# People whose aquariums aren't covered: have you had any issues with evaporation?



## noobscaper (3 Dec 2020)

I'm considering switching to an open-top aquarium for better heat dissipation for my lights.
Have you had any mould, bad smells, household chemicals dissolving etc.?


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## rebel (3 Dec 2020)

No issues.



noobscaper said:


> household chemicals dissolving etc.


How do you mean? due to humidity????

It depends on your environmental humidity/ size of room etc etc. It's hard to generalise.


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## Tim Harrison (3 Dec 2020)

No, never. Bad smells like rotten eggs or hydrogen sulphide mean something is really wrong with your tank. Sure evaporation is going to be an issue, but unless there is some underlying damp problem with your house there shouldn't be a problem with mould etc. I keep my tanks at 23 degrees to limit evaporation. If you have emergent growth, that's a different story. Transpiration can drain a tank pretty quickly depending on how densely planted it is but it still hasn't been a problem for me.


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## rebel (4 Dec 2020)

Tim Harrison said:


> Transpiration can drain a tank pretty quickly


I didn't think of this issue!


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## noobscaper (4 Dec 2020)

rebel said:


> No issues.
> 
> 
> How do you mean? due to humidity????
> ...


Sorry for the unclear question.
I meant household chemicals dissolving into the aquarium because it's open-top.


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## PARAGUAY (4 Dec 2020)

noobscaper said:


> Sorry for the unclear question.
> I meant household chemicals dissolving into the aquarium because it's open-top.


I think it's a danger and can possibly account for unexplained critter fatalities. Aerosol type sprays to be avoided.


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## noobscaper (4 Dec 2020)

PARAGUAY said:


> I think it's a danger and can possibly account for unexplained critter fatalities. Aerosol type sprays to be avoided.


OK. i guess I'll have to go with something like a sheet of plexiglass then.


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## DeepMetropolis (4 Dec 2020)

No never a bad smell, no mold.. Just don't spray anything on/near your tank or cover your tank temporarly if you really have to. 

I have an ato for water evaparation. Without it my sump would run dry to soon.. 

Greetz, Luciën.


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## Wolf6 (4 Dec 2020)

No real issues here with smells or dampness, just make sure you have decent ventilation. Some periods there is a bit more evaporation, and then I have to top the tank up the night before waterchanges or otherwise my spraybar comes above the water and makes a tiny bit of noise  when spraying against fleas (dog and 2 cats, hard to avoid) at the end of summer i always cover the tank with film just to be sure. Never had any issues or casualties. The only downside to an open tank I have found is limitations in which fish you can hold. Thats why my new tank has a mesh cover


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## Tim Harrison (4 Dec 2020)

noobscaper said:


> household chemicals dissolving etc.?


Not that either. It'd have to be a pretty extreme environment or you'd have to be very unlucky or clumsy for it to be an issue.


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## lazybones51 (4 Dec 2020)

I can only reiterate what others have said regarding no issues being open top.

I top up maybe a couple of litres over the period of a week (tank at 22c), not enough to be an issue. No mould issues, no smells and no issues with chemicals (we have candles burning most evenings).

The biggest "issue" is the potential for live stock to escape, but keeping your water level a sensible distance from the brim of the tank negates this.

I love the extra dimension you get being open top. I've had a recent explosion in emersed growth which you couldn't have with a lid.


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## Wookii (4 Dec 2020)

My 100 litre tank loses about 2-3 litres a day in evaporation at this time of year with the dry air and central heating on, which I top off with RO. I've noticed the level of evaporation seems to vary depending on the amount of surface agitation applied.


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## zozo (4 Dec 2020)

If you have moss growing emersed on wood then it might smell like a walk in the forest... At least that is what my brother told me after I asked do you smell anything. My self hanging around it day in day out, I'm used to it and do not smell anything at all. 

But if so, then I would rather smell a forest than a mothball or any other surrogate floral scent air refresher.


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