# Lighting, with Mylar!



## cichlidfeesh (Apr 6, 2009)

Hey guys, just thought I'd post this because I haven't seen it around the forum. Recently I've been looking into reflective materials for my lights and found Mylar to be the best. Some say it does 99% light reflection, therefore making one of the best materials to reflect with. I'm not into the technical side of it, so if you want to research that for yourself then please do 

Anyways, I've been using it for a little while now and WOW what a difference from my standard flat white painted light box.

Now here's the reason why I'm posting. I am on a tight budget, so buying a roll on eBay for 20 dollars wasn't really in my price range for something simple like a light reflector. Lowes and HD, or any other big retailers don't sell rolls of Mylar to my knowledge so I figured I was stuck.

Well I stumbled across some info on cheap Mylar. Turns out if you go to the dollar store and buy a roll of wrapping paper (something with "Poly" in the description) you can use that! It isn't as good as the stuff on eBay, but for a dollar it works just fine for me 

It's something you should see for yourself if you're interested in making your lights brighter and don't want to break the bank.

Just thought I'd share


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Thanks for sharing that bit of info. Might be an upgrade from my aluminum foil lining??? 
I find I get a lot more light with foil lining the top but I had trouble finding adhesive that would hold over longer periods. Bummer to open the canopy and find half of the foil trying to swim.. :lol:


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## cichlidfeesh (Apr 6, 2009)

I've read that foil is only about 55% reflective and you have to use the dull side. I think you would be impressed with the Mylar. Something to consider anyways. I used duct tape on mine lol, It's in a light box so I cant see it.


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## clgkag (Mar 22, 2008)

Are you doing this on store bought lights to increase the reflective value or on DIY lights? If it works on store lights, I would love to try it. Hard to get light to the bottom of a 3' tank.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

mylar is far from 99% reflectance and aluminum is far higher than 55% if you use the shiny side. The best reflector in existance has about 95% and is polished annolux aluminum. 
Mylar is good, and a bit cheaper so it works. I find it gets old and begins to crack with heat over the years. the stuff you found at the dollar store is probably equivalent to aluminum foil unfortunately... the quality of the material is important to reflectance...

I apologize for sounding like I'm picking at your idea, but I'm trying to offer some info to then back up my next bit of advice...

since the ideal is polished aluminum, my goal was to find a cheap source of that rather than shop around for less ideal material that may or may not work. I found cheap polished aluminum at a re-use store... the re-use store had bought many old light fixtures and at $10 each, I pulled out 4ft by 2ft polished reflectors. They've been in use for a long time now!!!

Just a thought or three for you. :thumb:


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## cichlidfeesh (Apr 6, 2009)

I would defiantly say the Mylar I am using is a LOT better than aluminum foil. All you have to do is look at it and there is a great difference. There are also a ton of factors that influence the reflective ability of material such as wrinkles, so I am no where near 99%, and I know that. I posted this off of personal experience for those who don't want to spend extra money or time finding certain materials such as old light fixtures with polished annolux aluminum.

When I set up the wrapping paper Mylar the light reflected was the equivalent of staring straight into the bulb itself. I canâ€™t look at a piece near a light without going partially blind for a few minutes, sadly I canâ€™t say the same about aluminum foil.

Really you canâ€™t go wrong with this method. A dollar for a 15ft x 3ft roll, and it works wonders. If you are into the high technical side of lighting, then spend some extra money, but if you just want to boost your lights for a dollar, then you could try this.


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## cichlidfeesh (Apr 6, 2009)

..Mylar is the best reflective material made, with over 98% reflectivity.

maybe they are tricking me, but most places that sell mylar advertise as shown.


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## cte10 (Nov 10, 2009)

another source for mylar is emergency blankets. They can be found in the camping section of those "mart" stores or any outdoor store. they are only a few dollars and you get a pretty large sheet. I haven't used it in an aquarium setting, but have used it to make solar reflectors. The only downside is that it is folded rather than rolled and has creases. these can be mostly worked out when mounting. A good spray adhesive will bond it to most any substrate.


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## cichlidfeesh (Apr 6, 2009)

I've heard some bad things about the blanket, mainly about their purpose being to store heat. Seems some people have the opinion they generate too much heat in a closed environment and may be bad for your aquarium in that regard.

"The problem with the emergency blankets is they will not be perfectly even, not totally flat and they will diffuse the light unequally and just as crinkled aluminum foil they can produce hot spots."

Just something I read, but it seems to be a popular opinion. but i guess you can say that with most mylar if it is not applied properly, although the wrapping paper is very thin so it might not build up as much heat.


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## wilpir (Jan 30, 2006)

I use "Tin Tape"..it's foil tape from your local home improvement center used for sealing heating ducts (not duct tape)...works great!! :thumb:


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

The foil I used was way back in history so it is not a factor with me any more. As time has passed I have changed the way I look at my fish. Rather than working to get them lit like they were on stage, I now work to achieve a more natural light. They seem to behave in a more natural way when I cut the total light back. Some fish may feel bright light is normal but the ones I keep seem to like a dark spot to retreat into when something spooks them. With that in mind, I no longer use bright tubes for lighting. I prefer using individual bulb holders to be arranged where I want, in the number I want. It takes a while for us to all get to a place where we feel right about what we are doing for or to our fish. I favor the dark side.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

cichlidfeesh said:


> ..Mylar is the best reflective material made, with over 98% reflectivity.
> 
> maybe they are tricking me, but most places that sell mylar advertise as shown.


they lie. It is unfortunate, but true... they are allowed to make claims based on very fudged definitions of words.

Good find then on the dollar store mylar if it's more reflective than aluminum, mirror, etc. Even if you have to replace it yearly it would still take years before you even began to approach the cost of better materials. :thumb:


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## m1ste2tea (Nov 12, 2009)

okay, maybe I can get a good answer here to my dilemma...

Q: does putting up a reflective material such as mylar, wrapping, mirror, aluminum as my aquarium background help boost the light requirement for a planted tank?


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

m1ste2tea said:


> Q: does putting up a reflective material such as mylar, wrapping, mirror, aluminum as my aquarium background help boost the light requirement for a planted tank?


 it lowers the amount of light you must generate.

If you have a reflector reflectig 95% of the light that strikes it, you can cut your light by nearly half when compared to a tank with no reflector and grow the same plants. :thumb:


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## m1ste2tea (Nov 12, 2009)

thank you Number6, and on that note I'm buying a roll of mylar.


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## MiteyWitey (Oct 30, 2009)

one can purchase mylar sheeting at a hydroponic or indoor gardening store. they sell it by the foot or by the roll. It is in the low 90% reflective range.


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