Aquarium Backgrounds advice

[whiteshark]

I've had both black and blue backgrounds and I much prefer black. Neither blue or black look "natural" to me, but black makes everything pop more.

 

[oh207]

haha this is great. cause your profile pic looks like it doesnt even have a background. looks like straight wall behind the tank...

Haha, good catch. I figured someone would notice. Yes, there is no background on my tank. I had every intention of adding one or painting it but I never got around to doing so. Now it's mostly covered in corraline algae so it hides the wires and I can't see the wall.

 

[thakki]

I used a complete blue background from LFS and used sea view to stick it. So 3 weeks it was fine...just few days back I started seeing some air bubbles forming on its own...not sure why...now I am thinking of painting it...has any one had similar experience?

 

[ChimolaFish]

I have black, but honestly, if you're a diy person. Try a shadow box. They aren't that hard to make and in the next year when I want to invest some more money into it, Im doing that. They can look legit!

 

[Titans_Reef]

I have a black background but I use the vinyl sheets they sell at LFS. I just cut mine to size and then insert it into the plastic molding for the top and bottom of the tank to hold it in place and so no water can get in between the glass and the sheet. When ever I want I can just turn it around and use the blue background. I find it easier and cheaper then painting it, especially when removing it. I just cycled a 40g breeder which I got 455nm actinics running 12hrs a day and my 175w MH only running 4hrs so I can start on the algae bloom and get a CUC for it. The black background, black stand, black canopy, black sand, and the rocks make the fish pop out. I have a neon dottyback and a pair of photon snowflake clowns in there and it really makes them pop out.

 

[igot2gats]

Just remember, that using a background / painting the back is only good, if you plan to keep up on scraping off the Coralline Algae.

 

[oh207]

just remember, that using a background / painting the back is only good, if you plan to keep up on scraping off the coralline algae.

+1

 

[Shivsreef]

I painted my background black leaving it clear just looks horrible seeing the pipes and wires and bricks just make sure to scrape of the algae with a stainless steel blade only in fowlr not a reef if you're looking a to keep a metal safe reef so magnets work best

 

[puck66871]

I painted mine a darker blue this weekend and love it. I had a vinyl one that I removed. Mine seemed to always have some bubbles around the edges, even using the special adhesive.

 

[gardy]

whatever the color you are going to choose.
I also recommend if you just stick a card board at the back instead of painting, I do this in all my tanks so I don't regret painting it.

Removing the paint is so so easy tho, I just re did the paint on my nano, painted with glass acrylic paint and it took me less than 2 min to have a completly clean area, 20x20" just used a razor blade (don't do this unless it's glass) then a quick wipe down with an alcohol swab and your good to go for a new color if you want, from start to finish when I changed my background color was about 30 min allowing a little dry time in between the 2 coats

 

[gardy]

I do think on my next tank I will be putting a few coats of WBPU over the paint before water is added, to help with the saltwater resistance should any get splashed on the back

 

[shesacharmer]

Mine came black but it's starting to get coralline and it has tons of snail eggs on it...debating whether to scrape for the pristine look or let it go with the algae.

 

[DrBoxedWine]

I've painted both my tanks black and it's by far my favorite method. I used spray paint on one, and a roller on the other. The spray paint did chip a bit and i had to retouch it a couple times. The paint that i rolled on has yet to flake at all. Definitely could be a coincidence, but also may not be.

 

[Epizzle]

Do you paint just the back or the back & sides?

 

[DrBoxedWine]

I did just the back... I like to look in from the sides ☺

 

[benjc]

I painted mine black, but it is now mostly purple since I never scrape the back. I've then begun gluing small frags of encrusting montis to the overflows and glass and they are now taking off.

 

[Saltwater Hobo]

I like black it looks nice it's just that mine was where fish could see their own reflection and my sail fin nearly lost his mind I had to take it off

 

[whiteshark]

Just remember, that using a background / painting the back is only good, if you plan to keep up on scraping off the Coralline Algae.

Not really. Nothing wrong with letting coralline take it over. For the time before the coralline takes off, it's nice to have a black background, but coralline color is nice too.