Tip of the Day – 12/12/2013

A lot of the all-in-one aquariums come with a hood that houses the lights in a neat little package, and they work well at keeping all of the contents of the tank from getting out or wandering hands from getting in. Unfortunately, these hoods are not very attractive and usually contain lighting systems that are inadequate for a successful reef, which has caused many hobbyists to ditch them altogether. Thankfully, the process of switching the stock hood for something a bit more reef friendly is an easy process. Armed with a screwdriver, all you have to do is unscrew a couple of brackets and take the lid off. From there, adding a new light is just as easy. Just attach the light to the mounting hardware with which it came, then mount it to the aquarium. Of course, this is a bit oversimplified, as there are too many different brands to consider, but more often than not it’s a really easy task. Before making the switch, however, consider how much water will be lost to evaporation and what other drawbacks there could potentially be to having an open top system.