Hoods

[Airli]

hey everyone i currently have a 3ft (ish) tank that ive been using to keep a nice little community in for the last year but the thing is it doesnt have a hood on it. is it really neccessary? there is like a ledge all around the inside and i havent had any problems before but i was thinking about changing things up and getting some different fish. are there any fish that are known as jumpers that i should be careful of??

or does anyone have ideas for quick easy, preferably cheap hood alternatives

 

[whip]

I'm not sure about "Down Under" but in the states, we can buy cheap glass hoods for about $20.00. Besides the fish jumping, water evaporation is really bad with out a hood.

 

[Tempestuousfury]

It is a necessity for many types of fish. Even those fish you would not expect to jump out (bettas) readily do so.

In the do it yourself section of this forum, there are many suggestions for cheap alternatives. I think plexiglass or a wire mesh might be one of the easiest and cheapest solutions, though a light would probably make the tank more aesthetically pleasing to the fish and human observers.

 

[SPLiSH]

Hi Airli.

A hood is not 'essential' but heaps of fish are known jumpers such as:

-rainbows
-some danios
-most tetras
-bettas
-hatchetfish and way more.

I'm in Australia too and unfortunately I haven't seen any hoods being sold on their own here. If you have a glass factory near you, maybe you could get one cut.

Also, if a tank breaks, people usually have no use for a lid on it's own so maybe put up an ad on a community noticeboard or something?

Or if you have a nice LFS, ask if they can order one for you.

 

[kramers]

Just recently my wife obseved my bronze cory doing acrobatic feats when I accidentally let the hoods open. As for a hood, if you cant find one, try to get a large enough piece of plexiglas. Its easy enough to shape and size yourself at least for a temporary cover.

 

[Tolak]

Besides keeping fish in their tank, a top helps to minimize evaporation. The problem with plexiglass is that the thinner stuff warps, the thicker stuff is expensive. http/www.gcca.net/howto/tank_covers.htm is a cheap solution, I put plain diffuser panel over my breeder tanks.

 

[Dragonscales]

Just curious, but are we talking about coverglass or actual hoods here?

If you mean just a cover then the best bet is to get a glass joint to cut the pieces to size (easy, relatively cheap and quick). Some lfs do stock second hand and new ones, sometimes a good look through the phonebook is in order.

If you mean an actual hood then most lfs stock these or can order them in, you could look for some plans online and DIY it yourself if you are that way inclined or take a squizz on ebay or the tradingpost for a backyarder (usually alot cheaper than an lfs).

 

[jessie]

Besides keeping fish in their tank, a top helps to minimize evaporation. The problem with plexiglass is that the thinner stuff warps, the thicker stuff is expensive. http/www.gcca.net/howto/tank_covers.htm is a cheap solution, I put plain diffuser panel over my breeder tanks.

Where do you put your lighting?

 

[Dragonscales]

On top of the coverglass or inside a hood usually. Some are suspended above the tank from the ceiling, etc too though.

 

[dwarfgourami]

As somebody who has once started the day by stepping out of bed straight onto a squidgy ex-pet, I would say that hoods are necessary for my peace of mind anyway. Thirty years ago, but the memory still lingers...

 

[Ben]

hoods are really expensive here in Australia for some reason,
But i just usually use a glass lid split in half so i dont have to take off the light everytime i need to do work.
glass is all thats needed really, stops evaporation, stops fish jumping etc
hoods, IMO are just there as a scheme to get more money and make your tank look nicer

DD

 

[Tolak]

As far as lighting with the diffuser panels, the top row of tanks gets room light, the lower rows have a small floro fixture here & there. Glass is prone to breakage, with the diffuser panel you can knock it around quite a bit, as well as cut it yourself to your specs.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Airli

Hoods and light fixtures are often more expensive than the tanks and stands where I live.

Even if you don't go for a full set-up, it's usually a good idea to cover your tank. In addition to keeping your fish in, it will help keep all sorts of things out. This includes pets, airborne cleaning products, flies, children, etc.

 

[guppymonkey]

Some kind of cover is really a good idea for any aquarium. Besides fish jumping (and ALL fish can jump) there is also the evaporation factor. Without some kind of lid there will be a lot of evaporation. This really hurts the water quality unless you do very frequent water changes. If you just top off the tank when you notice that the water level is down you end up with large build ups of dissolved minerals and nutrients in the tank as these do not leave with the water that evaporated. So when you add more water you are also adding more minerals and this can build up and mess up water quality very quickly.

Secondly without a cover there is nowhere for a light to go. Even though some will say that lights are not necessary for fish I would really have to disagree with that. Without a good light the health of a fish slowly deteriorates(or even quickly depending on the species). A full spectrum flourescent light helps fish with their color and also gives them essential vitamins. This is true for basically all lifeforms that are not nocturnal. It even effects people (during the winter when light is less than the summer people get depressed). Without a proper light your fish will be in as good health as they could be. And they will not look as good (and not just because you can't see them in the dark).