Will galvanized metal work??

[Home_Depot]

For a reflector?

[Casey]

Not really,ever thought of mirrors maybe?

[Loverotties]

Why not just by a reflector?

[Achilles Tang]

If I remember right mirrors actually absorb much of the spectrum we want reflected into the tank and are not a good choice. Painting the inside of the canopy with an white enamel will reflect a great deal of light. If you are looking for a low cost DIY reflector project do a search on RC a few years back there was some excitment over taking galvanized or aluminum flashing and cleaning it with viniger to remove the coating (galvanizing) then they polished it with a buffer and got a beautiful reflector. It was under like $20 but there was alot of elbow grease involved in the polishing part of the project.

[sls]

mirrors absorb light, galvanized metal will rust really quickly. use the roll flashing in the roofing section. its aluminum and very shiny, wont rust. same material as they use for reflectors.

[Troy]

I've used the flashing as a reflector before. I found that it does not reflect nearly as much light as a real reflector. You really need polished aluminum, not just aluminum. A reflector professionally made with a parabolic curve to it assures that the most light possible is beign focused where you want it rather than thrown out the sides of the tank. I found painting it white gave better light than roof flashing.

As for painting it white, here is a quote on a test Sanjay Joshi did on this method. Sanjay spends waaaay more time analyzing reef lighting than is healthy.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...03/feature.htm

The total light incident on the three different areas 3’ X 3’ ft, 2’ X 2’ and 1’ X 1’ at 6” from the lamp using a flat sheet reflector with white paint is shown in the table 4 below. As can be clearly seen from the data, having any of the above mentioned reflectors is better than just having a painted hood.

I'm all for cheap DIY options, but not buying a good reflector is like throwing money away because you aren't getting your money out of your bulb and ballast.

[HFG]

It's not just the material, it is the angle of light, and distance from the bulb. I have a lux meter and play with the reflectors and bare bulbs and stuff. The right reflector from the right bulb gives you your money back for sure. We know it is tough to shell out the money for a piece of bent metal, but it is worth it. I don't think we have anyone in the club who DIYs reflectors, at least not for T-5 or MH. (Correct me if I am off the mark about this.)

[David Grigor]

This is one of those areas where trying to DIY isn't really going to be worth it. Yeah, you may save a few bucks but also at the expense of usable light that isn't maximized.

Also, since this is a one time cost, it's isn't that bad once you figure in how long you plan to keep the tank so in the grand scheme of all the money your about to pour into other hardware and livestock $50 or so that you might save really isn't much IMO.

[sls]

the question wasnt will it be just as good, but will it work so, in a pinch or on an extremely tight budget, aluminum flashing will work. will it work as good as a bought reflector though? no. I think sometimes people forget not everybody has a disposable income for their tanks and what is only 50$ saved by one may mean 50$ SAVED! by another.

[Troy]

I've tried flashing and white paint as reflector. If you don't have the money for reflector, the better cheap option IMO is white paint.

[HFG]

50 bucks used wrong is 50 bucks not saved in this case. I contend that what people forget is to wait and get the right item that will last you in the long haul, instead of spending the change in your pocket on a temp solution.

I would not spend one dollar in the wrong direction for this item. If your saving money, use tin foil or spare white paint (each of which can be picked up for free at the recycling center) or simply wait and let your rocks cure longer, till you can get the correct item.

IMO its not about disposable income for the best solution to the problem.

Which lighting did you decide on any how, I seemed to miss this?

[Home_Depot]

I am going with VHO for now and maybe down the road I will get MH I got a piece of Aluminum flashing 24"x6' for 7.00 I did not think that was too bad and if I do not like that I can save some money and buy the real thing but I need to get it up and running!

[HFG]

Thats cool, if you got it, use it. VHO have a wide profile so the single reflector is just fine. Many great tanks are VHO.
What I would do is build your hood and paint it white. You need to do that to protect the wood in any case. By that time you should have found or some one posted here a difinitive answer which is better, white paint or aluminum flashing. I think white paint is supprisingly reflective and it may be thats all you need.

[Home_Depot]

Should I paint and use the Aluminum or just the paint? What kind of paint?? will latax work or should I use an oil base?
I was thinking if I use the Aluminum to make it like a step
would this work?

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[sls]

even if you use the aluminum you need to protect the wood with the paint. any paint/primer you have laying around should work. probably at least satin or semigloss finish though. i think i even used high gloss when I painted my last hood.