Painting back wall

[rickztahone]

I've been searching for mention of painting the inside of tank to no avail. Does anyone know if the inside back wall can be painted? I have a blue background that I would love to get rid of. The only thing I can think of to get rid of it is a 3D background. I've had a few of those but hated how they got so much algae. This is a FW tank btw.

 

[toothybugs]

If you can't take a single-edged razor or chemical wipe (rag with some MEK, etc) to get it off the glass, I would use a tinted epoxy. But you're going to be paying a ton for it and may not be able to get quart-sized kits - you might get boned in to gallon cans.

Alternatively, there are "ceramic repair" kits but I don't know if you can get them in black - generally they are bright white or ivory in color. Those are epoxies as well, but as I said, they are typically whites.

Edit: that said, I wouldn't recommend painting inside the tank unless you get marine-grade material. Many of those are often designed for real-world use and have algaecides in them so they don't foul. Probably not good to have that trapped in your tank.

 

[rickztahone]

If you can't take a single-edged razor or chemical wipe (rag with some MEK, etc) to get it off the glass, I would use a tinted epoxy. But you're going to be paying a ton for it and may not be able to get quart-sized kits - you might get boned in to gallon cans.

Alternatively, there are "ceramic repair" kits but I don't know if you can get them in black - generally they are bright white or ivory in color. Those are epoxies as well, but as I said, they are typically whites.

Edit: that said, I wouldn't recommend painting inside the tank unless you get marine-grade material. Many of those are often designed for real-world use and have algaecides in them so they don't foul. Probably not good to have that trapped in your tank.

agreed. I saw something on epoxy but it was for pond lining I believe, and as you say, they only offered larger portions.

With regards to your first recommendation, the tinted blue that is there is from the acrylic itself I believe. I have never had an acrylic tank with a background like this so I am not sure if these can be removed, I suspect they can not.

Thanks anyway, I appreciate you taking the time to answer the question. I may just do the thin layer background from UniversalRocks.com

 

[beolson25]

How big is the tank? All these questions about removing the background ... but if its a 75 gallon or so it might be worth selling it and getting something new.

Tanks without drilled holes are pretty dang cheap. I'm assuming it doesn't need to be drilled since it is a Fresh Water tank.

Just my $.02

 

[rickztahone]

So far it is not drilled, but I plan on drilling it for a sump. I have actually been searching for another 75g acrylic without background locally but to no avail.

 

[beolson25]

Hopefully you looked at craigslist, ebay, and some of the standard sites like petco, marineland, etc ... you can find a 75 gallon not drilled for 150-200 ... drilled costs more.

There is a site called glasscages.com that sells tanks but I have read bad reviews ... I don't really have an opinion on that.

PETCO has sales for tanks up to 55 gallon for $1 per gallon. But not 75 gallon ...


I think I paid around $250 for my reef ready(drilled) Marineland 75 gallon tank.

 

[rickztahone]

Hopefully you looked at craigslist, ebay, and some of the standard sites like petco, marineland, etc ... you can find a 75 gallon not drilled for 150-200 ... drilled costs more.

There is a site called glasscages.com that sells tanks but I have read bad reviews ... I don't really have an opinion on that.

PETCO has sales for tanks up to 55 gallon for $1 per gallon. But not 75 gallon ...


I think I paid around $250 for my reef ready(drilled) Marineland 75 gallon tank.

I find tanks in that price range for glass tanks, but acrylic go for a lot more. I got this particular one for a really good deal from a fellow aquarium member sizing down and it was exactly what I was looking for, minus the background that is.

 

[beolson25]

I find tanks in that price range for glass tanks, but acrylic go for a lot more. I got this particular one for a really good deal from a fellow aquarium member sizing down and it was exactly what I was looking for, minus the background that is.

Right ... you are correct that acrylic is more ...

I'm still not sure why people like Acrylic more ... I guess it is nice if you plan to modify/drill it but if you get a reef-ready tank then there is no reason to do that ... anyway ... I'm not helping at this point. Good luck with it.

:beer:

 

[rickztahone]

Right ... you are correct that acrylic is more ...

I'm still not sure why people like Acrylic more ... I guess it is nice if you plan to modify/drill it but if you get a reef-ready tank then there is no reason to do that ... anyway ... I'm not helping at this point. Good luck with it.

:beer:

No worries. I went with acrylic for two main reasons; 1) I have never drilled a tank and figured acrylic is easier to drill than glass, and 2) It is easier to remove scratches from acrylic than it is glass.

 

[toothybugs]

Sorry, I thought you had a glass tank - pay my suggestion no attention as the epoxy probably won't stick, and the razor or chemicals would each destroy your acrylic.

 

[rmrjwieger]

Get a piece of acrilic of the color you like and bond it to the inside over the rear panel.

 

[rickztahone]

Get a piece of acrilic of the color you like and bond it to the inside over the rear panel.

I actually did think of this, however, the openings on the top are very restricting and I would only be able to do this in pieces, I believe 3 pieces total to do the background. I didn't think this would be a totally clean look per say. I do thank you for the suggestion though. I have a place close to me that does do any type of tinted acrylic color too.