Top covers????????????????

[mikeyd]

ok so ive been getting alot of mixed answers about this topic.

ACRYLIC OR GLASS ?????????


i just need to know whats the best choice for viv covers

im using dual t5 6700k.
and tank size is 4ftx18"x24"


petsmart says 2800k grow bulb over glass is only option. the manager says acrylic does not let any light through. lol

candart says glass because acrylic warps
homhardware says acrylic will let more light than glass.
friendly frog says - acrylic warps - glass lets uv/uvb through better.
home depot says acrylic will not warp or bend... lets all types of light through better than glass.

i went out and spent over 100bucks tryn to get first glass than acrylic then lexan covers...

JUST TELL ME THE RIGHT ONE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

[beckdg]

for what purpose? if you don't need the uvb i'd go with glass. it will let all the light in aside from uv, won't scratch as easily, won't warp and won't discolor.

if you need uv there are options.

lexan and acrylic both have the potential to fit all these benefits but depending on your situation you might need to know what you're looking for. for example, i have a 2 bulb t5ho fixture over my 50 gal that has an acrylic shield to let the light through... but i'm positive it's not your everyday acrylic... because it's older than a week and isn't melded out of shape.

there are specialty acrylics and polycarbonates (lexans) for just about every purpose one could use glass for.

then again... if you can get ahold of a really old window someone's trashing... you could probably use the glass from that even if you need uv to pass through it. what is trash in our windows ...(mainly because of costly drafts and the belief we need to be completely covered from uv exposure at all times)... is now a specialty material made only for situations where uv needs to pass through... and the cost usually reflects that.

[mikeyd]

well i guess the main purpose is to give effecient light to the plants i have.
i dont have the names of all my plants most are hard for me to even pronounce.

- moon plants?
- nepenthese
-cobra plant
-broms (green)
-pothos
-ivy
-panama fern
-tropical/pillow moss
-peperomias
-fica pumila
..neo broms soon too.

the furthest plant from the light is at 16" but most are in the 10" area and up.

next week i will be getting a t5 dual fixture at canadian tire with x2 t5 6700k bulbs.
but right now all i have is 1 t10 6700k.


ive been using acrylic , not sure on the type , and i have a different type of acrylic seems harder , and lexan . soo , wasnt sure whats best combo

for back covers,, where the light will be over... glass??

and the front covers where ill cut a vent strip acrylic?

[beckdg]

if the vent strips won't be a focal point i'd just drill a few holes in some glass for ventilation, personally. glass drilling is actually very easy, believe it or not... cutting it is much harder and smoothing it without the industrial tools is a pain... but drilling... different story, really.

as well, if the heat of the bulbs isn't going to be right on top of the terra it might not be an issue for any of your materials. i could only speculate unless i knew the exact materials you have to choose from (make and model).

now, without knowing your setup... or how it's layed out... many times tanks have the larger plants, epiphytes, lithophytes, etc. near the back... same with fish tanks... so having your light near the front may give you better lighting for viewing but also for penetration to your lower plants.

without trying to add any more confusion to the situation... what i would most likely do is wind up putting the lights on the front 1/3 of the tank and therefore would rather have glass there unless i knew the properties/capabilities of the other materials i have to work with.

in case you're interested...




drilling tempered glass...


telling if it's tempered... How to tell if glass is tempered... - Aquaria Central

you can get the bits for drilling glass at any home depot or lowes as long as you're drilling fairly small holes... say 1/2" or less... and they're ~$10. look in the tool coral for glass/tile hole saw bits like the ones in the vids.

one caution i will re-iterate is DO NOT PUSH ON THE DRILL WHILE DRILLING GLASS!!!!!

NOT THESE... Bosch 4-Piece Glass and Tile Drill Bit Set - GT2000 at The Home Depot

NOT THESE... Ryobi 4pc Glass and Tile Bits - AR1650 at The Home Depot

BUT THESE WITH THE HOLE IN THE SIDE... BRUTUS 5/16 In. Diamond Drill Bit for Porcelain Tile, Marble, and Granite - 10556 at The Home Depot

[mikeyd]

Ohhh the drilling of glass.... i went threw 3 smallet "test" tanks.. had the right drill bit, but it bounced so much could never hold it straight.

so homehardware cut some fromt vent holes for me.

as for the lighting. thanks for clearing up alot of stuff.

I dont beleive anything i will have will need UVB... I still want to keep my vent onthe top cover though, my tank gets way too foggy as it is, just a small 1"strip along the front covers should make better viewing.

75% of my plants are on or near the backwall , so i guess the dual t5 is best way to go?

and im going to find out the exact type of acrylic and lexan that i have.

but glass is cheaper... and if its guaranteed to be the best then might aswell just use that for the back covers. and ill use the acrylic for the front covers, it will be much easier to jigsaw a 1"x12" vent strip in acrylic. and being in the front with those vent strips... shouldnt warp , i hope. if it does who cares i got more lexan peices


But this is something id like to see polls, and surveys about...

what do you all use?

and which cover material/lighting/ventilation/water circulation or feature
will give the best results?...

mabey some before and after pics with some different combinations ... with the same plants will show excatly how much improvement you get out of lets say switching to glass covers... or different t5 bulb combos... different water features ... all.. or even just one of these factors could make dramatic differences in plant and vivarium growth.

and i for one, am very interested in testing this stuff out. unfortunately i only have 1 tank to work with right now.

[beckdg]

the trick with the bit is to start real slow at an angle to make yourself a groove for the bit to lay in. once you have that groove the bit almost wants to hold itself steady.

i'm not experienced with all the plants on your list but if i had to guess your broms will probably need the most light. i don't think t5ho will be necessary but i'm sure they'll appreciate it. beings they'll all be on the back wall putting the light towards the front of the tank will still give you the best light spread.

if you want to start a survey... or 4... go for it. i would certainly make sure to put them in the appropriate sections though. some of our members are only interested in certain aspects of the site and will frequent only the sections related. so putting your surveys where they make the most sense will give you the best answers. in your case the terra-general and terra-plant sections would probably be good places.

diy foggers and real misting systems are great and fantastic for keeping up humidity.

lighting... 6500k provides for a good, well rounded bulb in most cases. you could get real technical about it if you'd like but at that point it'll probably be best to separate each species into "crops" and do their lighting according to life cycles similar to hydroponics.

for a cover material... i swear by glass.

water features are highly subjective and more of a "want" than a "need".

i will say that right now... on my 10 gallon terra... i'm using 2 - t8 daylight bulbs and everything is growing healthy and fine... but i was also advised against using much more than that for my bulbophyllum pulchellum by Ray over on orchidboard (our sister site).

[frogfreak]

Hey there

I just finished doing a post on canadart about tops and screen.

Here you go, and I hope it helps you out.


Canadart.org • View topic - Tops for tanks

[beckdg]

nice write-up frogfreak.

[frogfreak]

Thanks

If you have the glass cut for you, it takes about an hour and a bit.

BTW We run 2 T5's on our tanks, and it's enough to keep the broms coloured up. We've had Orchids bloom as well. All our tanks are 24"s high. The Broms and Orchids are planted up high, within 6-8"s of the light.

[mikeyd]

very informative , thanks i checked out that link

i did something similar but i do want to try your way on my next one.

i went the ghetto way. just got a circular diamond blade saw to grind out a nice strip from the glass... and then used black plastic as a frame, and screen mesh.

definatly doesnt look as good as yours though.