Cover my tank with a blanket

[BuddyBonButt]

This may be a stupid question but can I cover my tank with a blanket? I have a 90 gallon tank with a sump that has a skimmer. I feel like that may have enough gas exchange but I'm afraid that I may suffocate my fish. It's a light blanket primarily being used to block off light from the tank. The type that comes with a bedspread but is SUPER thin

I have to have a light on for about an hour and by light I mean a very bright shop light. Of course I don't want to disturb my fish but I also don't want to kill them by covering them.

The back isn't too blocked off but the tank does have a canopy and glass tops.

 

[HB AL]

I'm assuming your doing this because of an algae outbreak and trying to keep it under control, if that's the reason your fish will be fine, some corals might not be happy if you black it out for to long. If its to curtail algae l would work on finding the reason for the excessive algae and do what's needed to keep it from rearing its ugly head once again.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

I'm assuming your doing this because of an algae outbreak and trying to keep it under control, if that's the reason your fish will be fine, some corals might not be happy if you black it out for to long. If its to curtail algae l would work on finding the reason for the excessive algae and do what's needed to keep it from rearing its ugly head once again.

Oh no, I've gotta clean. Plumber coming tomorrow. Tanks got a little diatoms but otherwise doing great. I just very EXTRMELY bright lights in my room. I have an eye disease called keratoconus and it really reduces my night vision so more light equals better vision. I'm having it corrected soon but until then Ive got the sun in my bedroom lol.

Its 1am for me. I just don't wanna wake them and annoy my nocturnal CUC

 

[Tired]

Check whether that does in fact block most of the light. If so, I don't see why it would be a problem. You could stick an airstone in there while the blanket's on, if you're really worried, so as to have air being pumped directly into the tank.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

Check whether that does in fact block most of the light. If so, I don't see why it would be a problem. You could stick an airstone in there while the blanket's on, if you're really worried, so as to have air being pumped directly into the tank.

Will the skimmer be enough? Personally its an hour, tons of surface movement and skimmer. I'm not really concerned but I'm just double checking.

It doesn't block all of it, just enough to not annoy the fish. I hope lol

 

[Tired]

Should be absolutely fine. The airstone would be a good way to remove any lingering doubts, is all.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

Should be absolutely fine. The airstone would be a good way to remove any lingering doubts, is all.

I bought one for my QT tank but haven't used it yet so I could do that. Put the airstone in the sump I'm assuming?

 

[HB AL]

Oh no, I've gotta clean. Plumber coming tomorrow. Tanks got a little diatoms but otherwise doing great. I just very EXTRMELY bright lights in my room. I have an eye disease called keratoconus and it really reduces my night vision so more light equals better vision. I'm having it corrected soon but until then Ive got the sun in my bedroom lol.

Its 1am for me. I just don't wanna wake them and annoy my nocturnal CUC

Funny my hermits and snails are all nocturnal do to all the carnivores in my dt.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

Funny my hermits and snails are all nocturnal do to all the carnivores in my dt.

Smart little sea bugs

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

Oh no, I've gotta clean. Plumber coming tomorrow. Tanks got a little diatoms but otherwise doing great. I just very EXTRMELY bright lights in my room. I have an eye disease called keratoconus and it really reduces my night vision so more light equals better vision. I'm having it corrected soon but until then Ive got the sun in my bedroom lol.

Its 1am for me. I just don't wanna wake them and annoy my nocturnal CUC

Good luck with your kc treatment. I hope you caught it early enough that cxl and lenses correct your vision. Funny how light affects people differently….most people with kc are extremely light and glare sensitive. I have pmd which is pretty much the same thing as kc but can be more difficult to correct, well especially when you pass the severe mark and no longer a transplant candidate. I hope you can stay away from transplants. Nkcf.org is a great resource for kc if you haven’t already looked it up. Sorry, I jumped on the kc thing…..it’s pretty rare so I don’t come across many others.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

Good luck with your kc treatment. I hope you caught it early enough that cxl and lenses correct your vision. Funny how light affects people differently….most people with kc are extremely light and glare sensitive. I have pmd which is pretty much the same thing as kc but can be more difficult to correct, well especially when you pass the severe mark and no longer a transplant candidate. I hope you can stay away from transplants. Nkcf.org is a great resource for kc if you haven’t already looked it up. Sorry, I jumped on the kc thing…..it’s pretty rare so I don’t come across many others.

Man, it's terrifying, I'm 23 so I caught it early enough. Last thing I want is a transplant. I'm definitely light sensitive but I also can't see without it. My night vision is HORRIBLE. My doc said that the CXL should help and the HC lenses should correct it mostly. I don't remember if he said completely or not so I'm going to stay mostly and not get my hopes up just in case

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

Man, it's terrifying, I'm 23 so I caught it early enough. Last thing I want is a transplant. I'm definitely light sensitive but I also can't see without it. My night vision is HORRIBLE. My doc said that the CXL should help and the HC lenses should correct it mostly. I don't remember if he said completely or not so I'm going to stay mostly and not get my hopes up just in case

Great that you caught it early! Cxl doesn’t really fix it but it stops it from getting worse, we’ll most of the time. Didn’t work for me. I had the epi off and that was an experience. Procedure doesn’t hurt one bit, it just kinda freaky as you’re awake, eyes held open and they remove the outer layer of your eye with a scalpel/scraper thing while your watching. It’s only a minute of that though and you’ll probably get something to help you relax before. Then it’s just drops and a green/yellow light for 30 minutes to an hour. Do yourself a favor and put the preservative free eye drops they recommend you get in the fridge! The first couple days after surgery are a little rough, I’m not gonna lie. Those cold drops will feel amazing! Also make sure to make your bedroom dark, like super dark. Any light peeking in past the blinds will feel like daggers in your eye. After two or three days it’s smooth sailing. The lenses will correct your vision amazingly well if they caught it early. You won’t be seeing six of everything anymore! Best of luck to you! I didn’t mean to scare you, just letting you know the drill. Of course if it’s epi on it’s easy peasy I’ve heard.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

Great that you caught it early! Cxl doesn’t really fix it but it stops it from getting worse, we’ll most of the time. Didn’t work for me. I had the epi off and that was an experience. Procedure doesn’t hurt one bit, it just kinda freaky as you’re awake, eyes held open and they remove the outer layer of your eye with a scalpel/scraper thing while your watching. It’s only a minute of that though and you’ll probably get something to help you relax before. Then it’s just drops and a green/yellow light for 30 minutes to an hour. Do yourself a favor and put the preservative free eye drops they recommend you get in the fridge! The first couple days after surgery are a little rough, I’m not gonna lie. Those cold drops will feel amazing! Also make sure to make your bedroom dark, like super dark. Any light peeking in past the blinds will feel like daggers in your eye. After two or three days it’s smooth sailing. The lenses will correct your vision amazingly well if they caught it early. You won’t be seeing six of everything anymore! Best of luck to you! I didn’t mean to scare you, just letting you know the drill. Of course if it’s epi on it’s easy peasy I’ve heard.

My doc said they only need to put a gel on for the cologen in eye and cure it with UV, no mention of cutting but idk. But either way I'm freaked out. Have an insane phobia of touching my eyes. Can't even rub them with my lids shut.

Thanks for the tips. I'll definitely do that. I hope you're end isn't too bad either. My eyes are my everything

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

My doc said they only need to put a gel on for the cologen in eye and cure it with UV, no mention of cutting but idk. But either way I'm freaked out. Have an insane phobia of touching my eyes. Can't even rub them with my lids shut.

Thanks for the tips. I'll definitely do that. I hope you're end isn't too bad either. My eyes are my everything

Oh that’s great, sounds like the epi on procedure or the newer epi off where the gel gets rubbed in to remove the outer layer. Probably less freaky than watching a knife. Don’t sweat it, that part is super quick. I’ve heard that way is almost totally painless and you don’t have to sit in the dark for three days to recover. I couldn’t even put eye drops in my eyes as I was phobic like you. It’s second nature now. You got this!
I wish they caught mine earlier. I was 45 when they caught it and pretty much out of luck. I’m legally blind now, can’t drive, haven’t figured work out as I was in construction for over 25 years and being blind doesn’t go well with that. My tank has suffered a lot but I can’t see it so there’s that. Anyway enough about me. Protect those eyes! Get several pairs of top notch sunglasses!

 

[BuddyBonButt]

Oh that’s great, sounds like the epi on procedure or the newer epi off where the gel gets rubbed in to remove the outer layer. Probably less freaky than watching a knife. Don’t sweat it, that part is super quick. I’ve heard that way is almost totally painless and you don’t have to sit in the dark for three days to recover. I couldn’t even put eye drops in my eyes as I was phobic like you. It’s second nature now. You got this!
I wish they caught mine earlier. I was 45 when they caught it and pretty much out of luck. I’m legally blind now, can’t drive, haven’t figured work out as I was in construction for over 25 years and being blind doesn’t go well with that. My tank has suffered a lot but I can’t see it so there’s that. Anyway enough about me. Protect those eyes! Get several pairs of top notch sunglasses!

Man I'm sorry to hear that. I was so depressed when I got my diagnosis but I've learned that I'm lucky to be where I'm at. I'll never take something like that for granted. I take my health very seriously now. No friggen clue how I'll get contacts in... gonna have to practice

 

[Brit’s Fish]

This may be a stupid question but can I cover my tank with a blanket? I have a 90 gallon tank with a sump that has a skimmer. I feel like that may have enough gas exchange but I'm afraid that I may suffocate my fish. It's a light blanket primarily being used to block off light from the tank. The type that comes with a bedspread but is SUPER thin

I have to have a light on for about an hour and by light I mean a very bright shop light. Of course I don't want to disturb my fish but I also don't want to kill them by covering them.

The back isn't too blocked off but the tank does have a canopy and glass tops.

Not a stupid question! I asked too before I had to do this with one of my tanks. I would actually cover it every night because there was a security light shining right into one of my tanks at night. It was totally fine and the blanket I was using was a very thin fleece blanket. You should be fine to do this.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

Not a stupid question! I asked too before I had to do this with one of my tanks. I would actually cover it every night because there was a security light shining right into one of my tanks at night. It was totally fine and the blanket I was using was a very thin fleece blanket. You should be fine to do this.

Cool. Thanks for the input. Glad I'm not the only one who's had to cover the tank. I HATE security lights when they shin into houses. My neighbor had a bright one that shined straight into my room before I moved

 

[JumboShrimp]

Random fact: I used to cover my parrots— Ideally they need 10-12 hours of dark sleep for best health. Seeing your tank covered with a blanket brought back memories! Lol.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

Random fact: I used to cover my parrots— Ideally they need 10-12 hours of dark sleep for best health. Seeing your tank covered with a blanket brought back memories! Lol.

I'd love to have birds. Life long flying 3 year Olds shouldn't sound like something desirable but dang I'd love some birbs

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Cool. Thanks for the input. Glad I'm not the only one who's had to cover the tank. I HATE security lights when they shin into houses. My neighbor had a bright one that shined straight into my room before I moved

Ugh, I hate that too! I felt bad for my fish never really getting “night” in their tank and I think they seemed happier for it as well.
Glad you don’t have to deal with that any more!