Mr. Saltwater Tank TV Friday AM Quick Tip: Don’t Cover This Part Of Your Saltwater Tank
While plumbing on your saltwater tank isn’t overly sexy, there is one part of a saltwater tank’s plumbing you don’t want to cover up.
Browse the Store! Questions?
Hi Mark,
Love your show and great advice!
Sorry to say that on my AquaReef 275L cube reef tank I had quite the opposite experience. My blue throat trigger decided to jump into the overflow and on this tank it was just too tight to fish him out without fully dismantling the plumbing and blow me down if in the process my flasher wrasse jumped in whilst it was dismantled and ended up in the sump. All of this caused loads of stress to both me and the fish and although the blue throat survived, sadly the flasher did not. I now cover with egg crate which I hope on this tank is the lesser of the two evils.
I am sure that this advice would work for larger set-ups and many other tanks but for this particular one I think egg crate is the safer option.
Cheers,
Karl (UK reef junkie)
I have seen some open top tanks with a kind of mesh over the surface in a fitted frame although what its made of I’m not sure, I’m sure a flyscreen type of window screen made of aluminium would do the job well if you got the inside tank measurements a window screen company would be able to make it up. The one concern would be lighting, so flyscreen maybe too fine. Anyone got an idea of what I’ve seen, what is it made from. We see so many set-ups on the net but don’t know where they, or which country they are in. I don’t have this problem because I have glass lids, yes they need constant cleaning with a mix of vinegar & hot water, much evaporation and no jumping fish.
Why not cover the overflow with what ever material you chose, and put it on an angle to allow the fish to roll back into the tank!
I am looking at your beautiful tank and the surface caught my eye. were the pumps off during this shoot or is that the way it is? I am a HUGE fan of surface agitation while keeping down the splashing. but what is your take on this marc it really (imo) helps keep the ph more stable at night. thanks marc
alan…unless the angle is quite steep, the fish usually don’t roll back into the tank. Its safer to leave it off
Karl…sorry for loss! Next time don’t glue the plumbing parts in the overflow box. This way they can be easily disassembled in a hurry.
Excellent point! I had a fish jump into my overflow and live in there for several months! I have a corner tank. One day I was working under the tank and happen to catch out of the corner of my eye movement underneath in the back corner. Sure enough it was my spotted cardinal who I thought died months ago! I have no idea how he got in there. It was a real pain getting him out of there, but he is a very happy fish now.
I use gutter guard to build a vertical wall around my overflows. Works really well, looks good and is really inexpensive. It’s available at any home improvement store for around $4 a roll.
I’ve always covered my overflows, because of losing fish down them and it’s always a nightmare getting them out, if ever. In one tank, many years ago, I had a damsel live quite happily in the overflow. However, I’ve lost fish too, sometimes large fish that have got stuck and stressed and died, without me noticing within a few hours. As a result, with every over flow, create a slanted wire top so any fish will simply slide down again, easily created from quality wire mesh. It’s worked find and not a toasted fish in sight in over 10 years.
OMG….I totally agree! My six-line wrasse went missing a few months back; I searched hi & low….to no avail. Then, it occurred to me I had not checked the overflow box…..there he was with his little nose bobbing up and down (like a dolphin). I had to drain the entire box to catch him, but at least he hadn’t ended up in the floor……EXCELLENT ADVISE MARK!
Mark,
I agree the overflow top shouldn’t be covered, but a great way to help deter fish jumping in there is by simply adding some plastic mesh gutter guard to the overflow. It’s easy to slide down into the space between the overflow walls, you can cut it to form around return pipes, and (best of all) if you have a close-fitting mesh top, you can run this stuff right up to touch the mesh of your aquarium top. It’s not 100% foolproof (ask my leopard wrasse) but it’s very effective and does a great job. Added bonus — it acts as an ersatz algae scrubber!
My over flow is covered with a piece of acrylic that I painter black it keeps algae from growing also keeps fish out. I dont have a canopy so I have the mesh screen tops on my tank it has been like that for years with no issues
Mark, As always right on target!!! Just some food for thought… I use Joanne fabrics Utility Fabric Cargo Netting
Details
http://www.joann.com/utility-fabric-cargo-netting/10173359.html
Item # 10173359 Works extremely well especially when using 3M Command Strip Hooks (Small) you can wrap it around the overflow with a tight fit.. Soft material,, holes the diameter of a pencil and the jumpers (so Far) do not get caught in it. naturally it slopes up and toward canopy so the fish fall right back into the water… Also like the previous suggestion “gutter Guard” but that only comes in 4″ width
Keep Up the great work, will see you when i build my 300-375… Yes def. worth the price to have you build!! Loved the VTB programs!!
Bulk Reef Supplies has a screen kit. I suggest getting extra corner inserts, as I changed the shape of my screen and needed a few extra. Home Depot has the window screen frames and the corner inserts but did not have the right screen material. BRS screen is real good. Hope this helps.
Mark,
Love your site and video’s.
I’m pretty new to the hobby and have a question: I currently have the standard glass lids on my 55 gal. And every day I have to spend time wiping the salt and water off them. Then at least once a month I have to soke them in vinegar to remove the firm deposits.
My question is, are the lids really worth all the trouble? What purpose do they serve? I know I lose less water to evaporation, but is that all they are worth?
Great program and sound advise. Love it!
Merle
Merle..the glass lids can keep fish in and evaporation down. Other than that, they are a complete PITA and I never use them!