Screen tops/skimmer vs. Dust

[Jdgreef24]

So in the early stages of my 25 gallon in our new apartment I'm struggling with cloudy water. 80% of the particles are always oblong shaped so I don't think they're micro bubbles...however, I'm watching copious amounts of dust fly underneath my lighting to where I can see how much there is. We keep a clean house but there's a vent up in a vaulted ceiling right above the tank and I'm trying to think of ways to reduce the dust fall in with a rimless. Will a screen top with 1/4 in netting reduce this? Will a skimmer export the dust quicker than it's falling in? It's driving me mad because my water looks dirty.

 

[Thegoodson]

Following this

 

[Hitman]

Build a canopy for your tank as it will help with anything falling in the tank as well as help with evaporation. This is the only way I was able to keep our 4 legged pets hair out of the tank. Our lab sheds so bad I don’t know how she is not bald year round!!! Lol

 

[Jdgreef24]

Build a canopy for your tank as it will help with anything falling in the tank as well as help with evaporation. This is the only way I was able to keep our 4 legged pets hair out of the tank. Our lab sheds so bad I don’t know how she is not bald year round!!! Lol

Lol luckily ours don't shed too much. The cat just won't leave me alone once I take the food out if the freezer.

I've thought of a canopy because it would also give me light options but my wife's answer to that was, "then why did you get a rimless?" And I realized my non reefer wife made a good reefer point.

 

[Hitman]

The only response I had to my wife was “ Well do you really want to see these lights and cables hanging over the tank babe” needless to say I hung the lights in to dumbest way I could, she came home and said do I really have to look at that every day? I said unless I do a canopy. Guess what I built a canopy for 1/3 of what I could buy one for. Lol

 

[Jdgreef24]

The only response I had to my wife was “ Well do you really want to see these lights and cables hanging over the tank babe” needless to say I hung the lights in to dumbest way I could, she came home and said do I really have to look at that every day? I said unless I do a canopy. Guess what I built a canopy for 1/3 of what I could buy one for. Lol

Lol that's hilarious. Yeah building is always better if you have the means. Do you run t5 or Led in the canopy?

 

[Hitman]

6 AI Sol Blue LEDs and 4 - 60”. 80 watt ATI T5’s

 

[pluikens]

Do you have the ability to build a canopy to hang from the ceiling that would keep most dust out but also show off the rimless? This would be like the BRS 160 tank but I have no idea why they wouldn't build the canopy to the same dimensions as the tank.

 

[Hitman]

That would look awesome! I agree I always wonder why they didn’t build it to the tank size it kinda looks off lol

 

[pluikens]

Maybe @Ryanbrs can answer this?! I don't believe the reason was ever covered in the earlier build videos. The answer may be for access but I then would have liked to see a method to raise/lower it.

 

[Greybeard]

Most household 'dust' that falls into your tank won't make it past the surface tension of the water. With good sump circulation and good surface skimming, anything floating around in the air of your home that falls into your tank should end up in the overflow. A simple filter sponge or sock setup should take care of this sort of contaminate.

A screen top certainly wouldn't stop most airborne particles. Yes, a good skimmer will pull some of this stuff, but filter socks or such should catch it first.

I run an open top system. I just like the look... I also don't run socks or filter pads, so whatever is going in there is there, unless the skimmer is pulling it out. We have carpet, and a shih-tzu in the house. The two Great Pyrenees don't come in... if they did, it might be more of a problem In any case, my water is crystal clear. Why? Carbon GAC is excellent for removing lots of different contaminates, as well as the 'yellow' that builds up in our tanks over time.

Honestly, the only worries I have with an open top is (A) jumpers, and (B) aerosol cleaners, air fresheners, and such. For jumpers, all you can really do is carefully select your fish, keep the tank from getting crowded, keep aggressiveness to a minimum... and pick up the ones that jump anyway. There just isn't much else you can do. For aerosols... make sure the wife knows _not_ to use any such thing anywhere in the room where my tank is... which means I have to do most of the cleaning in this room myself. Oh well

 

[Jdgreef24]

Maybe @Ryanbrs can answer this?! I don't believe the reason was ever covered in the earlier build videos. The answer may be for access but I then would have liked to see a method to raise/lower it.

I really like the floating canopy concept but the roof over the tank is the higher end of the vaulted ceiling and is angled so that kinda sketches me out. But as for the 160 I had the same thought for their canopy. Probably makes changing their retrofits a lot easier.

 

[Greybeard]

I really like the floating canopy concept but the roof over the tank is the higher end of the vaulted ceiling and is angled so that kinda sketches me out. But as for the 160 I had the same thought for their canopy. Probably makes changing their retrofits a lot easier.

I had some doubts, but with a little forethought, hanging from an uneven, vaulted ceiling is possible. Yes, this is just a light, not a canopy... I'm going for a minimalist look.

BRS has a 5' light over a 6' tank. I have a 4' light over a 5' tank. Why? A 5' light, besides being expensive, would just cast all of that extra light outside of the tank. Light spreads. My tank is 30" x 60", my light is 18" x 48". That leaves 6" all the way round. Works for me BRS probably did it for similar reasons. Of course, they apparently don't worry about cost, but for the rest of us, it's an added concern.

 

[Jdgreef24]

Most household 'dust' that falls into your tank won't make it past the surface tension of the water. With good sump circulation and good surface skimming, anything floating around in the air of your home that falls into your tank should end up in the overflow. A simple filter sponge or sock setup should take care of this sort of contaminate.

A screen top certainly wouldn't stop most airborne particles. Yes, a good skimmer will pull some of this stuff, but filter socks or such should catch it first.

I run an open top system. I just like the look... I also don't run socks or filter pads, so whatever is going in there is there, unless the skimmer is pulling it out. We have carpet, and a shih-tzu in the house. The two Great Pyrenees don't come in... if they did, it might be more of a problem In any case, my water is crystal clear. Why? Carbon GAC is excellent for removing lots of different contaminates, as well as the 'yellow' that builds up in our tanks over time.

Honestly, the only worries I have with an open top is (A) jumpers, and (B) aerosol cleaners, air fresheners, and such. For jumpers, all you can really do is carefully select your fish, keep the tank from getting crowded, keep aggressiveness to a minimum... and pick up the ones that jump anyway. There just isn't much else you can do. For aerosols... make sure the wife knows _not_ to use any such thing anywhere in the room where my tank is... which means I have to do most of the cleaning in this room myself. Oh well

Thanks for all that insight. I love the open top look and if I can avoid a screen I will. I'm wondering if the flow in the tank is not circulating correctly and not turning over. I think I'm going to begin with the power head placement and getting a set of caddies for some floss. I went the filter sock route and I just don't like the form factor of the IM socks. A carbon reactor and skimmer I'm sure would do wonders on such a small water volume.

 

[pluikens]

I had some doubts, but with a little forethought, hanging from an uneven, vaulted ceiling is possible. Yes, this is just a light, not a canopy... I'm going for a minimalist look.

BRS has a 5' light over a 6' tank. I have a 4' light over a 5' tank. Why? A 5' light, besides being expensive, would just cast all of that extra light outside of the tank. Light spreads. My tank is 30" x 60", my light is 18" x 48". That leaves 6" all the way round. Works for me BRS probably did it for similar reasons. Of course, they apparently don't worry about cost, but for the rest of us, it's an added concern.

I understand the lighting setup. I run a 4 foot T5 fixture over a 6 foot FOWLR. But why not make the canopy (not lights) the full length of the tank?

 

[Greybeard]

I understand the lighting setup. I run a 4 foot T5 fixture over a 6 foot FOWLR. But why not make the canopy (not lights) the full length of the tank?

Doesn't make _any_ difference to the tank, or it's inhabitants. Just a personal design choice. Somebody thought it looked good. Simple as that. A floating canopy won't keep out contaminates, or keep in fish... it's just there to hide the lights and wires.

 

[Mark Gray]

Interesting post, my house has a good bit of dust mostly due to the mixed breed large dog I have. my tank is open, I maybe run a little too much flow. I have a 55 gallon tank a trigger 39 sump with a sicce 7 rated at 1900 an hr wide open. I bet I get 1000 an hr. I run a life reef skimmer and I run carbon too I have it set up with a fuge. My water is very clear

 

[simonsays]

I live in a building from 1916. Lots of random plaster and masonry dust. Don’t notice it in my tank. ::Knock on wood:: my water has always been clear.

What I do notice is the dang cat hair. White cat hair caught in the current.

 

[pluikens]

So in the early stages of my 25 gallon in our new apartment I'm struggling with cloudy water. 80% of the particles are always oblong shaped so I don't think they're micro bubbles...however, I'm watching copious amounts of dust fly underneath my lighting to where I can see how much there is. We keep a clean house but there's a vent up in a vaulted ceiling right above the tank and I'm trying to think of ways to reduce the dust fall in with a rimless. Will a screen top with 1/4 in netting reduce this? Will a skimmer export the dust quicker than it's falling in? It's driving me mad because my water looks dirty.

What kind of vent is this? Is it for HVAC? I would look into a vent cleaning if it's never been done before or has been several years. Are you sure the dust is coming from the vent? Removing the aquarium from the equation, I wouldn't want a vent dropping dust into the house if I could avoid it.

 

[Jdgreef24]

What kind of vent is this? Is it for HVAC? I would look into a vent cleaning if it's never been done before or has been several years. Are you sure the dust is coming from the vent? Removing the aquarium from the equation, I wouldn't want a vent dropping dust into the house if I could avoid it.

We just moved in a couple months ago and the inspection was pretty thorough so I can't imagine it's spewing more than normal dust and lint. Air filter is always fresh.

Since starting this thread I've reduced surface agitation to allow a stronger surface tension and I moved the powerhead forward to try and achieve a more circular turnover. For a second I thought it was magically going away but the return lines either spit more bubbles and dust out or over time it builds up and really shows against the black background. And I know it isn't just bubbles because I can see the dust laying on the water in my back chamber.

If I have to say one bad thing about the nuvo tanks (because I still really love mine)...if you're not filling up the back sump with equipment and medias to slow things down to a steady pace? Maybe in the early stages? It isn't very easy to keep your display clear. In regular sumps there's eggrate or bubble traps and this thing just slips and slides all bubbles and detritus straight to the pump. (Christmas will bring all said equipment and medias) but still.