Tank Backing

[Limpet]

Can anyone recommend a tank backing that you may have seen or have that you were very impressed by. I'm referring to the picture or material that is added to the back side of the tank. Usually you see these picture rolls at your local fish store which have pictures of an ocean bottom of a reef setting, sometimes they are just black or Blue.

Has anyone tried a mirror?

I have a 135 G salt setup and I'm leaning towards just Blue or Black at the moment.


Any Ideas?

 

[Macquatic]

I always use black plastic refuse sacks taped to 3 sides of the tank.
Shows off the colours of the fish and plants and costs next to nothing. Mac.

 

[whacky]

I know of a few people that use a mirror type backing on there tank and they are happy with it. I cant say what it looks like my self though.

Was talking about backing for tanks on another site and it was suggested to use a painted piece of wooden board againts the back off the tank this will aso allow you to attach brackets for pipework etc.

My fo setup just has plain blue backing on it looks ok, one of my lfs has there display tank background painted this looks great but i wouldnt want to paint the back of a tank especially with fish in it,

Personally im gonna go for the board seems a good way to disguise the backing while serving a useful purpose along with it

 

[Great Lakes]

I use plain blue. Sometimes I tape, sometimes I paint.

 

[William]

You paint the glass G.L. ?

Also are paint fumes not toxic!

 

[Fly258]

I have a sheet of black cloth on the back of my tank, held on with a couple of strips of double sided sticky tape. It looks quite good (in my opinion) it contrasts well with the greenery of the plants
Jim

 

[Xxzsdrklakdfj]

i got black posterboard. Looks good, and it's cheap!sounds like a good combination to me!

-"letters"

 

[aquamaniac2003]

Juwel make a very nice 'structured back ground'. It is available in a few sizes and you bond it to the inside of the tank using tank sealer. I used this in the first tank I had. It looks pretty natural which the photgraph backings somtimes lack. You will have to empty your tank to apply them.

I dont like being able to see through my tank so I painted the back of mine. I used different colors of blue and kind of gave them a wavey affect.

I did think about bonding thin rocks to the back but gave up looking for suitable rocks.

Another system I have seen is a locking system of artificial rocks that you can buy in different shapes and sizes, then you arrange them the way you want them. For my size tank it was too expensive.

 

[Great Lakes]

Yeh, the paint could be toxic, but I paint the OUTside of the glass

 

[cichlidmaster]

Same here!!!!

All my tanks (except the 120's) are painted. In fact in the winter when I need to paint a tank, I do it right in the fishroom.

Have never lost any fish due to the fumes!!!!

CM

 

[William]

Yeh, the paint could be toxic, but I paint the OUTside of the glass

Well duh!! I did hear about a reefer losing her entire tank and the only think she can think it was that she painted the room two days before and others agreed with what they were suggesting.

Here's a post from Dr. Ronald Shimek on the subject:

Well, both the primer and the paint are probably to blame, however an alcohol based primer would certainly have fumes that would likely be soluble in tank water.

I have painted in rooms containing tanks, but when I do, I generally cover the tank as completely as possilble, and use several air pumps to bring in air from outside the room (generally from outside the house). The tank remains covered and isolated from the room for a couple of days to pass through the worst of the fume period.

Any fumes in the house may be absorbed in the tank. I once treated some plants in my living room with a systemic pesticide (the kind you add to the water for the plants and is taken up through the roots). Within a few days, the fumes from the pesticide were noticeable in the house, and the tanks crashed. Outside spraying for weeds or insects is also a problem.

The moral is that we really have to be careful of what gets into the air around our tanks.

I'm glad to hear you have had no problems with it perhaps it is only alocohol based primers which are soluble in water

 

[cichlidmaster]

While I am in tune to the fact that the fumes can be absorbed into the tank's I am one who just really doesn't worry about it.

I do not prime the tank first, I simply paint them. This could be why I don't have a problem.

When the weather permits though I do the painting outside!!

CM

 

[aquamaniac2003]

I have used normal latex paint with no primer. You would see the primer when looking from the front of the tank
I did turn off my air pump for the day I painted and the day after.

The area involved in painting the back side of a tank does not quite compare to painting the room that the tank is in.

I would have no hesitation in painting my tank again, or a new one. but thats just MO.

 

[Great Lakes]

I use acrlic latex, and just paint it on.

 

[Pondlady]

Plain black is nice, it helps show off the colors of the fish and plants. I used sheets of laminated black construction paper. I have also used black garbage bags (cheap and waterproof) taped to the back of the tank. I think blue looks too artificial with tropicals - it's probably okay for saltwater though. Right now I have a decent looking aquatic plant/driftwood photo sheet.