gas exchange

if i put a glass top on my aquarium about 1/4" above the water level will it
hinder the gas exchange? It won't cover the whole top, I need about 2" at
the back for the wires and hoses and such..

my water surface is pretty turbulant, but I'm wondering if having the glass
so close affects the amount of oxygen available to the water..

thanks.
ss

it will get better gas exchange being open, but should not pose a problem
with it mostly covered so long as it has a way to exchange air into and out
of the canopy. do you have a sump to allow the gas exchange there?

kc

"Slim Shaggy" wrote in message
...
if i put a glass top on my aquarium about 1/4" above the water level will
it
hinder the gas exchange? It won't cover the whole top, I need about 2" at
the back for the wires and hoses and such..

my water surface is pretty turbulant, but I'm wondering if having the
glass
so close affects the amount of oxygen available to the water..

thanks.
ss

no sump as of yet..i've been reading a lot lately about overflows and sumps
and I'm getting VERY interested in setting one up for myself...all i've got
right now is just the tank..water stays inside the 4 walls of glass, i'm
thinking of having a 33g tank and a 33g underneath modified to be a
sump..too bad I don't have the cash for that... :/

-ss

"Dragon Slayer" wrote in message
...
it will get better gas exchange being open, but should not pose a problem
with it mostly covered so long as it has a way to exchange air into and
out
of the canopy. do you have a sump to allow the gas exchange there?

kc

"Slim Shaggy" wrote in message
...
if i put a glass top on my aquarium about 1/4" above the water level
will
it
hinder the gas exchange? It won't cover the whole top, I need about 2"
at
the back for the wires and hoses and such..

my water surface is pretty turbulant, but I'm wondering if having the
glass
so close affects the amount of oxygen available to the water..

thanks.
ss

A cover won't hinder a gas exchange in any significant way. Covers are
usually recommended to keep fish from jumping out of a tank (some species
will do this) and to keep "accidents" from falling into a tank.

E.Otter

A cover won't hinder a gas exchange in any significant way.


a glass top over a tank that has no other way to 'vent' has very bad gas
exchange. there is no way for the O2 to get in or the CO2 to get out.
glass does not breath.

kc