Is this lid opaque enough

[tilopa]

I'm trying to setup a drip system and I've found this plastic tote:

http://www.jttintl.com/prod_tote_27gal.cfm

But I'm concerned that the yellow lid will let light through, it is very thick but if I hold it up to light you can see the glow through the lid.
How opaque does the lid actually have to be to prevent algae etc?
Thanks.

 

[tea tree]

lol, the perfect tote. A lot of people use that tote. I myself am using it in place of a expensive res. I have also seen aero, and dwc done in it without any tape or paint. At lowes it is only 12 bucks right now! If you get worried just put some tape or spray paint. Dont sweat it. I use orange buckets with no probs. Also aerate your res for good measure anyway.

 

[snutter]

yeah, it should be fine.

 

[tilopa]

yeah, it should be fine.

Thanks for the replies. Yeah, I figured it would not be too much of a problem but wasn't sure just how dark and light blocking it had to be. And I don't really want to mess with spray paint or tape.

I called the company that makes these to see if they had black lids and they said they used to all be black but they changed to yellow for some stupid reason, lol.

 

[Illegal Smile]

If you decide to paint use one coat of black then another coat of white.

 

[tip top toker]

hey illegal. i've spent the last week doing my head in over my totes being black but still not light proof. is the white ontop of the black really that effective?

 

[Illegal Smile]

hey illegal. i've spent the last week doing my head in over my totes being black but still not light proof. is the white ontop of the black really that effective?

I would think black would be enough light block. I would still paint it white, and that would add some light block, but the real reason for white on top is reflectivity and keeping the res cooler.

 

[tilopa]

I would think black would be enough light block. I would still paint it white, and that would add some light block, but the real reason for white on top is reflectivity and keeping the res cooler.

But getting back to my original concern, because I would rather not mess with trying to spray paint in the winter (especially twice), do you think it will matter much to keep the lid yellow? How likely will algae grow in a thick yellow lid like this?
Thanks.