Planted Tank Backgrounds

[fluffycabbage]

I'd like to have a nice background on both my tanks, but am at a loss really. I want a poster, which will prob have plants on it,just to make it look like there are more plants in there than there actually are lol (theyre all growing). got plenty of bogwood so dont need pics of that. i have sand substrate too. im not that keen on the rock ones, but if i saw pics of nice planted tanks using that background i could be persuaded

any ideas?

 

[kiriyama]

I had one on my first set up, wasn't until after a few weeks I noticed there was also big oversized shrimp on it, looked naff
TBH/IMO I think plain blue or black is the nicest and would highlight your plants even more, just my two cents

 

[Katty]

I don't have any pictures from when I had the fake plant/rock backgrounds, but they really look tacky (to me) when they are next to the real plants and rocks inside of the tank. For some reason they look OK in tanks with sunken ships and silly things like that, but with live plants and real driftwood etc. it just looks out of place. Like a plastic lawn flamingo in a nature reserve instead of someone's yard. I have switched to a black piece of craft poster paper and it's so far my favorite background out of the several plastic plant/rock ones I've tried before. A pic of my tank with the black background

I am quite fond of the 3d rock backgrounds people make/buy (example, not my pic though) out of foam and cement to put inside the tank. Looks like a lot of work but probably a lot easier though if you do it right after you buy the tank rather than cleaning everything out and trying to stick it in.

Also sometimes with those plastic backgrounds they have random fish all over. Which looks really funny. I mean you have fish in the tank... why would you need them on the background, too?

My vote is to try black/blue craft paper first. That stuff is super cheap and if you don't like the look of it you won't have spent too much money on it.

 

[SuperColey1]

Don't use a background film. Rig up something that you can move in or move out easily.

If you have light coloured wall you can make even more stunning visuals:

I have a couple of blocks of wood bolted to the back of my cabinet which I can reast a board on. One side is black the other white. I haven't got it there for the picture below though. That is the 'slightly off white' wall

All youneed is some spray paint, some MDF and 2 blocks of scrap wood. Fix the scra wood level with the top of your cabinet at the rear.

Cut the MDF to just slightly wider than the tank width and height. spray your choice of colours on each side. Then position the board on the scrap blocks so that it is leaning on the tnak glas toward the top.

Alternate which side you have to suit your mood or remove it when it suits too.

AC

 

[fluffycabbage]

so is that painted board behind there then? not fancy lighting? i was admiring that yesterday

i have black to blue plain poster behind the 200l, and tbh i just find it really boring, and bare looking. that said, i had a tropical reef background on the old 63l nursery tank, and i couldnt even see the fish for the vivid colours

you see my problem? lol

 

[SuperColey1]

so is that painted board behind there then? not fancy lighting? i was admiring that yesterday

Thats the plain wall and 'fancy lighting'. I took the borad off when Ian came round the other day and then left it off. This is it whith black:

i have black to blue plain poster behind the 200l, and tbh i just find it really boring, and bare looking. that said, i had a tropical reef background on the old 63l nursery tank, and i couldnt even see the fish for the vivid colours

Its all to do with the way the plants look, the lighting and the positioning of the background.

The light from your canopy wants to shine just through the water onto the background, therefore the background I use leans only at the top. The bottom is a good inch or 2 away from the tank.

That means light that goes through the glas above the water line does not 'grey out' the black That makes it look dull.

AC

you see my problem? lol