diorama pics
- Thread starter j tavares
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hllywd
Premier World Traveler
Obviously you can do what you want, but SGT_York is correct. Normally it's fairly difficult to keep the back glass clean. Solid colors like black, royal to dark blue, maybe a deep purple are popular colors. I've seen light boxes that give a sort of gradient effect. Those look better than a nice reef scene when the glass starts getting covered with the inevitable growth you should get.
Many people either paint the outside of the back glass (rolled on latex paint works good), or I've used adhesive sheet vinyl from a local sign shop. Others have used window tint film with success. Good luck!
Many people either paint the outside of the back glass (rolled on latex paint works good), or I've used adhesive sheet vinyl from a local sign shop. Others have used window tint film with success. Good luck!
uncleof6
Active member
Most just paint the backglass, and/or let the inevitable coralline algae cover the backglass. To me this looks hideous, and some effort to keep it clean oughta be made, even thought it adds work to a hobby that is supposed to be 'fun.'
Aside from the fact that it looks hideous, there is also another compelling reason to keep the back glass clean.
A while back, (read years) an ariticle was published in TFH magazine that dealt with the question of painting the back of tanks, etc: "Reef Aquarium Lighting: A Look At Backgrounds: To Paint Or Not To Paint." The article is not in the online archives, and, even a search by title, does not bring up the article, only references to it in numerous forums. Direct links to the article are dead. The underlying theme of the article was that light is not always doing what you preceive it is doing. The assertion of the article, was by painting the back of the tank, the reflectivity of the glass is reduced, thus reducing the amount of light in the tank. The physics tend to support the assertion, so culturing algae on the glass would further reduce the reflectivity...
Reef 'depicting' backgrounds bring back fond memories of sunken ships, plastic plants, bubbling treasure chests: all looking as fake as they are.
For the industrious, that don't mind a bit of work to keep their tanks first rate, and provide a better 'illusion' of the natural reef, perhaps this will suit their needs:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1868825&highlight=background
Aside from the fact that it looks hideous, there is also another compelling reason to keep the back glass clean.
A while back, (read years) an ariticle was published in TFH magazine that dealt with the question of painting the back of tanks, etc: "Reef Aquarium Lighting: A Look At Backgrounds: To Paint Or Not To Paint." The article is not in the online archives, and, even a search by title, does not bring up the article, only references to it in numerous forums. Direct links to the article are dead. The underlying theme of the article was that light is not always doing what you preceive it is doing. The assertion of the article, was by painting the back of the tank, the reflectivity of the glass is reduced, thus reducing the amount of light in the tank. The physics tend to support the assertion, so culturing algae on the glass would further reduce the reflectivity...
Reef 'depicting' backgrounds bring back fond memories of sunken ships, plastic plants, bubbling treasure chests: all looking as fake as they are.
For the industrious, that don't mind a bit of work to keep their tanks first rate, and provide a better 'illusion' of the natural reef, perhaps this will suit their needs:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1868825&highlight=background
Christian J
New member
No it's a great idea (if done properly, of course).
Cleaning the back side glass doesn't have to be harder than any of the other sides, but this obviously depends on tank dimensions. Also you shouldn't pile rocks against the backside glass.
Maybe you should...
Christian J
New member
You can also use 3-D backgrounds inside the tank. Back to Nature is the original brand. They used to make a marine background called "Red Sea", which apparently is discontinued, but you may still be able to find it in some stores. They're not cheap though. Another brand that looks promising is RockZolid, perhaps one of their rock backgrounds (like "Papua") could be used in a reef tank?
Also check out Lee Nuttal's great cichlid tank aquascapes (with Back to Nature backgrounds) for inspiration: http://www.youtube.com/user/lee1973n?feature=watch
If you're using a 3-D background like these, I suggest that you do not pile up live rock against it. Even standalone rock pillars may look unnatural in front of such a background (I don't think rock pillars occur next to a rocky shore in nature). Instead, make a more flat aquascape against the bottom (similar to http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2011/4/aquarium ), with perhaps just a few smaller live corals attached to the background itself. Probably you need coralline grazing animals too.
Also check out Lee Nuttal's great cichlid tank aquascapes (with Back to Nature backgrounds) for inspiration: http://www.youtube.com/user/lee1973n?feature=watch
If you're using a 3-D background like these, I suggest that you do not pile up live rock against it. Even standalone rock pillars may look unnatural in front of such a background (I don't think rock pillars occur next to a rocky shore in nature). Instead, make a more flat aquascape against the bottom (similar to http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2011/4/aquarium ), with perhaps just a few smaller live corals attached to the background itself. Probably you need coralline grazing animals too.
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