need to paint back of tank, what can i use (other than spraypaint)

mmd

New member
I need to paint back of a 150 gallon tank, what can i use (other than spraypaint). would like something that will adhere to the glass like krylon has done in the past.
Thanks
 
Latex will peel off like rubber sheeting.
I have always wanted to try Limo Tint, it's easy to do and about $12 for a 30" x 78" roll at chinamart.
 
Why don't you want to use spraypaint?

About the only other option I can think of would be to adhere a black plastic background to the rear pane of the tank...
 
I have a piece of black plexi that sits on my stand behind my tank and it works for me. Actually my powerhead magnets keep it on.
 
tank is in my dining room, thats why i cant spray it....enamel you say? will it stick ?
 
Enamel will stick but is not scratch proof but will stand up to my mag float scraper. I painted my rear glass black in 2003 and it is fine. Any little scratch won't make a difference and can be touched up if needed. Roller only took 5 minutes and finished with a brush.
 
I just used this...

paint.jpg


...with a crappy foam brush, and a "do-it-all-at-once-because-I-only-want-to-stink-up-the-house-once" coat. It looks like this:

painted01.jpg


It doesn't adhere to stray silicone, of course...

painted02.jpg


...and stunk up the basement for days - I guess it off-gassed for a while as it cured. I'm not convinced it is going to stay fast, though, as I just now took my fingernail and seemed to be able to start a peel at the edge of the paint. Hey, if it comes off that easy, it shouldn't be too hard to remove it if it starts to look bad! :rolleye1: Good luck with your search!
 
You could use sign vinyl. Add a little liquid dish soap to a spray bottle of water, spray the back of the tank, the front of the vinyl, remove the backing and spray the adhesive side as well. Position the vinyl of the back of the tank and smooth it out with a credit card. Make sure that you use plenty of water and you will be able to smooth the bubbles out with no problem. If you do get any, you can pop them with a pin or x-acto knife and work the water out of them which will allow them to lay down. Any small bubbles will go away after a few days.
 
Like bla403, I have a sheet of black ABS plastic on the back of my 120. It's simply resting on the bottom trim of my glass tank, and my Vortech keeps it in place. I like ABS since it has a slight texture to it.
 
first clean the entire back of the tank with 000 steel wool to remove silicone and do a very complete and thorough job . you cant see the silicone that you are trying to remove so do it all very well . then use wax and silicone remover on the back glass pane . latex painters touch flat black paint will work just great and use a 1" foam roller ,2 coats will work but 3 is better . if you have any place that fish eyes and paint wont adhere then spray a small amount of krylon black paint as it has fish eye eliminator in it and will cover the small fish eyes and do this after the first coat then wait an hour and apply the latex . i have 15 yr old tanks and all the latex paint is still adhered very well . i have painted approx.50 tanks this way and paint cars for a living and this way works the easiest and best . one more thing wait 18 to 24 hrs between coats of the latex or it could raise and wrinkle if you do it to fast . your first and second coats should be applied very thin and then a medium coat for the third coat . you can doe a few tanks with a quart of the painters touch flat latex paint with no problem .
 
ihave found that if you attach some plastic to the back that water gets under it at some point and it turns white from the salt . doesnt look good when that happens .
 
a couple alternates

there is a product that is used by aquarium makers that is attached using a heat gun or hair dryer. It will shrink fit to the glass
example found --> http://aquaterras.com/index.php?main...roducts_id=139

a nice alternative is using black coroplast (plastic cardboard) attached in the corners with velcro. It works great for tanks and is easily removed and reinstalled for cleaning or viewing.

This product sounds alot like sign vinyl. It's applies the same way. The only downfall to the coroplast is that it has grooves in it from the corogation, but both products would work quite well.
 
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