Best Aquarium Hoods
What to Consider When Purchasing an Aquarium Hood
Aquarium hoods are an essential component of your tank. These fish tank hoods serve 3 main purposes:
- Preventing your fish from jumping out of your fish tank
- Preventing things from falling into your fish tank. Aside from general dust and dirt, the last thing you want to do is drop a container of fish food into your tank. It will also ensure that your cat (if you have one) can’t access your precious fish!
- Slowing the rate of water evaporation from your tank.
There are 2 main types of aquarium hood:
- Plastic Covers. These are cost efficient and are great for breeding tanks, starter kits and for those who appearance isn’t everything.
- Glass lids. These are often more durable than their plastic counterparts. Although more expensive, they give a more stylish look to your fish tank.
To decide on the best aquarium hood for your particular circumstance you’ll need to consider the above along with your budget. Below we’ve outlined some of our favorite aquariums hoods in the various sizes and styles. Hopefully you find one that matches your needs and budget.
Aquarium Hood Reviews
10 Gallon Aquarium Hoods
10 gallon aquarium hoods need to be of size 20 inch x 10 inch to fit properly on top of your tank. This 20 inch by 10 inch size will also work for tall 15 gallon tanks. We found that the best 10 gallon fish tank hood is one produced by Aqua Culture:
10 Gallon Aquarium Hood with LED by Aqua Culture
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
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This 20 inch by 10 inch aquarium hood fits 10-gallon tanks as well as 15-gallon (tall) tanks. The slimline hood has cutout areas that provide easy access to the tank. There is no need to remove the hood to feed your fish. It comes with a long-life LED. This illuminates the tank nicely and does not need to be replaced regularly.
The 10 gallon fish tank hood with LED by Aqua Culture offers good value for money. It is cheaper than other products on the market and appears to work well. One thing to note is that the LED light may be too exposed to the elements to offer reliable, long term results. Regardless, the hood to functions well and is competitively priced.
20 Gallon Aquarium Hoods
The correct hood for a 20 gallon aquarium will depend on whether the tank is a standard 20 gallon or 20 gallon long. For standard 20 gallon fish tanks, a 24 inch by 12 inch hood is required. For 20 gallon long fish tanks, you’ll need a 30 inch by 12 inch hood.
Best Hood for 20 Gallon Aquarium (Standard)
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
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Marineland’s 24 inch LED Aquarium Hood is perfect for standard 20 gallon aquariums. The hood has a modern feel. It has LED lighting to keep your tank looking fabulous day and night. The hood can be easily opened in order to access the tank. This makes feeding (and changing filters) a simple process.
Best Hood for 20 Gallon Aquarium (Long)
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
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Marineland’s 30 inch LED Aquarium Hood is perfect for standard 20 gallon long aquariums. The hood has a modern feel. It has LED lighting to keep your tank looking fabulous day and night. It has a daytime and nighttime light setting to ensure that the light is perfect regardless of the time of day. The hood can be easily opened in order to access the tank. This makes feeding (and changing filters) a simple process.
One thing we would change is to make the LED light longer. For 30 x 12 inch tanks (and other tanks that are long) we would prefer the light to stretch along more of the tank. Although it does a decent job, we felt that the corners of the tank were too dimly lit.
Overall a decent quality tank at an attractive price point.
29 Gallon Aquarium Hoods
29 gallon aquarium hoods need to be of size 30 inch x 12 inch to fit properly on top of your tank. This 30 inch by 12 inch size will also work for long 20 gallon tanks. If you prefer something different to the Marineline hood for your 29 gallon fish tank, consider:
29 Gallon Fish Tank Hood by H2Pro
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 3.5/5
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The 29 gallon aquarium hood by H2Pro is made of tempered glass. This ensures it is durable and helps to reduce evaporation from the tank. To allow for slightly different sized tank, the hood comes with a clear plastic strip. This can be trimmed to fit your aquarium. One difficulty we had was connecting the strip. If it needs to be trimmed you may require some patience and perseverance!
The H2Pro model offers a high quality 29 gallon fish tank hood at an affordable price. It looks great and accessing the aquarium to feed fish / change filters is easy. Provides the area for your Lighting to sit while allowing simple access to your Aquarium.
55 Gallon Aquarium Hoods
55 gallon aquarium hoods need to be of size 48 inch x 13 inch to fit properly on top of your tank. Our preferred option is:
Glass Canopy Set for 55 Gallon Aquarium
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4.5/5
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The 55 gallon aquarium hood by Blue Spotted is a great option. It contains 2 x 22-15/16 inch by 11-1/2 inch glass canopies. These are compliments by a 2 inch wide plastic backstrip. This strip can be cut in order to allow for tubing, heaters etc.
Each of the 2 canopies comes with a handle and each canopy allowing both to be individually folded open as desired. Over all it is a great looking choice for a 55 gallon fish tank hood.
75 Gallon Aquarium Hoods
75 gallon aquarium hoods need to be of size 48 inch x 18 inch to fit properly on top of your tank. This 48 inch by 18 inch size will also work for long 90 gallon tanks. Our preferred option is:
Glass Canopy Set for 75 Gallon Aquarium
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4.5/5
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The 75 gallon aquarium hood by Aquarium Masters is our preferred option. It contains 2 x non-tempered 22-5/8 inch by 16-5/8 inch glass canopies. It also comes with a 2 inch wide plastic backstrip that can be cut to allow for tubing, heaters etc.
Each of the 2 canopies comes with a handle and each canopy allowing both to be individually folded open as desired. Over all it is a great looking choice for a 75 gallon fish tank hood.
20 Inch Aquarium Hoods
20 Inch by 10 Inch Aquarium Hood by Marineland
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
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Marineland’s LED 20 Inch Aquarium Hoods fits 10 gallon fish tanks. It also works for 16 and 20 gallon (extra high) fish tanks.
The 20 inch aquarium hood has a sleek and modern design. The LED has both a day and night feature. This allows you to have optimal lighting at all times of the day. Both for your fish and your visual pleasure.
24 Inch Aquarium Hoods
24 Inch by 12 Inch Fish Tank Hood by Marineland
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
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Marineland’s 24 inch LED Aquarium Hood is perfect for standard 20 gallon aquariums. We’ve already discussed this product above under the 20 gallon fish tank hood segment. .
30 Inch Aquarium Hoods
30 Inch by 12 Inch Aquarium Hood by Marineland
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
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Marineland’s 30 inch LED Aquarium Hood is perfect for long 20 gallon and standard 29 gallon aquariums. We’ve already discussed this product above under the 29 gallon fish tank hood segment. .
48 Inch Aquarium Hoods
48 Inch Fish Tank Hood by Marineland
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 3.5/5
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This 48 inch aquarium hood by Marineland has a recessed hood. It has a front access panel which runs the whole length of the hood. This allows easy access for maintenance and feeding.
One thing to note it that it can a little tricky to set up. Regardless, it is attractively priced and worth considering if you need a simple 48 inch fish tank hood at a low price.
Conclusion
Fish tank hoods are a very important component of your fish tank given the benefits that they provide. Regardless of whether your primary aim is keeping your fish in the tank, preventing things falling into your tank, slowing the rate of water evaporation, or something in between.
Hopefully you found an aquarium hood option above that will work well for your fish tank.