Aquarium Background

RayAllen3422

RayAllen3422

New member
I ran all the cords and now I can see them through the back of the tank. I am planning on putting up a blue or black background. I painted my last tank but won't be able to do that now since it already has water in it. I am debating about just using the standard background you can buy from the LFS. What else have others used?
 
I actually used a piece of dark green fabric and attached it to the back top of the tank and let it drape down. I actually like the look more than painting because it adds just a little bit of texture to the background. Plus...it's cheap and you can change out the colors whenever you want. It's also not as annoying as trying to line up the store bought background. I just cut the width, then the length doesn't really matter too much because the excess just goes behind your stand.
 
If you have Michaels in your area, they have cardboard that are blue or black. Get one and get some double-sided tape. Cut the cardboard to the desired length and width and tape on the tank. Total of $4.
 
I just went to Petco, their aquarium section has blue/black backing you can buy cheap. Then just stuck it to the back of the tank.
 
I just use the backgrounds they sell at the LFS as well. Measure it, cut it, add four pieces of scotch tape to the corners and your done. Piece of cake. You might want to run a piece of duct tape along the top edge though. This will seal it shut and you won't have to worry about drips falling down the back glass.
 
I went back and forth on this and decided I liked no background because it adds visual depth. I ended up running my cords off the side corners of the tank to make them less visible. I have thought about adding small, black zip tie holders to clean it up even more, but I haven't yet. The only thing that doesn't work with this is my H.O.B. skimmer, but the rockwork hides most of that too.

When I did have a background I used navy blue vinyl sheets taped to the top and bottom lip of the tank.
 
I've read reliable accounts of where people painted a tank filled with water. Cover the tank, use low VOC low odor paint if possible, use a little sausage style roller and be careful.
 
Just get some graphic vinyl , I was able to get a large cut out from a local business for 5$. The clerk was going to give me cutouts they had in the trash but they were all a few inches short, so he decided to cut me a large piece off a new roll. I have done this with both of my tanks and I have been very satisfied with the outcome. Make sure you wash your back glass properly before you apply the vinyl.
 
On my built-in tank with access only from the back, I like using a thin piece of black plexiglas (~1/8") cut to size and easily removed when servicing the tank.

Not familiar with the graphic vinyl but sounds pretty cost effective.

I've used Monokote a thin film used to cover R/C airplanes but not my first or second choice and it's expensive unless you have some extra laying around.
 
THere's always thin mirror. I run a wedge tank, and the two sides reflect each other, so it looks like a lot more tank than there is.
 
Sk8r said:
THere's always thin mirror. I run a wedge tank, and the two sides reflect each other, so it looks like a lot more tank than there is.
Click to expand...

That sounds cool. I often wondered about some kind of effect background. Like a flat screen mounted on the wall with an ocean screensaver. :clown:
 
Got some black window tint from Lowe's. I like it. They also do a frosted version which someone else recommended.
 
Yeah. What a great idea. I love it. Fan of the bubbles or not, that is a great idea. The light beams look amazing.
 
Personally, I had a bad experience putting a background on my tank. I used the navy blueish color you find at Petco, and about 5 minutes after I installed it I noticed my powder blue tang was having a "stroke" due to the fact that he could now see himself in the side panel of glass,beacuse the background showed his reflection. Never seen anything like it, but I figured I would throw it out there. Wish I could keep the background, cause it would bide those ugly wires.
 
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