Back of tank

[catherine]

I am planning to increase from my 20 gallon tank to a 55 gallon long tank. I was thinking of painting the back of the tank black or dark blue, and my husband said, "Why don't you put a mirror back there, then you could see the back of the rocks." There are mirror tiles that you can put on walls. I wonder if you could somehow put a mirror on the back of the tank? It would give an impression of more depth. How would it be done? Do you know anyone who has tried this?

 

[10k]

I had thought of doing that very thing to a future reef. I thought it would look fabulous! Twice the reef for half the price, what a deal! I then got to thinking about the durability of the mirror. I have seen several mirrors, that had some age on them, change colors, spot and even come apart. These mirrors were not exposed to the harsh environments of our reefs. I was afraid of it coming apart, or seperating, under the influence of the water and salt. Since, I have erased this idea from my mind. If you do try it, let me know how it works, and holds up. I'm curious. Just my 2 cents. Good Luck!

 

[musipilot]

You have to be careful with that...for one main reason. It may be TOO reflective, believe it or not territorial species will often think they're looking at another fish like themselves in the mirror and either attack it, or get stressed out by it. Also, be sure you like the look...if you have one, take a full length mirror and hold it behind the tank so you can see how it will look. Let us know how it turns out!

 

[treading water]

I knew someone who tried this and at about the 3 month mark he was cleaning the tank and the mirror broke. What a mess. I like the deep blue sea backgrounds and the jet black backgrounds. Just my opinion

 

[crispcritr]

the blue tends to reflect the light better, black absorbs it. try and use a shading effect darker blue on the bottom and lighten as you go up.

 

[ruaround]

I was going to make the exact same point Musipilot made (dang ya Dave ya beat me to it )...The fish may think there are other inhabitants even though it is themselves...The other point is how would you fasten it to the back of the tank, esp if you have a back-pac type of filter? Although great idea in theory, not very practical. I used to have a tinfoil type wrapping paper that was deep puprle and gold as my backin. I crinkled it up and did not fasten it completely flat in some spots. It gave a great look and added a little depth where it wasnt flat...Good Luck to ya !

 

[lnarobbins]

if I had only inverts and a reef I think the mirror would look great but as has been stated earlier the fish will see the reflection and maybe freak out. try the blue fading to black I have it and it looks great
just my opinion
Alan

 

[frankl15207]

I tried it on a 10 gallon. The light caused too much glare and reflection. The mirror fell off and broke. It WAS a good idea.
I found a silver mirrored background just like the blue and black that are sold. It isn't as clear as a mirror, but it serves the purpose without the glare and reflection from a real mirror.
In my case, the 10 gallon is primarily a refugium and I needed to see what was going on behind the live rock (not a lot of room in the tank). The times that it is used as a quarantine tank for new arrivals, the fish go nuts from the reflection, so I end up having to remove it.