know what your saying sean, i looked high and low for a decent background but didnt fancy a plain blue or black or anything with fish or shrimps on it....... this in my eyes was the best of the bunch. it actually isnt as bright as it looks on the pic but i agree with you a bit. i have a 3d background in my qt tank that was my main tank before buting this one and it looked great but a bit like a dead end..... and they can gequite pricey too!looks great!
only gripe i have is that the background is to light blue, i think with a darker background it would bring the color out of your fish and plants better...