To Top or not to Top

[jabx1]

I have a rimless tank, my first rimless reef tank. I love the look of it and think it would obviously look best without any sort of lid on it.

So far I only have a blenny and 2 clowns, neither of which are jumpers. I would like to get more fish but am realizing I might have to choose fish based on their likileness of jumping or put a top on my tank to prevent suicides.

I really do not want to put a top on my tank as I feel it defeats the purpose of having a rimless tank (Which coast more $).

Is there a way to have jumpers be less likely to jump (feed heavy/ hiding spaces) or will I have to pick my fish based on jumping tendencies or get a top for my tank.

 

[Azedenkae]

I have a rimless tank, my first rimless reef tank. I love the look of it and think it would obviously look best without any sort of lid on it.

So far I only have a blenny and 2 clowns, neither of which are jumpers. I would like to get more fish but am realizing I might have to choose fish based on their likileness of jumping or put a top on my tank to prevent suicides.

I really do not want to put a top on my tank as I feel it defeats the purpose of having a rimless tank (Which coast more $).

Is there a way to have jumpers be less likely to jump (feed heavy/ hiding spaces) or will I have to pick my fish based on jumping tendencies or get a top for my tank.

Soooo both blennies and clowns are jumpers. In fact it seems like any fish can jump. They don't have to be 'natural jumpers', our tanks are small enough that they could launch themselves out of the tank for whatever reason, like if startled. And unfortunately that can apply to any fish, regardless of their natural propensity to jump.

If you don't want a lid you just have to deal with the chance that any of your fish may end up carpet surfing. A lot of people keep fish for years without any jumping, but others will also keep fish for years and then suddenly one day see one of their favourite fish on the floor.

 

[jabx1]

Soooo both blennies and clowns are jumpers. In fact it seems like any fish can jump. They don't have to be 'natural jumpers', our tanks are small enough that they could launch themselves out of the tank for whatever reason, like if startled. And unfortunately that can apply to any fish, regardless of their natural propensity to jump.

If you don't want a lid you just have to deal with the chance that any of your fish may end up carpet surfing. A lot of people keep fish for years without any jumping, but others will also keep fish for years and then suddenly one day see one of their favourite fish on the floor.

Thanks, I did not know clowns were known to jump.

I guess it just becomes a risk/reward balance once I get more expensive fish?

 

[Azedenkae]

Thanks, I did not know clowns were known to jump.

I guess it just becomes a risk/reward balance once I get more expensive fish?

Yeap. I lost my beloved clown from jumping, so now I am super afraid. But I do get why you'd not want a lid either, rimless tanks do look so amazing. So yeah, just a matter of risk versus reward.

 

[Yates273]

As much as I love the look of no cover I’m not willing to risk losing any of my guys that I have. They trust me enough to keep them safe by eating out of my hand at times so I need to protect them just in case they get spooked and jump. There are options out there to make the cover as minimalistic as possible.

 

[homer1475]

Can't see the lid on my rimless. Just do a screen lid with the clips that sit below the rim.

Even though fish aren't known jumpers, doesn't mean when startled they won't. Ask me how many fish I've lost even with a screen top on my rimless(2 before the top, 3 since).

 

[Biokabe]

Personal preference here, but I don't feel that the acrylic lids (ok, technically polycarbonate) detract from the look of a rimless tank, and the peace of mind is worth a small potential hit to the aesthetics. They're not cheap by any means, but they let you rest easy. I got mine from ClearView, but there are a few other vendors you can look at.

 

[MichaelReefer]

I took a gamble without a lid on my 525xl. Lost my Puffer that is in my profile pic... Put a cover on the next day.

 

[jabx1]

I have only lost a fire fish from jumping in my 10 years of reefing.

All the responses though have made me think its time to get a lid.

I am in the process of buying another fish that will probably be more expensive than the others. Would hate to lose a pricy addition as well as a connection once the fish is acclimated.

Thanks @Biokabe I will look into ClearView. Does anyone else know of other minimalistic tops for rimless tanks.

(I have a 57 gal Deep blue display btw)

 

[Casket_Case]

I personally like a top on my tank just to ensure my fishes’ safety. I also like glass tops so there’s less need for top off.

 

[mrbacony]

Just see my post a few minutes ago. I had a screen top, but it had gaps I had not covered yet. One of my clowns jumped on top of the screen last night and died. You will regret not having a top at some point. Currently I have one of the DIY Red Sea screen tops that don’t look great. But I plan to get a custom top at some point that look much better and more secure.

 

[Casket_Case]

Just see my post a few minutes ago. I had a screen top, but it had gaps I had not covered yet. One of my clowns jumped on top of the screen last night and died. You will regret not having a top at some point. Currently I have one of the DIY Red Sea screen tops that don’t look great. But I plan to get a custom top at some point that look much better and more secure.

Sorry to hear that, another member on here had one jump lastnight also

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I use a lid at night only, I take it off first thing in the morning. It might be a good solution for you too.

 

[Zionas]

Clear View, Octo Aquatics, or Red Sea if you are a DIY person.

I wouldn’t risk it. You got a tank because you wanted fish swimming in it, IMO aesthetics are secondary to their life and safety. The tank serves the fish, rather than the other way around. Your main aesthetics should be the livestock themselves.

 

[Zionas]

I guess if you keep Cardinals or seahorses not much of a risk but I’m sure you have more variety in mind.

 

[coralfishreef]

Personal preference here, but I don't feel that the acrylic lids (ok, technically polycarbonate) detract from the look of a rimless tank, and the peace of mind is worth a small potential hit to the aesthetics. They're not cheap by any means, but they let you rest easy. I got mine from ClearView, but there are a few other vendors you can look at.

Yes to the top. What size tank?

I have 3 clearview lids and my opinion is that they are pretty nice to have on 24” - 36” tanks, but my 2-piece clearview lid on my 60” peninsula has a sagging problem on one side. One side sags/droops down by about 1/4” which may not sound like much but it is quite noticeable and really detracts from the look. Also 2 or more of the tabs aren’t seated at all and therefore the remaining tabs have increased weight and pressure on them.

If you tank is 24” or smaller then I’d look at the BRS screen kit with the Neat Aquatics Rimless screen top frame corners. I made something similar with 3D printed corners and a screen kit from Home Depot. The 3D screen corners with the screen kit looked really clean and didn’t cost hundreds of dollars. I actually like the look 3D corners with the DIY screen much better than the clearview lids. And if I ever get a eurobraced tank, I’ll definitely go with the 3D printed corners and screen.

A major issue with acrylic lids is the acrylic sides can get condensation or splash from water movement or fish. This also applies to glass tops. The lids need to be removed from the tank to rinse them periodically because of the water underneath. The top side of the acrylic lids also need to be wiped down frequently just like any screen top, but the acrylic lids will get scratched over time even if your being very careful.

 

[Biokabe]

Yes to the top. What size tank?

I have 3 clearview lids and my opinion is that they are pretty nice to have on 24” - 36” tanks, but my 2-piece clearview lid on my 60” peninsula has a sagging problem on one side. One side sags/droops down by about 1/4” which may not sound like much but it is quite noticeable and really detracts from the look. Also 2 or more of the tabs aren’t seated at all and therefore the remaining tabs have increased weight and pressure on them.

If you tank is 24” or smaller then I’d look at the BRS screen kit with the Neat Aquatics Rimless screen top frame corners. I made something similar with 3D printed corners and a screen kit from Home Depot. The 3D screen corners with the screen kit looked really clean and didn’t cost hundreds of dollars. I actually like the look 3D corners with the DIY screen much better than the clearview lids. And if I ever get a eurobraced tank, I’ll definitely go with the 3D printed corners and screen.

A major issue with acrylic lids is the acrylic sides can get condensation or splash from water movement or fish. This also applies to glass tops. The lids need to be removed from the tank to rinse them periodically because of the water underneath. The top side of the acrylic lids also need to be wiped down frequently just like any screen top, but the acrylic lids will get scratched over time even if your being very careful.

Mine is a 48" tank (Reefer 350), and that might be the upper limit before you start seeing the issue you talked about. No sag on mine, but there is about a 1/8" gap around the overflow that I keep trying to think of ways to plug. I don't think any fish could fit through it, but fish can be pretty inventive.

I used to have a DIY screen frame kit with those 3d corners, and they certainly did the job. I didn't have great tools for measuring and cutting precisely, though, which is my biggest gripe with them - it can be annoying to get it all cut to the right dimensions. If you're better at cutting aluminum than I am, you can certainly put together a fine-looking screen frame for a lot less than the popular acrylic lids. $50 for my Red Sea kit, vs. $200+ for my ClearView lid.

 

[coralfishreef]

The sagging is with one of the 2 pieces. It’s a design problem with the classic lid around the peninsula overflow. Each lid piece is 29.5” x 23.75” but the acrylic edge part of the lid piece is 2.25” wide. The acrylic wraps around overflow in kind of an W pattern so that there isn’t a straight support piece to support the weight - hence the sagging. There also aren’t any tabs to rest on the overflow, but this is normal for all 3 clearview lids that I’ve received. But, in this case with the peninsula overflow and wider acrylic there really needs to be either tabs on the overflow cover or extra bracing between the front/back acrylic edges and overflow. The sagging may not be an issue with the Pisces EXO due to the lower weight.

My Reefer 250 clearview classic lid doesn’t have any issues with sagging, but it does have a 1/4” gap on one side and a 1/8” gap on the other side of the overflow. I put a piece of thin cutting board across the overflow cover to cover and block the gaps. A custom cut piece of black acrylic might look better.

 

[Ghost25]

I'll stand up for no top. I had clowns, tailspot blenny, clown goby, hi fin goby, orchid dottyback, ruby red dragonet, royal gramma and never had a jumper.

I would like a firefish but I won't get one because of their reputation as jumpers.