Cover over aquarium? Yes / No

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First, what is causing all of that splash in your sump?
I have 2 sumps,the other sump drains into this one which is causing the dampness plus 75% of my dt water also goes to this sump,this is why I would like to cover it to reduce splash/moisture?
 
You more then likely could cover it but that would decrease the light going to your sump and may not be good for your Macroalge!
 
What is salinity and how do i test for it? sorry im REALLY new apparently

If you don't know what salinity is you should not have any life in you tank yet. (you won't soon if you do). I know this sounds harsh but the main reason people fail at this hobby is lack of research and knoledge.
 
Yeah I know, But I have a really good eye and common sense and SOME knowledge, and I think I've found a happy medium :) I'm hopefully going to be getting a test kit or refractometer btwn now and next weekend!
 
I am thinking of buying two pieces of glass 17x27 inches to cover the sides that are not covered by the other piece of glass that came glued to the inside of the aquarium. The reason is because I suspect a lot of dirt and dust is falling into the water and causing excess nutrients since the aquarium is in a covered porch but outside the house. The 50 micron filters get dirty and clogged too fast. But I'll leave like 2 inches at each side for air circulation.



my filter socks would get clogged every 3 days, and my tank was inside. i don't think the falling dirt and dust thing is your problem. closed systems can become overloaded very easily. most people recommend feeding enough so that it will be consumed in 3 minutes. this is a ridiculous idea imo/ime.
i feed my fish and it's gone in about 20-30 seconds. most people comment on how fat my fish are too.
everything you put in the tank stays there until you remove it. eaten or not.
 
I did that when I first got my tank... Won't that promote an un healthy amount of bacteria and algae? It's hard enough having to clean my glass everyday... but every hour? but then again I only have a 10g tank, and only feed my 3 Hermies 1 headless unpeeled raw jumbo shrimp/day... but still, am I right? or left? or wrong or mistaken??
 
Yeah my tank is cycled, PLUS just a several days ago I went and got another lb of LR plus the guy threw in an extra .5 lb for free and I got about 75-100 free Astrea Starfish and a small free peice of coral that the guy says is dead but he was hookin me up so much I'll bet he said that on purpose and threw it off the plug onto the ground 'cause he knew I would pick it up, so who knows, it looked alive to me... then I also got a nesarrius(sp?) snail for my sand-bed and he threw in a free random snail and two other white Starfish, idk what kind they are but they are still small but I bet they get a lot bigger :) He also tested my tank water and said the salinity is pretty high but not crazy so I've already changed some water, and he tested my filtered tap water and said it was a bit dirty but not enough not to use it to top off my tank, I'm gonna get a new filter for it soon so I'll bet that takes care of the little bit of dirtiness. I ALSO got a new light bulb, a 15watt that I put in my lamp, its a bit dim for me but it will work for now till I get my Light strip and a couple of better bulbs, and the peice of coral is looking like it's doing ok so i think its alive.

So, my tank is well and happy now! My LFS guy also gave me a free peice of rock to put in so my hermies can get out of the water for a bit, apparently they like to do that. Thanks for all your help guys!!! If there is anything else PLEASE let me know!!!
 
your lfs has no idea how "dirty" your tap water is. he most likely used a T.D.S. meter, if anything at all, and all that tells you is you have "X" amount of something in your water. it does not tell you what that something is.

those little starfish stay small, and you'll probably see them in your tank without manually introducing them. i imagine they are tiny brittle stars.
 
I happened to be at a local glass place and asked about how much light 1/4" thick glass would hold back. The guy said that UV light might be stopped a bit but fluro tube lights would be negligible. He said you could go nuts and order star bright glass but it was four times the cost and in aquarium application you wouldn't notice rthe diff.
 
The biggest problem isn't the glass... it's the condensation that can build up on it and blocking the light.
 
starfire glass. and don't forget salt creep. i would make a grate to cover the tank with and call it a day.
 
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