Background

[LCnVa]

Ok, Great Forum Members,I wasn't quite sure just where to post this.... but I picked this one, LOL....cause I'm not scared to "do it myself" But seriously, I need alil advice......as some of you may or may not know, I'm changing out my substrate, from royal blue, (5 yrs old) to a more natural "river rock" apperance. But, (theres always a but... ) hehe, the part that's kick'in my butt is ......what to do about the background?! Now...I am a very crafty person, I have rooms in my house that range from a "Frog theme" (who whoulda guessed?) to a "Butteryfly theme", to an "Under the Sea" theme (complete w/electric eels & glow in the dark jelly fish, & a bazillion fish ...each w/ a personally placed eye, I might add. ) Anyway, after I ripped the background off, I sat......dumbfounded , trying to figure out what to do..... So I decided to ask you, the keepers of the coolest looking fish & aquariums, I've ever seen . Help me!!!!!.....what should I do for the back of my 45 gallon tank, that will, in a few weeks, house cichlids . (been researching these guys for months & still haven't decided which ones I want. ,lol) Thanks in advance

 

[Mogo]

Hi LC

You could probably put on whatever background that you like, it's just a matter of personal preference. I have a dark blue background on all my tanks, I find it has a nice clean look and really shows off the fish and decor nicely.

 

[H2O]

Paint the outside black.

 

[Mogo]

Yep, you can paint it, but I prefer not to do this, as it makes it difficult to change it. Just my opinion though

 

[Xxzsdrklakdfj]

black sheet of posterboard on the back will give the same effect of paint but it isn't permanent. Solid color keeps the focus on what's in the tank and not what's behind it. But then again....there's allways that "Outfrigginragious Orange" lol

-matt

 

[wetwetwet]

I find glass works quite well....

 

[Squimps]

Black window tint material is waterproof and easy to apply. It is also easily replaceable if you decide you want a change.

 

[kevin007]

a blue coulor which is shiny, that's what i used

 

[wuvmybetta]

I've always wanted to laminate a large panoramic black & white pic of the NYC skyline and use it as a background, just not sure what the fish would think about it
cichlids like a rocky look I believe, maybe something like that

 

[Squimps]

If you're feeling ambitious, you might want to try looking at this link...

http/cichlidinspiration.net3services.com...Background'

 

[LCnVa]

Squimps ambitious, is my middle name. ) Thank you all, so very much. I have been researching & have finally decided on a DIY, I saw that was just too cool . wish me luck.

 

[Lipreader]

Good luck and when you are done, post a pix of it so we can see how it come out.

I had a thought(it's not what you are looking for) but I'm not crafty and I still have a lot of learning to do before I go all out on tank designs. I thought what if you make it look like out of space? Make a moon with holes for fishes to go in and out, stuff like that. Have you guys hear anyone doing that theme? Just curious if anyone have done it before.

 

[H2O]

You can always do something like this.

 

[Tanked]

h2o,

that is very cool. I clicked on a link to the undergravel jets too and thought that was pretty cool.

 

[Mogo]

Hey Lipreader, that is so funny! I did a Mars scene quite a few years back! I got the background from a science store, a large poster of the milky way. Lava rock, orange gravel, and completed the look with plastic aliens. I'll search through my drawers tomorrow as I know I have some pics of it, although this was way back before digi cams so I'll have to scan them in.

I love the fake rock wall (H20's link), seriously thinking about doing that in my Malawi tank. Did more research today on fish safe paints, and will be finding out prices tomorrow. Wish me luck, I hope this isn't going to turn into a super expensive project! I'll be making some modifications, if anyone is interested, I'll post my progress.