does anyone not have a cover on their goldie tank and if not what do you use for lighting?

I use to keep my goldfish in a lid-less tank, but I will not do so anymore. Sometimes my fish would get overzealous and jump right out of the tank, and if I wasn't there to put them right back in, I'd come home to crispy critters a couple hours later.

yeah, fish tend to jump, sometimes even in good water conditions. I would put something on top, maybe some plexiglass or some sort of plastic with holes in it at least.

Unfortunately I have a topless tank. I've been buying my aquarium set up one piece at a time--just bought a proper stand (it's been sitting on a sturdy desk which I cannot take with me when i move).

My fish haven't attempted to jump as of yet and I've had them in there for quite a while now.
I do not have lights beyond those in the room, and, as a result, do not keep live plants in that tank. The fish do not seem bothered by this, that I have noticed.

The only real problem I've had so far is evaporation-- I make sure when I change the water to fill it up as high as I can safely go.

I've been looking into custom-cutting a piece of plexi that I have, but power tools have been packed away, so the operation will have to wait until i unearth them again.

I have only notice the none fancy types to jump but fancy goldfish will still jump.If your worried just cover the top of the tank with something...

I'd really invest on a cover/hood for your tank. You can even buy those economy hoods for really cheap at places like Petsmart.

I have a 10 gallon, and a few months ago one of my commons jumped out to his death. I found him all dried up later that night. I was so sad... And I had perfect water conditions, too.

Before the accident, I didn't even think about getting a hood, but now that I lost one, I recommend it to everyone, lest they lose a fish that way too.

oh yeah!
i have had my tank for like 4 months now. with a fantail and a ranchu. and i dont have a lid for it, coz back then wheni bought the tank, i didt have enough $$$. but so far they havent attempted to jump out!! *fingers crossed* i think maybe coz they are still babies.

oi dotn use lighting. if my room light is on, then tehres light, if not then the tank is jsut dark.

I invested into a glass top and took my drill to it (now it looks like Swiss cheese). Here's my point, one side recommends not having a cover because the water surface can exchange gases better. The other is I need to protect my Goldies. I found a compromise.

altough i do not have an lidless tank, i don't have lighting on top. On the tank manual it said its equppied with (sky light) i do not know how that works,(if you please tell me) but then i got a night light from the dollar store and i just turn that on. theres no risk of it falling in the water and its cheap!

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Joey

I have a lidless 40 and 50 gal tank, but both tanks have pretty high mirrors on all sides of the glass after the max I can fill the tank up to. I actually like it better lidless so more oxygen can get into the tank and I just think having lights shine into the tank annoys the fish. I don't need it to see the fishes and all my plants are green and healthy without the artificial light. None of my fishes has jumped out of the tank before.

i have small planted aquarium that's coverless. it's lighted by one of those clamp lamps sold for reptiles; i equiped it with a full spectrum flourescent bulb and clamped it on a wooden crate thats situated off to the side of the tank (to avoid electrocuting my fish in the event it ever got knocked over). both my fish and plants seem to be enjoying this setup.

I have a lid, but I'm not using it. I need evaporation to make the tank cooler because I live in the tropics. Later (ie when I have the money) I'll have the carpenter make a wooden frame for me and fit it with a net of sorts for a lid.

Just to share... my friend's goldie died when it was attacked by a cockroach.

cover?? No...

but I have so many things hanging and resting at the top of my tank... bio-wheels, box filters, lights and floating plants.. that's enough to cover the top and still leaving sufficient place for air circulation...

I bought a piece of 1/4" glass from a glass store that is only large enough too protect the light strip. For my 55 gallon it only cost around $15 and this way you will still get good water surface gas exchange which is very important.
NEVER try too create a lid that will inhibit gas exchange.
I have also never had a problem with goldies trying too jump out. They might breach the surface at times but never go airborn.

I believe in leaving the top opened.. for air circulation...

one way to prevent goldfish from jumping is to obstruct them.. how?? simple, use flaoting plants.. I merely pull out a small pot of plants that should be left sunken to the bottom of the tank.. I leave them floating and they helps to obstruct the goldfish.. imagine if you are the one who is to make the plunge and definitely it will not be convinient if you see the floating plants in your path way from the bottom of the tank!!

my tank has a cover which actually comes with a built-in filter and lamp.

but i am considering removing them all hoping to improve air circulation and lowering the water temp as i suspect the rise of water temp could be due to the heat caused by the lamp.

as for goldfish jumping out of the tank, maybe i should feed it till it becomes too fat and heavy to be able to leap out just like tat. maybe i should just lessen the amount of water. (don think they can jump tat high )

I would love to have a tank open at the top with live plants growing out, but then I'd have to figure out how to suspend the lighting and worry about fish jumping out... no thanks.

hmm... kinda think of it, where should i put the lamp if i were to remove everything so that i can have a opened top?

i was trying to figure out how i should place my lamp, filter and other stuff that's currently on the top of the cover...

maybe i should just remain as it is.

i had a coverless tank once. I used if for quite sometime before finally getting a lid. BIG MISTAKE! I had a school of tiger barb in this tank, and well once day one must have jumped out! I never noticed, but one day when I went to grab my gravel vav under the stand my tank was one, I felt something funny and it was a dried up tiger barb! Must have been there for a month!!!

Now with my goldies, I notice my common jumps out of the water often, but luckily I have a lid on it!!

My cousin gave me a bare tank A few days ago I keep some 10 crayfish and 10 goldfish and they seem to be doing fine it has no lid for oxygen and also has a air pump.

always have a lid - keep water from evaporating

A sky light is something u put in a celing which is basically in windo in the celing.... so a sky light in a lid would just be a clear patch dont u think???