To Lid or Not to Lid?

[LunaSky]

My problem stems from the shape of my rimless 40g bowfront tank. It came with a solid black Lid with a built in, cheap, LED light bar that doesn't do much but light up the tank. So, as a compromise, I cut a hole in the Lid, glued plexiglass glass over the hole, and put my "better" light on top of the plexiglass glass. Now, this works, however the light I have isn't working for corals. It was a cheap "reef suitable" light claiming to be the bees knees. But I don't think so. So, I'm going with a much more expensive light. The only issue I have is 99% of the lights I can find either need to be hanging over the tank, or has an arm clipped to the tank. My current Lid isn't suitable for either scenario.

So, do I just toss the Lid and go bare which would be my cheapest option, and easiest. I have an ATO so evaporation wouldn't be too much of an issue. But I worry about jumpers... Tomoni Tang, shrimp goby, clowfish, grama and mandrin.

I could do a DIY acrylic with clips, but this is costly and a challenge due to the shape of the bow front. I'd do it though. It would look the nicest if I can get the clips to fit around the front curve.

Second option would be a net. Kind of pain though when it comes to feeding. And also not sure how it would work on a rimless, bowfront tank.

I'm curious what your opinions are and experiences. Easy of use, jumping fish, and light penetration.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Bow fronts are hard. You either have to go with a custom acrylic lid or with out. You can also try to just cut out the area in your old lid that the arm will poke thru.

 

[littlefoxx]

What fish do you have? My biocube never has a lid for this reason. However I have lids for my big tank since I have eels

 

[VintageReefer]

You can contact this guy for a custom lid
Cutouts for any equipment, feeding holes with caps. And you can have the front portion hinge open for work access

Best Aquarium Lids, Crystal Clear and Durable

Elevate your aquarium experience with the best lids on the market. Our precision-crafted aquarium lids offer crystal-clear visibility and exceptional durability, ensuring your underwater world remains pristine for years to come. Explore our range today for unmatched clarity and longevity!

walterlids.com

You can contact through the site and give measurements for a quote. He doesn’t charge for most customizations

Looks like he does bowfront

 

[LunaSky]

Bow fronts are hard. You either have to go with a custom acrylic lid or with out. You can also try to just cut out the area in your old lid that the arm will poke thru.

Yeah, I bought it second hand as an attempt to keep start up costs low. Didn't even think of the shape or lid when I started setting the tank up at start up.

What fish do you have? My biocube never has a lid for this reason. However I have lids for my big tank since I have eels

I mention them in my original post. Clown, tomini tang, cleaner shrimp, mandrin, grama, banded shrimp goby. I've heard gobies can be jumpers, but mine tends to stay near it's cave... even during feeding. Not really sure if the others would jump.

 

[LunaSky]

You can contact this guy for a custom lid
Cutouts for any equipment, feeding holes with caps. And you can have the front portion hinge open for work access

Best Aquarium Lids, Crystal Clear and Durable

Elevate your aquarium experience with the best lids on the market. Our precision-crafted aquarium lids offer crystal-clear visibility and exceptional durability, ensuring your underwater world remains pristine for years to come. Explore our range today for unmatched clarity and longevity!

walterlids.com

You can contact through the site and give measurements for a quote. He doesn’t charge for most customizations

Looks like he does bowfront

This is absolutely perfect!!! Thank you!

 

[VintageReefer]

My custom lid from Walter lids (place I linked)

Cutouts exactly where I wanted them, added feeding ports with caps, I reduced number of vent holes to minimize evaporation, fit my measurements and tank perfect

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I've kept salt tanks for more than 16 years, I currently have 3 in my home, all my tanks have always been lidless. In my 16+ years, I've had maybe 5-6 fish jump out, usually they are newer fish that had not become established yet.

Its my own personal opinion, that fish like to be in the water, they will prefer to stay in the water, and will only jump out if something is wrong.

 

[exnisstech]

I'm the same as @Mr. Mojo Rising, 3 tanks with no lids. Had snails crawl out but haven't lost a fish yet. That said I don't keep fish that are typically known to be jumpers.

 

[CKW]

Bow fronts are hard. You either have to go with a custom acrylic lid or with out. You can also try to just cut out the area in your old lid that the arm will poke thru.

I also have a 40 gal bow front. Never again!!
I cut a four ft floursent lens to fit. Two piece. The grid allows evaporation, light and keeps my fish in the tank.

 

[LunaSky]

I also have a 40 gal bow front. Never again!!
I cut a four ft floursent lens to fit. Two piece. The grid allows evaporation, light and keeps my fish in the tank.

Yeah, I've started looking for a larger, rectangle tank. If I knew this was going to be a problem when I purchased the tank, I would have ever got it. But it was $100 second hand. Seemed like a pretty good deal to me.

I've decided to try to go lidless. This is how I've done it with Freshwater for decades. Only, freshwater is more forgiving, so we'll see how it goes.

 

[tmecfowlr]

Kraken reef also makes great custom lids. Very expensive though. And frustrating if you want to change your equipment.

 

[VintageReefer]

Yeah, I've started looking for a larger, rectangle tank. If I knew this was going to be a problem when I purchased the tank, I would have ever got it. But it was $100 second hand. Seemed like a pretty good deal to me.

I've decided to try to go lidless. This is how I've done it with Freshwater for decades. Only, freshwater is more forgiving, so we'll see how it goes.

$1600 shipped
83 gallon. 48x20x20