Do Mesh lids help with evaporation ?

[saltlife97]

Can anyone tell me if the lids for the Red Sea reefer they sell online ( the mesh and Lexan ones) help with any evaporation.
Looking to get a lid for my 425cl Red Sea tank and my biggest problem is the evaporation and always having to fill my ato

 

[A Young Reefer]

Can anyone tell me if the lids for the Red Sea reefer they sell online ( the mesh and Lexan ones) help with any evaporation.
Looking to get a lid for my 425cl Red Sea tank and my biggest problem is the evaporation and always having to fill my ato

Short answer is no, it wont achieve the results you are aiming for.

 

[rja]

unfortunately there isn’t really a clear solution for your case. You could perhaps go with a glass lid but that would probably be pretty heavy. Although you could do acrylic, it would definitely warp like crazy. I heard polycarbonate doesn’t warp as bad though. Maybe just get a bigger ato

 

[oreolk]

Can anyone tell me if the lids for the Red Sea reefer they sell online ( the mesh and Lexan ones) help with any evaporation.
Looking to get a lid for my 425cl Red Sea tank and my biggest problem is the evaporation and always having to fill my ato

Top Lids makes a polycarbonate and mesh lid the you can get evaporation inserts for , I have one, I haven't done a comparison on how much they cut down evaporation yet but check them out www.toplids.com and right now I believe they are offering free shipping.

 

[Top_Lids]

Top Lids makes a polycarbonate and mesh lid the you can get evaporation inserts for , I have one, I haven't done a comparison on how much they cut down evaporation yet but check them out www.toplids.com and right now I believe they are offering free shipping.

Thanks for the shoutout @oreolk !

 

[Top_Lids]

Short answer is no, it wont achieve the results you are aiming for.

Agreed. Need something solid on top to stop a worthwhile amount of evap

 

[Top_Lids]

unfortunately there isn’t really a clear solution for your case. You could perhaps go with a glass lid but that would probably be pretty heavy. Although you could do acrylic, it would definitely warp like crazy. I heard polycarbonate doesn’t warp as bad though. Maybe just get a bigger ato

Correct on Acrylic. They bow after about 2 months and become unusable, although a bit more affordable for short term use. We'll have am economy lid line soon with an evap reduction option as well

 

[Screwgunner]

If it is warm where you live . Might not be a good idea to cover the tank. I have a 125 gallon it goes through a gallon a day in evaporation.

 

[Top_Lids]

If it is warm where you live . Might not be a good idea to cover the tank. I have a 125 gallon it goes through a gallon a day in evaporation.

Very good point. Any solid cover will keep in heat so can be easy to inadvertantly raise the temp. Any lid that has this issue needs vent with screen. Its possible to get tbe best of both worlds, equal temp with evap reduction.

We aren't an R2R sponsor yet so I'll hold off showing pics here, but will be back after we sign up to show some examples.

 

[Spieg]

Not going to do much for evaporation.

 

[Chrisv.]

Wanted to mention @Kraken Reef lids. They can also make evaporation inserts and while they are nor super cheap (IMHO) they seem to cost about half of the price of some of these other options. I waited a long time to buy mine because TBH it is still a fair amt of money for a lid, but I've had mine for a few months now and I absolutely love it. Wish I had gotten it sooner.

 

[Kraken Reef]

Wanted to mention @Kraken Reef lids. They can also make evaporation inserts and while they are nor super cheap (IMHO) they seem to cost about half of the price of some of these other options. I waited a long time to buy mine because TBH it is still a fair amt of money for a lid, but I've had mine for a few months now and I absolutely love it. Wish I had gotten it sooner.

Thanks Chrisv. We do offer a evaporation cover that can go over the mesh portion of our lids by request. Just shoot us a message and we can help get you setup.

 

[w8lifts]

Here’s my toplids, super happy with it, and does have an evaporation panel with it.

 

[Chrisv.]

Thanks Chrisv. We do offer a evaporation cover that can go over the mesh portion of our lids by request. Just shoot us a message and we can help get you setup.

I need to get an evaporation cover for mine one of these days!

 

[firechild]

If it is warm where you live . Might not be a good idea to cover the tank. I have a 125 gallon it goes through a gallon a day in evaporation.

100% this. Evaporation promotes cooling, so if it is warm, you want to actively encourage evaporation, perhaps even by adding a fan.

That being said, temperature has less evaporative effect than humidity. My tank evaporates far more in winter when the humidity is low than it does in summer when the humidity is 90%+.

 

[Top_Lids]

Very good point. Any solid cover will keep in heat so can be easy to inadvertantly raise the temp. Any lid that has this issue needs vent with screen. Its possible to get tbe best of both worlds, equal temp with evap reduction.

We aren't an R2R sponsor yet so I'll hold off showing pics here, but will be back after we sign up to show some examples.

Here's a video showing a Catproof Evap Cover going on top of one of our lids. Usually reduces evap by about 75% on average, and stopping cats and flying kids toys from getting in the tank is a fair plus as well. Our lids have vents on the sides that are left open, to keep gas and heat exchange the same with the evap covers on. Pictures attached as well, hope this helps