Comments on covering overflow in mirror acrylic?

CaCrimson · Feb 19, 2013

I've been searching and searching forums and threads about covering the overflow box in mirror acrylic.

I saw someone on Youtube that has mirror on one side of their tank and covering their overflow box. I really like how it makes the overflow disappear.
Here's the tank: zeovit.com DTOTQ Second Quarter of 2011 - YouTube

I'm about to receive my custom tank and it has a black overflow, like most everyone's. I've taken a look at it and it is rectangular with a rounded corner on the inside.

I had a hair-brained idea to get my local acrylic company to mold a piece of mirror acrylic, maybe 1/8" thick that I would silicone to the black overflow. This way it can be removed later and replaced if it gets scratched, etc.

I understand that the mylar mirror backing on the acrylic may not be compatible with the SW tank, so I thought I would coat the mylar in Krylon Fusion which most people use for painting in-tank.

Does anyone see anything wrong with this idea or done it yourself? Thanks!

Daniel@R2R · Feb 20, 2013

Wouldn't your inhabitants go crazy attacking their reflections?

CaCrimson · Feb 20, 2013

I have read that before, but I don't know that I buy that theory against mirror backgrounds. I think a lot of that type of speculation out there may be fear-based and anecdotal, not based in fact. If you watch the video above, the fish don't seem concerned whatsoever by the mirror. May it be because some fish are more territorial than others? I don't plan to stock fish heavily...