Full Hoods for Aquariums?

StudentoReptile · 07-10-12, 03:13 PM

So I was thinking about the whole issue with glass tanks & screened tops, heat and humidity loss, and all that.

Got me thinking...obviously you couldn't use these for some reptiles (mainly snakes and arboreal geckos), but to help curb the heat/humidity loss, could one just use a full hood for aquariums?

Example: Aqueon® Incandescent Full Economy Aquarium Hood - Lighting & Hoods - Fish - PetSmart

Shoot if someone could play with the design a little, they probably could come up with something more reptile-friendly: a completely (or almost?) closed top, with the light fixture(s) built in.

Yeah most of us veterans could easily build something for far less than the projected retail of such a product, but if someone got the design right and marketed it well, it would revolutionalize the "store bought" reptile kit. No more screen tops with dome lamps sitting on top!

Thoughts?

Wildside · 07-10-12, 06:00 PM

I've done it. Works great for Leos. It's a pain in the *** for most everyone else. Most of the larger hoods have separate sections and you have to take the whole thing apart to get access to your lizard. Remove the light, remove the first section, remove the third section... if it happens to have other pieces you'll have to juggle with those too. Remember, these lids are built with fish in mind. Fish have very different requirements and capabilities than reptiles. Also most of the time you still have to provide some sort of basking area because the strip bulbs just don't cut it.

BarelyBreathing · 07-10-12, 06:02 PM

A lot of reptiles can easily push out of full hoods.

alessia55 · 07-10-12, 07:41 PM

Some snakes may be strong enough to push the hood off... how would you secure it in place?

Also, the problem isn't just the screen tops... glass itself doesn't hold humidity well.

MrBD1980 · 07-10-12, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alessia55

Some snakes may be strong enough to push the hood off... how would you secure it in place?

Also, the problem isn't just the screen tops... glass itself doesn't hold humidity well.

Do you mean temperature?

I agree that it seems strange that no one has taken the challenge and produced something yet! Particularly exo terra as the would just have to provide an alternative top which has plastic sheet in place of mesh...I for one would pay for that replacement...

In the mean time however, a mesh hood can be fixed simply with a sheet of £3 polystyrene which supports both heat retention and holds humidity by limiting air exchange. Furthermore it is so easy to cut that you could simply carve out a space for the lamp....

I have just ranted on a bp thread about glass tanks and won't repeat it all..

Bri

hellosugaree · 07-11-12, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alessia55

Also, the problem isn't just the screen tops... glass itself doesn't hold humidity well.

You couldn't be more wrong on this. Glass is an impenetrable barrier for water--that is why fish aquariums hold water. Glass itself will hold humidity as well as or better than any material available. Heat is a different story.

Wildside · 07-10-12, 07:47 PM

He said you obviously couldn't use it for snakes, etc.

Why doesn't glass hold humidity?

infernalis · 07-10-12, 08:03 PM

I have used hoods forever with garter snakes, however they are small and light, so they don't have the ability to push a hood off.

LISA127 · 07-11-12, 06:36 AM

He did state in his post that he realizes it wouldn't work well for snakes.

Also, I find that covered glass tanks hold both heat and humidity very well.

KORBIN5895 · 07-11-12, 06:50 AM

Well my aquarium hoods had full length hinged doors across the front half. If you were to use silicone or an industrial caulking to caulk the perimeter edge it would be sealed in place. Seal all of the punch outs the same way for humidity reasons. Then you would just need to weather strip the hinged door and drill a hole for a lock.

That design would work for a lot of herps. Installing a heat bulb inside would be the hardest part.

StudentoReptile · 07-11-12, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

Well my aquarium hoods had full length hinged doors across the front half. If you were to use silicone or an industrial caulking to caulk the perimeter edge it would be sealed in place. Seal all of the punch outs the same way for humidity reasons. Then you would just need to weather strip the hinged door and drill a hole for a lock.

That design would work for a lot of herps.

That would definitely solve the issue for security. Might be a pain to clean though.

Quote:

Installing a heat bulb inside would be the hardest part.

Well, of course, different species will have different needs, and this idea surely isn't a "cure-all" for all of them. But in general, once you have sealed/closed off the top, there's little/no heat loss (part of the whole idea, right?). So...you could definitely get away with a lower wattage heat bulb. A lot of those hoods (at least for the 20" & 24" lengths anyway) come with incandescent fixtures as opposed to florescent ones, and usually take up to 25 watts in each socket.

I would say in most cases for with species that don't need super high basking temps, if you provided a undertank heat pad, you'd probably be set. Again, one would have to check the temps to make sure.

StudentoReptile · 07-11-12, 02:41 PM

I think they just mis-typed and meant heat.

alessia55 · 07-11-12, 02:46 PM

Yes, I'd meant to type that glass doesn't hold HEAT well. Sorry about the confusion, friends.

MoreliAddict · 07-11-12, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alessia55

Yes, I'd meant to type that glass doesn't hold HEAT well. Sorry about the confusion, friends.

Just go back and edit it, then delete all posts accusing you of getting it wrong. You're a mod!

Wildside · 07-11-12, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoreliAddict

Just go back and edit it, then delete all posts accusing you of getting it wrong. You're a mod!

Too much work