Are Mirrored Glass Reef Safe INSIDE the SW?

[ZoWhat]

Looking to grow more Chaeto by placing plain glass mirrored glass IN the sump....reflecting light all around the Chaeto.

Unfortunately the sump is black Rubbermaid, so cant mount mirrors outside the sump, must INSIDE in contact with the Saltwater



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[Hitman]

Purely guessing but I would say no as the metal foil on the back side of the glass would leach into the water.

 

[reefwiser]

No not a good idea.

 

[dhuynh]

You can get a tall flower vase and put it in the fuge and drop led strips in it. The light will never touch the water.

 

[Cory]

If you silicone a piece of glass over the coating it will be fine underwater. Otherwise you risk silver or aluminium toxicity.

Edit you could actually just silicone around the whole back and skip the glass.

 

[McFly]

Maybe try Horticulture Mylar Sheeting (polyester film or plastic sheet).

 

[Backreefing]

Depending on what the mirror finish is made of most are silver paint with a dark color painted on it for protection
If your nervous then put it in a big plastic bag and keep the zipper out of the water.

 

[Huenemedoe]

Depending on what the mirror finish is made of most are silver paint with a dark color painted on it for protection
If your nervous then put it in a big plastic bag and keep the zipper out of the water.

This is absolutely brilliant. Great simple effective solution. I have a shop and my 7 foot frag tank is a hydroponics tub, no clear sides, and this will let me put another tang in with confidence. Thank you!

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Purely guessing but I would say no as the metal foil on the back side of the glass would leach into the water.

I agree with you and I think it’s silver but sometimes aluminum. When I was Glazing we would use a edge sealant so that water wouldn’t make its way between the metal and glass, effectively extending the mirror longevity. I imagine you could seal the entire backing and make it safe

 

[NowGlazeIT]

If you silicone a piece of glass over the coating it will be fine underwater. Otherwise you risk silver or aluminium toxicity.

Edit you could actually just silicone around the whole back and skip the glass.

Nailed it!

 

[Reefer Reboot]

Maybe try Horticulture Mylar Sheeting (polyester film or plastic sheet).

This does work great but you will need to laminate it first. If you put it in the water raw the reflective coating just melts off. (Trust me, I've learned the hard way.) Once laminated it makes for a great light weight submersible light reflector that is easy to remove and clean.