Placing tin Foil behind the light bulb helping??

I have a crappy lighting fixture. Only 1 T8 bulb. The T8 bulb is high intensity and a 50/50 but it still isn't that great at all. I only have one coral, a small frag of star polyps that I have placed as high as I could so they can stay closest to the light. I placed some tin foil behind the light to make it more reflective downwords. Was doing that pointless or will it help?

 

I did the same thing for the light in my sump, I figure it may not help a ton but it is more reflective than the inside of the white lamp. Better than nothing I say.

 

It should help some. Make sure you put the most reflective side out.

 

tinfoil is terrible to use, If you want the best reflective material use a white background. tinfoil creates point light and weird angle reflections white, is smooth and even more reflective.

ie if you shine a flash light in a mirror you get a single point source light back. If you shine it on a white wall you are given a much smoother broader spread of the light

 

I think mythbusters touched on this topic in a recent episode. If I remember correctly they concluded that the best way to light a room with reflected light from an outside source would be to use a white background and not a mirror type finish.

 

I am using the foil to hopefully focus the light in a concentrated area. You guys are saying the dull white insides of the fixture will do this better than the foil? I could see it spreading the light out better like in a room, but it seems like all the reflectors for aquarium lighting are made out of a shiny material and some have that metal bumpy stuff too all in the hopes that it reflects the light downward. Why are there no white reflectors or have I just never seen them?

 

Touche. I suppose that you need to get the light out of the fixture before it goes anywhere. I wonder how a white painted back would do?

 

White works quite well. You could also get some aluminum sheeting from a hardware store, or one of the big box stores. This works well too.

 

I have never seen a white painted back, I bet it would look pretty cool. Everyone always does the dark colors but maybe you have come up with the new big thing!

 

Hmm when I set up my 90 I may have to try this.