Help with aquarium background

[Pico1]

Hey guys- wondering what your thoughts are on the best way to put a black backing on a tank. Vinyl? Limo tint? Spray paint? Regular paint? And where can I get stuff to do it? Hoping to figure out something that's quick and easy and not too messy.

 

[Scorpius]

Hey guys- wondering what your thoughts are on the best way to put a black backing on a tank. Vinyl? Limo tint? Spray paint? Regular paint? And where can I get stuff to do it? Hoping to figure out something that's quick and easy and not too messy.

It's not black, but I used frosted privacy tint that's made for windows. It's a different look, frosted white instead of black, but goes on just like regular tint. I think I purchased it from Menard's.

 

[dkennedy1282]

Plasti dip. Goes on real nice and you can peel it off if you ever want to change the color. About $6 at Home Depot

 

[Saltwaternooby]

I like limo tint because it's a Smokey color, but plasti dip is cheaper

 

[Timmy03]

+1 on the plasti dip

 

[greenhead]

I used a .97 can of flat black from walmart. I little messier than the other options but by far the cheapest.

 

[dgilpin22]

Plastidip hands down. By far the easiest and most error proof way of doing it. Extremely durable. Will black out any glass. Sprays on flat black in color, but had a nice gloss appearance through the glass. If done properly, one could even get the smokey look. It's water proof, corrosion proof, and you can peel it off if you want something different. Very little over spray. I sprayed in my dinning room on the kitchen table. Just peeled up the little bit of over spray on the table. Also comes in quite a few colors. Home improvement stores will only carry your common black and white, but you can order almost any color you want from plastidip. Highly recommend.

 

[fishnerd]

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_viewi...tent=BL00127&gclid=COSc99a-nMUCFcWUfgodDn0AiQ

I have used this for most of my tanks, not permanant and easy to apply

 

[afamousjohnson]

What - I have never heard of plastidip - where has this been all my life. Could've used it numerous times.lol

Fan of cloth and velcro over here or have used krylon fusion black when painted

 

[Jet Black]

+1 for plasti dip

Got it from Osh, got really confused when they asked me for my I.D. and what I was going to use it for... Had to chose between telling the truth or something that would make them less likely to question what I would be doing with it.

 

[Pico1]

Sounds like the plasti dip is the way to go. How long to dry and how many coats?

 

[Saltwaternooby]

1 Maybe 2. 24hr to be sure

 

[dgilpin22]

Help with aquarium background

Plastidip is a rubberized plastic compound in an aerosol. It's not paint. It dries like plastic. Sprays on thick and bubbly, but dries smooth. For best results, do it in low humidity, no direct sunlight, and spray in on a horizontal surface. Just lay the tank down if you can. Prevents dripping and runs. If you can spray horizontally, spray on light coats.

I usually do around 5 to 6 coats. I spray the first one on pretty thick and even coverage. Then I just wait until each layer gets tacky and spray again. Usually gets to that point after about 15 to 20 min. Spray on as many coats as you want. It will only make it more durable. You will be able to see any spots you missed due to how black it is and the light showing through. I would say that it is dry to the touch after a few hours. I'd give it 24 hours to be completely dry. Do all your drilling before you use it though. If you try to drill through it, it will just shred the area around it and it won't look nice.

 

[Underwaterparadise]

Vinyl or plasti dip