What does your background look like on your tank and what did you use?

[dangerflower]

On 4/11/2022 at 5:48 PM, Expectorating_Aubergine said:

I use black felt siliconed on the inside of the tank. Then I can grow plants on it

That's so clever! What plants grow well on it?

[Expectorating_Aubergine]

Epiphytes mostly, but you can get just about anything to grow on felt. If you get thicker felt, you can do things that get bigger and heavier...

[sweetpoison]

On 4/11/2022 at 9:53 AM, Jawjagrrl said:

I have a woods scene that I am hardscaping now in such a way as to make it appear as thought the image has entered the tank space and my future fish will be living in the forest.

 

I would love to see this!!  I saw once where someone’s background made you believe if you followed their path of white sand, it would end in a cave, the background on the tank!

It was way cool!

 

 

 

[Ken Burke]

On 4/11/2022 at 7:07 PM, Jawjagrrl said:

It's darker looking than I would have expected - in a good way. I like it! Still debating how I'm going to back my 75s, which will be SA biotope-ish. You have me intrigued. Did it take multiple coats?

It did, but it was Louisiana summer humid and took a long time to dry.  In the end, it’s more translucent than opaque.  I debated a final coat of black, but decided against it.  There nothing moving behind the tank, and it effectively masks the wires, airlines etc.

 

before trying it on a 75, I would try it on an old 10g, or on the bottom.  If I rescape my 38, I’m thinking about a gray stone and may finish off with the black to make it darker.

[Ken Burke]

On 4/11/2022 at 7:56 PM, dangerflower said:

That's so clever! What plants grow well on it?

Cory suggested embroidery cloth for “living wall” on the back of the tank.  

[sumplkrum]

The black window cling stuff. It's super quick, and if I want something else, it just peels right off.

You don't really need to spray it with water even though the directions say so. It'll stick pretty well regardless.

Just roll it onto the tank, press out any bubbles, then trim it to the tank edge with an exacto blade.

[Ken Burke]

Any plants that feed on the water column would be good candidates

[jwcarlson]

On 4/11/2022 at 5:15 PM, Ken Burke said:

I’ve used rolls of plastic backing, not a fan.  I’ve also used the poster board option, but water stains it very easily.  I just rebuilt my wife’s tank, and went with no background.  It works since the area behind the tank is dark.

my favorite is spray paint.  But not just any paint.  The one that looks like stone.https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-American-Accents-12-oz-Stone-Creations-Pebble-Textured-Finish-Spray-Paint-6-Pack-7995830/202057116

I buy it by the can, not the case

That's what I used on the bottom of my discus tank (above).  It took all of one can to cover the bottom of a standard 75 and I wish I would have had a little more.

[Jawjagrrl]

On 4/11/2022 at 9:09 PM, sweetpoison said:

I would love to see this!!  I saw once where someone’s background made you believe if you followed their path of white sand, it would end in a cave, the background on the tank!

It was way cool!

 

 

 

That sounds great! I'm still trying to find the right hardscape (when you live on a farm with lots of older woods, *everything* looks like hardscape, haha) to make the roots effect work. I am documenting my progress on my side-by-side journal - I changed the tanks from 55s to 75s and one of the 55s is now in the bedroom with the woods background. Wrestling with how to keep the pieces as big as possible for max flexibility in designing them and feeling like I got them prepped correctly - then getting them saturated and sinkable. Easy to forget how loong it takes to get a tank up and running!

[Jawjagrrl]

On 4/11/2022 at 9:49 PM, Ken Burke said:

It did, but it was Louisiana summer humid and took a long time to dry.  In the end, it’s more translucent than opaque.  I debated a final coat of black, but decided against it.  There nothing moving behind the tank, and it effectively masks the wires, airlines etc.

before trying it on a 75, I would try it on an old 10g, or on the bottom.  If I rescape my 38, I’m thinking about a gray stone and may finish off with the black to make it darker.

I am familiar with that hot and muggy impact on finishes! A lot of my pacing on the projects has to do with getting outside tasks completed before that time of year arrives, which isn't too far away now. But I'm with @Hobbit, I think the slight translucency provides more depth to the tank in the end.

If I ever did mbuna again, that grey stone would be a nice option. I love those 3d backgrounds, but not the idea of trapped fish and other issues that can come with those. 

[Sal]

We ordered a large format rock print off of Amazon - it came coated - not laminated, but just with a coating on it, or maybe its just the material that its printed on?  Either way, it helps with any water that gets on it.  We ordered it large and trimmed it down, and then just scotch-taped it on the back...  I feel like it adds a little somethin-somethin.  😂

[AndreaW]

On 4/11/2022 at 10:33 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

I love window cling/film

That's a great idea! I tried matte black poster board on my Betta tank and he wouldn't stop flaring at himself. I bet a patterned window cling would hide the cords and not give him a reflection to flare at.

[sweetpoison]

On 4/11/2022 at 6:56 PM, sumplkrum said:

The black window cling stuff. It's super quick, and if I want something else, it just peels right off.

You don't really need to spray it with water even though the directions say so. It'll stick pretty well regardless.

Just roll it onto the tank, press out any bubbles, then trim it to the tank edge with an exacto blade.

It really was that easy I love it!  However mines a bit busy for a tank I think. What do you think?  This is all I have a whole roll of it so I thought I’d try it ~ Too bad we couldn’t get a little tiny role of all different colors😂

[gardenman]

I just use the cheap, flat black acrylic craft paint (under $1 from Walmart). It takes several coats for full coverage but using my paint drying accelerator (a device some silly people use for drying their hair) I can apply multiple coats in less than a half hour. It's fast, easy, next to no smell, and cheap.

Given how inexpensive some modern HDTVs are getting I'm intrigued by the idea of putting a television screen behind a fish tank for lots of depth and other fish swimming around (on the screen) behind my real fish.  You can find 32" HDTVs for under $100 these days without a lot of trouble. A fish tank custom made to fit an HDTV could open up all kinds of possibilities for a background. You could have a living, active background with plants and fish moving. You could have mermaids. You could have any solid color or pattern you wanted. Modern HDTVs are thin (often under an inch) and light (my Mom's 32" weighs nine pounds) and could make an interesting background if you could match a tank to the size of the HDTV. Things like HOBs, heaters, filter hoses and the like could be an issue, but you could create some pretty interesting effects with an HDTV monitor as the background for a tank. Just change the video file and a tank could go from a plain back background to an Amazon jungle look, to a deep planted tank look, to an African Cichlid rocky cliffside look. Your imagination would be the only real limit.

[JettsPapa]

On 4/13/2022 at 8:45 AM, sweetpoison said:

It really was that easy I love it!  However mines a bit busy for a tank I think. What do you think?  This is all I have a whole roll of it so I thought I’d try it ~ Too bad we couldn’t get a little tiny role of all different colors😂

I prefer a plain background, but it's your tank.  If you like it that's all that matters.

[sweetpoison]

On 4/13/2022 at 7:09 AM, JettsPapa said:

I prefer a plain background, but it's your tank.  If you like it that's all that matters.

Me too!  I’m not painting did that for years ~  55 gallon 125 gallon and I didn’t like it after a while and had to scrape it all off😩😂

[Corbidorbidoodle]

So far, all of my tanks are spray painted black on the back. Just plain black.

I've been thinking about trying to do a radial gradient of dark blue near the center bottom to black at the edges. I think it'd be pretty doable with rattle cans.

All the plants ('cept for the Water Lettuce and Java Moss) are from the CoOp BTW.

[sweetpoison]

On 4/13/2022 at 7:30 AM, sweetpoison said:

Me too!  I’m not painting did that for years ~  55 gallon 125 gallon and I didn’t like it after a while and had to scrape it all off😩😂

 

This is with the light on.  But I think I’m going with this background:

 

HIDBEA Window Privacy Film, UV Blocking Heat Control Removable Frosted Glass Window Film Static Cling Opaque Door Decorative Sticker for Home Bathroom Office(17.5 x 78.7 Inch, Matte Blue) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YZFMBPY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_AXAR2BHKHKS82H40XRR1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[Hobbit]

I could see the patterned background looking nice with a big orange goldfish in front of it! But in general I like the solid colors more. Or some gradients like they have here:

https://www.aquariumvinyl.com/solid-colors

If I wasn’t trying to cut costs at every corner I’d totally get something nice from that website. 😁

[Bev C]

I used to use a black trash bag on my older smaller tanks,  My brother bought me a paper print out of rock … When I first got my current tank… But it keeps getting wet, takes days to dry …so I got a cheap black material at Wally world .. Sewed Velcro to the material and attach the stickie Velcro to the black rim … So far it is working for me 

[Tanked]

On 4/13/2022 at 10:09 AM, gardenman said:

I just use the cheap, flat black acrylic craft paint (under $1 from Walmart). It takes several coats for full coverage but using my paint drying accelerator (a device some silly people use for drying their hair) I can apply multiple coats in less than a half hour. It's fast, easy, next to no smell, and cheap.

Given how inexpensive some modern HDTVs are getting I'm intrigued by the idea of putting a television screen behind a fish tank for lots of depth and other fish swimming around (on the screen) behind my real fish.  You can find 32" HDTVs for under $100 these days without a lot of trouble. A fish tank custom made to fit an HDTV could open up all kinds of possibilities for a background. You could have a living, active background with plants and fish moving. You could have mermaids. You could have any solid color or pattern you wanted. Modern HDTVs are thin (often under an inch) and light (my Mom's 32" weighs nine pounds) and could make an interesting background if you could match a tank to the size of the HDTV. Things like HOBs, heaters, filter hoses and the like could be an issue, but you could create some pretty interesting effects with an HDTV monitor as the background for a tank. Just change the video file and a tank could go from a plain back background to an Amazon jungle look, to a deep planted tank look, to an African Cichlid rocky cliffside look. Your imagination would be the only real limit.

Some time ago, someone questioned as to whether fish watched television.  This would a good way to find out.  As soon as I replace the kitchen TV it will become an aquarium light. It never occurred to me to put it behind the aquarium.  So many possibilities.

[Widgets]

Imagine having a video screen as the background for all your display tanks. You could point a camera at each tank. Then stream that image as the background of the next tank. Do it in sequence, and then use the video of the last tank as the background for the first. You could see all your tanks at one time. Or just stream the tank as it's own background.

[Bev C]

the tv/ video screen would be interesting thing    never thought of that I would have colors rotating  but i think i will stick with my material and velcro at least if the material gets wet while changing canister hose and etc i can take it and dry it 

[gardenman]

The number of options with a video screen as a background would be nearly limitless. If you had electronic monitors for the tank, you could display the temperature, pH, etc. of the water in a corner of the display. If something started to go wrong the screen could flash red to warn you. Many fish like to chase laser pointers, so from time to time you could have a small red dot appear for the fish to chase. Reminders could pop up to change water, clean filters, add fertilizer, etc. 

I think aquarium manufacturers have gotten a bit too complacent and just do the same old, same old too much. They need someone to shake things up and try different things. In most business you innovate or die. There's very little innovation in the aquarium business.

[ndfi78]

On 4/19/2022 at 7:52 AM, gardenman said:

The number of options with a video screen as a background would be nearly limitless. If you had electronic monitors for the tank, you could display the temperature, pH, etc. of the water in a corner of the display. If something started to go wrong the screen could flash red to warn you. Many fish like to chase laser pointers, so from time to time you could have a small red dot appear for the fish to chase. Reminders could pop up to change water, clean filters, add fertilizer, etc. 

I think aquarium manufacturers have gotten a bit too complacent and just do the same old, same old too much. They need someone to shake things up and try different things. In most business you innovate or die. There's very little innovation in the aquarium business.

Sounds like you have a new business plan! 😄