

 

[BOTR]

I've used egg crate in the past.

 

[fuzzy188]

I agree with Gervahlt; a glass top works best
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/member.php?74694-Gervahlt

 

[RareExoticFish]

Well you can support the light on a see through material such as glass.
Since glass is pretty expensive to buy and cut then i would go with a hard plastic or a plexi glass.
Just get the size and dimension of the tank's top and get a professional to cut it for you ( remember to leave spaces for filter, cords, etc )

 

[bigcatlover]

We like plastic ceiling grating from home depot. You can easily cut it to size and it's strong enough to support most light fixtures if you want to set them on top. Not much to look at, but that doesn't matter to us 'cause you can't even see the top of our tank anyway. We are currently using it as the tops for our 220.

 

[TheLeviathan]

I made myself a cover.

 

[vitaly]

cool. thanks. i'll look in to plexiglass or eggcrate

 

[Stratoquarius]

Gervahlt is your name by any chance reference Gevolt/gewalt?
and Vitaly I've had luck with lowering the water level but it depends if you have powerful fish, I know how you feel with the little holes because i had a snakehead once that dissapeared found him a week later under my bed all dried up, I thought he was hiding in the tank, if I knew he was out I probably couldve saved him which is annoying.

Glass lid would probably be your best bet but make sure you keep it clean algae and Limescale will build up depending on the hardness of the water which will block the effectiveness of the light, which I assume for a planted tank is most important.

 

[Gervahlt]

Gervahlt is your name by any chance reference Gevolt/gewalt?

Nope, sorry (although cool references *grin*). The name Gervahlt comes from being a geek/dork growing up. It was the name of a character I had playing Dungeons & Dragons: Gervahlt Von Dresin. It kind of stuck and has since taken on a few deeper meanings within my life.