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I've been using a hood for Mr. Turtles tank for years. I've had to switch because the only way I can use his basking lamp now is to clip it on top of the tank, and with a plastic hood that's not possible.

So I got a screen hood (my mind has gone blank I can't remember what they're called!) for the tank. First, how do you use it with the filter and everything hanging off the back? I'm assuming you need to cut the screen part of it?

My other concern with it is that I feed him in a separate tank everyday. With the hood I keep the front flipped up so I can just pick him up out of it. With the new one i'll have to take off the UV flouresent bulb off, the basking lamp off, then the top off. What a pain in the butt!

Any suggestions or advice on my questions or any other tips for switching tops would be greatly appreciated!

That's why I never got a hood. You could switch to a canister filter, but that won't help with the feeding situation. Are you using the screen just to prevent escape? How big is your turtle? I ask because I used a screen purely to prevent escape and when that became inconvenient, I bought an oven rack at a used appliance store for like $3 and tossed that on there instead. My turts were too large to get between the bars tho.

Forgot to add that some screens can actually block UVB. How big are the holes in the screen?

I need it so I can have a place to set the light and the basking lamp on mostly. Before I had to place the basking lamp where it went thru the glass, so that would block UVB much more than the screen.

Oh and I should mention that I do have a Fluval canister filter. So the only thing that goes over the top is the hoses or tubing or whatever you want to call it

The screens that I have on my smaller tanks have hinges, so that the front and back open separately. The same is true with the hood that I have. I still use my hood and I just removed the section of glass that was between the basking lights and the dock. That way the rest of the tank is still covered.

My hood is all plastic not glass. It's one of the fancy ones. LOL

I have been unable to find a screen with hinges which is why I ended up with the one I have. I saw one on the Reptile Direct website that had a door on the front. That may work to get Mr. Turtle out, but he's pretty big and it doesn't give the size of the opening.

It's a shame because the hood I have is a really expensive one.

You mentioned that your plastic one that you kept the front flipped up. Is it possible to remove a section of it at that joint? Even if it meant rearranging your tank? I'm just thinking...

I just did a quick petsmart search...the hinged screen tops only come big enough for 55 gallon. Not sure the size of your tank. I don't know if the company makes them bigger, or if that's it. The screen on these is also smaller than 1/2 inch, so there would be some cutting involved.

Well I tried to move things around and had the lamp clamped on top of the hood, but with it being 100% plastic it was heating up the plastic still. I didn't keep it on long enough to find out if it would melt it or not I was too scared. I thought getting a screen would be an easy fix for this. Guess I was wrong! LOL

I have one of these to hang the light on:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=6192&N=2006+113030

I have it under the tank. It solved a similar problem that I was having with the clamp.

The basking light is not the problem. I have a clamp for that if need be. It's the flourescent/strip light UV light that I need something to sit it on. If you don't know what I mean think of a regular aquarium. The light that goes all across the top. It has to sit on something.

Next time around you could get a different style UVB bulb and do away with the hood all together. I know it seems like a waste of money, I just keep thinking there has to be something obvious that would work, lol.

I know what you mean missi. It just seems like there has to be an easy fix for this. I'm going to attempt to maybe cut part of the screen for the filter to fit over and see how it works. The top was only like $15 so if I ruin it i'm not out that much money. I'll let you all know how it goes.

Tissigirl, thats exactly what i did. I cut the screen in a few places to fit my filters in. I even went ahead and yanked on whole side of the screen off to fit one of two of my filters.