When it comes to setting up an aquarium most of us put a lot of care and attention into choosing the tank itself, our filtration and our selection of the fish themselves.
However the humble evaporation tray is often an after-thought at best. This thin piece of plastic goes above your aquarium but beneath your aquarium hood, catching any water that tries to evaporate out of your tank.
One of the problems with keeping fish in an aquarium is that of water evaporation which can have a number of negative effects. Firstly it can raise the humidity in your home increasing the chances of mould growing in under-ventilated areas such as behind furniture.
Secondly, evaporating water tends to leave a nasty scummy mark around the top of your aquarium where impurities have gathered and this scum line can be tough to remove without some serious effort and some scrubbing.
In addition, some fish like hatchet fish may try to jump out of the water and so your evaporation tray will prevent them from doing this, thus keeping them safe and sound.
Lastly of course your aquarium hood typically contains your lighting unit, which is electrical. In this way evaporation or even spills of water can cause real damage to your electrics increasing your costs through replacement and possibly even harming your aquarium.
The evaporation tray should therefore be an integral part to any aquarium, the only exception being when your aquarium hood comes with such a device built in as is increasingly the case these days.
