I made some DIY reflectors from tin foil/aluminium foil to go under the black hood/black flaps/behind the lights of my Juwel Rio 125.
Itās now occurred to me that this may be a terrible idea, as thereāll inevitably be some condensation on the foil, which will drip back into the tank. Which made me wonder about whether this was safe or potentially toxic to my tropical fish (and shrimp). And whether heat reflection is an issue e.g. for bulb life.
Research so far seems to suggest Iām outside the pH danger zone (c. pH 7.5 but hard to be very precise - it could be under 7.3 I guess) since aluminium reacts in acidic water, causing problems (see links below).
An alternative would be to paint the underside of the hood and flaps white in aquarium safe paint. (I appreciate that thereās debate about which material is best as a reflector ā white paint vs mylar vs foil etc but happy to leave that can of worms closed, not least as Iām looking for some improvement rather than perfection.)
Or have no reflectors - I'd prefer that over the risk of poisoning the livestock!
Iām probably overthinking this and the foil is probably fine (Iād guess the amount that drips back is negligible, and with c. 50% water changes every week or two, etcā¦.) But donāt want to poison my fish. Thoughts?
Some of the better links Iāve come across in my reading:
https://barrreport.com/threads/may-aluminium-foil-be-toxic-for-fresh-water-shrimps-and-fish.5856/
http://www.simplydiscus.com/library/disease_medications/external/aluminum_toxicity.shtml
I can take a photo if that'd help.
Itās now occurred to me that this may be a terrible idea, as thereāll inevitably be some condensation on the foil, which will drip back into the tank. Which made me wonder about whether this was safe or potentially toxic to my tropical fish (and shrimp). And whether heat reflection is an issue e.g. for bulb life.
Research so far seems to suggest Iām outside the pH danger zone (c. pH 7.5 but hard to be very precise - it could be under 7.3 I guess) since aluminium reacts in acidic water, causing problems (see links below).
An alternative would be to paint the underside of the hood and flaps white in aquarium safe paint. (I appreciate that thereās debate about which material is best as a reflector ā white paint vs mylar vs foil etc but happy to leave that can of worms closed, not least as Iām looking for some improvement rather than perfection.)
Or have no reflectors - I'd prefer that over the risk of poisoning the livestock!
Iām probably overthinking this and the foil is probably fine (Iād guess the amount that drips back is negligible, and with c. 50% water changes every week or two, etcā¦.) But donāt want to poison my fish. Thoughts?
Some of the better links Iāve come across in my reading:
https://barrreport.com/threads/may-aluminium-foil-be-toxic-for-fresh-water-shrimps-and-fish.5856/
http://www.simplydiscus.com/library/disease_medications/external/aluminum_toxicity.shtml
I can take a photo if that'd help.