# mirror behind tank?



## dwc13 (Dec 15, 2010)

Keep in mind it might be more challenging to take good pictures of your aquarium if you have a mirror (or any reflective surface) behind the tank because of light being reflected by the mirror.


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## fresh.salty (Jul 2, 2010)

I don't care to keep the back glass that clean.


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## xxxSHyXAxxx (Mar 16, 2011)

dwc13 that's a good note at the same time i wouldn't want it to be permanent so if i wanted to take pictures i could just take it off. one thing i haven't thought of is how to secure it to the tank so that it wasn't permanent. i'm kind of leaning towards some heavy duty velcro. i could cut the mirror the same dimensions as the back of the tank and put velcro on the rim. i would have to do some testing. the last thing anyone wants is a bunch of broken glass stuck behind their tank just waiting for the day you need to get behind there so it can lop your finger off. 
i may through the mirror behind the tank and take a few pictures just to see. i'll probably post them on this thread so people can have an idea of what i'm talking about.

fresh.salty that's kind of a good point as well. i have yet to clean the back of my tank


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## dwc13 (Dec 15, 2010)

Depending up what your setup is, perhaps you could mount the mirror on a piece of plywood or wood frame of suitable height and construction and place that behind the tank. Or if the tank is fairly close to the wall, mount the mirror directly on the wall. I'm not sure how big your tank is, but a mirror covering the entire back of a large aquarium is probably going to have some decent weight to it. I don't think I'd want that weight pulling against the back of my aquarium. To your point, you really don't want broken glass -- either from the mirror or the tank.


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

I have done this before. It looks great... can add the feeling of a lot of depth to a tank. Couple of gottcha's...

Like FS mentioned, you will need to keep the back glass clean. Especially GSA will show up (twice, lol), and GDA might get annoying too.

Some fish will attack themselves. Usually not an issue... I had Pearl Gouramis that kept showing off due to the mirror. Other fish might get just confused/shy.

If the room where the tank is situated is well lit, you will see your pretty face when looking into the tank. This can be a bit weird. Depends on how densely the tank is planted too, if there are few large areas where the mirror shows it's not an issue.

Play around with the angle of the mirror, depending on your tank small adjustments can improve the effect, hide the water line, make the substrate look more natural etc.


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## audioaficionado (Apr 19, 2011)

You can also apply metallic color window tinting film too.


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## johnny313 (Apr 15, 2011)

try it. you can always remove it if you dont like it!


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## PC1 (May 21, 2010)

johnny313 said:


> try it. you can always remove it if you dont like it!


Perfect advice


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## jflng (Apr 5, 2007)

One of my 10g tanks has a mirror on it. It used to look very nice. I'm sure it would be just as nice looking now if you could see it through the plants (haven't trimmed this tank in years:smile

I asked a glass shop to cut a piece to stick in-between the tank rims. It fit snug, and stays fine with some heavy-duty tape. Not sure that would be the best idea on large aquariums/mirrors.


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## secuono (Nov 19, 2009)

I used to have mirror tile on my 90g, made the tank look more full of plants.


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