daharley October 20, 2011 October 20, 2011 Just lost a clown to an overflow. What are some good ways to cover these?
SunWyrm October 20, 2011 October 20, 2011 I just got some black gutter-guard from Ace to put on mine.
daharley October 20, 2011 Author October 20, 2011 do you just lay it on there or will it fit to snap, or need an adhesive?
Cliff Puckstable October 20, 2011 October 20, 2011 Dang, I lost a chormis the same way. It lasted a whole 10 minutes before making it's way into the overflow. I'm sure you can mold the mesh wire to fit your exact specification.
SunWyrm October 20, 2011 October 20, 2011 For your overflows I would think just cutting it to sit on top and then attaching it somehow would keep them happy. Maybe if you figure out how to do it at an angle so it would slope towards your display and they wouldn't get stuck if they did decide to jump on it.
zoltarblue October 20, 2011 October 20, 2011 I am trying something a bit different today. Was trying to get some acrylic cut but that fell through. Not only do I want to put covers on mine but also reduce the light to keep algae from grwing in them. I went to Lowes and bought black window film. Cut it to fit my overflows. I am using outdoor waterproof double side tape, I cut it in thirds so they are very thin, running that across the "D" shape itself then just sticking the film to that. Ill let you know how it works
rioreef October 20, 2011 October 20, 2011 Came across these covers. Made from 1/4 black acrylic with stops to keep it in place.
hypertech October 21, 2011 October 21, 2011 I bought one of his covers. Looks nice, works great. There's nothing real fancy about it - other than its finished and ready to go and you don't have to mess with making it yourself.
davelin315 October 21, 2011 October 21, 2011 Biggest problem with a cover is that it can lead to fish jumping onto it. If you are inclined to do so, I'd make it slope towards the tank and also make it elevated so that it's higher than the tank itself. This will block out most of the light and also hopefully make it high enough where the fish can't jump onto it.
hypertech October 21, 2011 October 21, 2011 I thought about that. And then I decided that if they can jump al the way up there, then they can flop around until they fall off the side back into the water. With it below the lip, they are less likely to flop off behind the tank because hopefully they would hit the trim and bounce back the other way towards the water.
treesprite October 21, 2011 October 21, 2011 For your overflows I would think just cutting it to sit on top and then attaching it somehow would keep them happy. Maybe if you figure out how to do it at an angle so it would slope towards your display and they wouldn't get stuck if they did decide to jump on it. I found that sloping caused my waterline to very gradually, over a couple weeks, creep up nearly to the top of the trim before I realized that sloping was a bad idea.
hypertech October 21, 2011 October 21, 2011 How does an overflow cover change your water level? Sounds more like algae or something was obstructing the teeth.
daharley October 21, 2011 Author October 21, 2011 is there a reef safe paint. I was going to make acrylic covers like the ones rioreef posted but wouldn't know what to paint them with.
.OptimusPrime. October 21, 2011 October 21, 2011 is there a reef safe paint. I was going to make acrylic covers like the ones rioreef posted but wouldn't know what to paint them with. I've seen Krylon Fusion mentioned many times. Maybe someone who has used it before can confirm.
treesprite October 22, 2011 October 22, 2011 How does an overflow cover change your water level? Sounds more like algae or something was obstructing the teeth. Using plastic canvas - the holes are very small, it doesn't take much to fill them in. I often thought of putting a strip above the top of the overflow to leave a gap just big enough for the amount of flow, which would be small enough to keep my fish and snails from going over. I have a full coast-to-coast OF, so it actually shouldn't be too hard to do. I just wouldn't want to put it in there only to have it be too low and end up with a flood.
davelin315 October 22, 2011 October 22, 2011 I think that there's two different trains of thought going on here - one is where the overflow actually has water going over it and the other is where it's simply a cover that is up above the tank. I would never use an overflow that is covered on the top and becomes submerged - this is a disaster waiting to happen. I think most of the suggestions here are for a cover that is well above the water line, hence the danger of a fish jumping on and landing on it.
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