# Help with light fixture improvement Pls..



## Egonsgirl (Feb 28, 2012)

Hey there, happy thanksgiving!!! I was wondering if any one could give me any advice on whether or not I could improve on the reflecting aspect of my light fixture on my fish tanks. The one I'm working on, is a Regent brand, for a 10g tank. It has 2 - 15w fixtures with a very small reflector surface. Was wondering if I could use some tin foil, or something similar, to make the reflective surface larger without any safety issues??? Thanks for your imput


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Tinfoil tends to be a rather bad reflector, because it's almost impossible to keep it perfectly smooth, and every single wrinkle in it will bounce the light in wayward directions, which is useless to the plants, pretty much. What you might do is paint the inside of the fixture with a bright white paint. Like the inside of one of those fixtures they use for heat lamps for reptiles. Plain white makes a pretty good reflector, but not a high gloss.. something less shiny. There are a few spray type paints out there now that are non toxic and are designed to stick to plastic, such as plastic flower pots. So long as you let it dry completely afterward it's not going to hurt anything in the tank and just use some tape to mask out the electrical connections and such so they don't get painted.


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## RevoBuda (Sep 3, 2011)

I don't know how handy you are, but I know some people have bought duct working pieces from Home Depot and cut those to fit the inside of their fixture with good results. Usually costs about 10 - 15$.


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## GAT (Oct 8, 2011)

Is this a CFL light fixture? why not buy something like clip on light fixture? you'll be spending more money but you can get one with decent reflector and be able to get high wattage light.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

One other thing you might try is mylar.. it's a great reflector, but it is only plastic and might melt if the fixture got too hot for it. It can be had in various thicknesses, and Plastic World has some on a roll that's plenty thick enough. Costs more than tinfoil, but you would not need much.. maybe half a metre at most. It's quite wide.


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## DaFishMan (Dec 19, 2006)

The silver inside of chip bags are mylar. I use that inside the lid of my 25g and it worked pretty good. First I cup a bunch of strips roughly to size, then scuffed up the inside of the lid with fine sandpaper, then spot-glued with crazy glue.

I used flat white latex paint inside the lid of a 10g and it worked good for a year then the paint started flaking off inside the tank. Paint for boats would work great but I could have sanded that one better too.


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## Egonsgirl (Feb 28, 2012)

So is the consensus that "white" will reflect better, or shiny metal - like foil???? And thanks to those that contributed information thus far.


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## DaFishMan (Dec 19, 2006)

mylar (not foil), then flat white or semi-gloss.

If you're in a pinch though foil would prob be 3rd.


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## Egonsgirl (Feb 28, 2012)

DFM... is the mylar from the chip bags safe to use, with the heat coming from the bulbs. they are cfl's. Won't it melt or flame????? Is any particular brand of 'chip' better than the rest? Thanks


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## DaFishMan (Dec 19, 2006)

I haven't had a problem with it & using 2 10w cfl's on 8 hr timer in my 25g tank for a couple years now.

I use bulbs under 15 watts since more watts = more heat.
If your stock top has vents, vent your reflector. Change your cfl's every 6 months. Inspect inside the top weekly checking for any discoloration or bubbling due to heat. 

Certain tops allow the lights more breathing room = can get away with higher watt bulbs.

Go for a silver chip bag and try to determine if a certain brand uses thicker or higher quality material ? True mylar from a hydroponic shop etc will still reflect best and take more heat.

Or better. Borrow from the nano guys - open top using clip lights that hold your cfl bulbs. It's hassle free and SO easy to get into the tank.


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## Egonsgirl (Feb 28, 2012)

Thanks again, my bulbs are 15w. open top tank = more water evaporation.... more work to top up..... my time is little enough. lol


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

I know the mylar they have at Plastic World is much, much thicker and stiffer than any chip bag. The stuff I've seen online from hydroponic places is even thicker, up to 2 mils. I'm not sure how thick the Plastic World stuff is, but I asked and they said it was not even 1 mil, and it's plenty thick enough. But I have not yet tried it near the lights.. a work in progress that hasn't progressed that far yet. If you want I can show you what it is at the next west end shrimp meet.. I could bring it along for you to see.


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## DaFishMan (Dec 19, 2006)

Glad to help


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