Tank background wallpaper

[MyFish]

Hi,

any thoughts on tank backgrounds?

who paints their back outside wall?  If not painted what background suggestions do you have for me?

thanks.

 

[BETTA999]

it could be those black sheets 

[Levi_Aquatics]

I agree with @bettta999 I think a black background would look great on that aquarium. You can buy them precut at most pet stores and tape them to the back of the aquarium. 

[darkG]

I have seen a black plastic bag looking surprisingly good as an outside of the tank background, wrinkles, creases and all.

I have interior backgrounds, but I would probably try a rigid board of some sort that I could try things on (paint, adhesives, sheets of stuff?) on and put behind the back and evaluate.

[MyFish]

I have some trash bags lying around.  I will experiment and get back with you.  I was thinking a solid color as well, then I saw some woods and greens backgound and am unsure.  Thanks.

[Jimmy]

I always spray paint. It’s super easy, just use a matte finish 

[darkG]

On 1/19/2022 at 4:57 PM, MyFish said:

I have some trash bags lying around.  I will experiment and get back with you.  I was thinking a solid color as well, then I saw some woods and greens backgound and am unsure.  Thanks.

Excellent, I haven't tried it myself, experimentation is needed. If it is indeed a good idea, it should be better known. If it's rubbish, I should quit suggesting it 😛 maybe it only works well under certain lights setups. Maybe some growth on the glass helps, I don't know.

 

Edited January 19, 2022 by darkG

[Odd Duck]

I’ve been very happy with black, opaque window film.  Easy to apply, cut to fit after applying, and very cheap.

[Gannon]

Certainly get one of those black backgrounds which cling to the back of your tank with the aid of a little water. 

[Aqua junky]

I spray painted the back of mine, I've also used a paint roller as well. To me there's nothing better that a black back ground and white substrate

[Struggle]

I spray paint my back and bottoms satin black. 

[Jorgey]

I love black backgrounds, but I hate taped on and don't like painting my tanks either.  

I use this blackout window film.  I comes in various sizes and goes on easy and if your careful there will not be any bubbles, etc and it looks great.  It also is easy to remove if you decide you want to do something else with the background.

 

 

[Flumpweesel]

This might inspire, haven't tried it myself.  

 

 

[GeorgeJ]

I grabbed some black poster board/oaktag as they called it in the old days 🙂 from Michaels (Art's and Craft's Store) for .99 a sheet to see how it looked - and I'm happy with it.

Edited January 20, 2022 by GeorgeJ

[Tanked]

On 1/19/2022 at 2:06 PM, Aqua junky said:

I spray painted the back of mine, I've also used a paint roller as well. To me there's nothing better that a black back ground and white substrate

I did that when setting up my TFB tank.  I don't think I will ever change that look.  It makes for a bright high contrast environment, and the fish really stand out..

[jwcarlson]

I really like matte black paint so far.  15-20 years ago I always used black posterboard type material and it was always getting a little wet/ruined.  I never thought to paint them.

I just bought a 75 gallon and the previous owner had already put a coat of black paint on it (but hadn't filled the tank yet).  I put another couple of coats on it and, unfortunately, at some angles there's like 'bubbles' between paint and glass.  It's not super noticeable, but it's going to bug me "forever", nut sure if his first coat wasn't great or maybe our two paints weren't compatible or something.  The blackout film is an interesting option, I bet that works pretty well.

[Dwayne Brown]

I spray paint mine, its pretty easy to do just make sure you do it outside and cover all areas that you don't want to get black on them.

[EVoyager31]

Using the cling backgrounds work well and are easy to adjust.. I’m a graphic designer so if I ever need to print something specific (like the rocks) I have access to do that at my job.. then I just laminate and tape on 😀

Painting looks nice but if you ever wanted to change it I imagine it’d be a pain to remove.

[Cinnebuns]

I got black poster board for $1.20 at Walmart. In the process of decorating it myself which was not in the original plan lol

[Jennifer V]

On 1/20/2022 at 11:28 PM, Cinnebuns said:

I got black poster board for $1.20 at Walmart. In the process of decorating it myself which was not in the original plan lol

Love to see that when you're finished! 

[MoshJosh]

I have painted a number of backgrounds usually black or white. I prefer to use plati-dip, it takes a number of coats, but it looks good and is super easy to remove if you want to take it off. 

I have also painted the bottom of the tank with sand texture which, in my opinion, is a cool option for a bare bottom tank. 

I have also used poster board, paper, and corrugated plastic taped to the back of the tank. The plastic is nice because its waterproof.

I really love my backgrounds from Universal Rock. . . but they are a bit pricey and you have to drain the tank and silicone them in. . . so not the best option for everyone. 

Edited January 21, 2022 by MoshJosh

[darkG]

I tried a slightly stone-like adhesive vinyl film on the inside in the kitchen tank, I think it works. 

[Carolina Guy]

On 1/21/2022 at 5:41 AM, darkG said:

I tried a slightly stone-like adhesive vinyl film on the inside in the kitchen tank, I think it works. 

Was that something that you found at a pet shop? Or did you find it somewhere else?

[Fish Folk]

I buy this stuff for almost all of my aquariums…

It does warp over time. But the price is so cheap. I think it looks fine…

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

I've enjoyed using privacy film/window cling, lots of neat colors and patterns, I've used 2 so far on 4 tanks, easy to cut/apply with a water bottle and stick!