glass top?

since my 75 is now in the basement and my 65 will be going in the basement soon, i have a top question.
lots of flow in the tank, so i am evaporating about 1.5 gals a day from the uncovered 75. one objection to glass tops is heat buildup, but that will not be a prob in the chilly basement. would putting glass on top help reduce evap? any reasons not to use it, besides gas exchange cutting back and clarity, both of which i can deal with. i really need to reduce my evaporation.
thnx

if you put a glass then your lighting may have not the same impact on corals.

Paul I know yours is in a open area in your basement but still is going to heat up some and the glass will distort the light some. What is the consern that your thinking of using a glass top?? Other then evaporation .

Set up a kalk drip to replace the water. Kill two birds with one stone. You can put glass on if you want but if it were me i wouldnt.

I wouldn't put a glass top on it...corals in the ocean don't have a glass top...but I really like chris' idea!

it's the replacement that really is the issue, not how it's replaced. about 10 gallons a day, rodi plus waste. that bothers the eco minded two of us. but i really donm't wanna be cruel to the critters.

Glass tops in my experience will reduce evaporation however temperature increases will also be felt, especially in summer.

With excessive heat temps,, ive removed glass covers on the sump as well

I would not do it. The glass will block a lot of light. The more you evap the more you can replace with kalk in your top off. If you plan on stocking that tank with a lot of clams you are going to have to add more calcium and alk than just the kalk. Chris has a good point in that the more you lose to evaporation the more kalk you can drip in there by saving you money on calcium additions. Why don't you use your waste water for other things instaed of pouring it down the drain? I water my plants with mine and I have heard of others using it for washing machine and flushing toliets.

I agree I wouldn't use a glass top for all the same reasons already stated.

reduce evaporation. The answer is yes, absolutely, having a lid to contain the evaporative loss is important (to me). If you want, I could track down the calculations used to determine exactly how much but it's substantial (both the losses and the math including all the variables!).

With all the other inputs, I personally would still add the lid, losses through the glass assuming you keep it clean are much lower than people think, most of the light lost (reflective) can be redirected by good reflective covers and the rest of the light is shifted and so it enters the water at a different angle, it's not really lost until its reflected out of the tank completely.

In a basement, you must also be worried about dust and debris right? Doesn't this get a little consideration?

Anyway... my 13 cents!
Grumpy

I would not cover myself, I always replaced what was lost. If you use a AT with Kalk or without it still will ramian even, Evap is your friend anyway, it cools the tank. If your running MH lights heat will not be an issue. Eco friendly can be had as well. Redirect your waste water to a container to water plants with. I use it to water my roses.

6-8 gallons of waste is hard to dispose of, especially in winter just on plants. in summer, we're always using waste water all over, but not in winter. insofar as heat buildup, no mh and t5 ho lights about 6 inches above the water in a basement that runs a consistent 66-70 between the seasons. so i'm left with the dirt issue and the lowering of par from the glass. it is ok to use no glass upstairs, but i am still torn, especially when both tanks will be in the basement. i may have to run a dehumidifier to remove it.

If it's eco-concern you're worried about, find out if your tap is coming from surface waters (streams, lakes, etc.), if they are, then pouring the waste water down the drain will ultimately end up back in the stream so the over all effect is quite minimal.

You could also set up a freshwater planted tank and use the waste water for that, that's what I would do.

our water comes from underground aquifers. same thing?? different??

Use the waste to flush toilets, wash clothes, cook, even drink. Even though the waste has a higher TDS then the tap its still cleaner then tap because its gone through the sediment and carbon filters.

What about using it for your pond Paul. adding declorinator to it. Your probably topping it off with the hose anyway. That little bit is not going to hurt it

Originally Posted by shmoliken

6-8 gallons of waste is hard to dispose of, especially in winter just on plants. in summer, we're always using waste water all over, but not in winter. insofar as heat buildup, no mh and t5 ho lights about 6 inches above the water in a basement that runs a consistent 66-70 between the seasons. so i'm left with the dirt issue and the lowering of par from the glass. it is ok to use no glass upstairs, but i am still torn, especially when both tanks will be in the basement. i may have to run a dehumidifier to remove it.

we run a dehumidifier 24/7 and it works great...

Originally Posted by spinycheek

If it's eco-concern you're worried about, find out if your tap is coming from surface waters (streams, lakes, etc.), if they are, then pouring the waste water down the drain will ultimately end up back in the stream so the over all effect is quite minimal.

You could also set up a freshwater planted tank and use the waste water for that, that's what I would do.

great idea!

Originally Posted by billrob71

What about using it for your pond Paul. adding declorinator to it. Your probably topping it off with the hose anyway. That little bit is not going to hurt it

another great idea

And chris' was yet another great idea! See Paul...you have all these great ideas to help you with your decision! And I'm sure it'll be the right one for you! So.....what have you decided?

Well if it's aquifer water, then conserving water is generally encouraged. All those other ideas I think are great ways to conserve it.

dehumidifier in summer and using waste water in watering and any way we can the rest of the year. topping off the pond is a waste though, as in summer i probably use 50-100 gallons a day during non-rainy weeks. BUT i don't want extra dissolved solids in a pond either. it makes huge amounts of "dissolved organic foam," almost like someone poured detergent into the pond.