Blacking out glass

[Smashyomerf]

What are the draw backs and pros to putting black vinyl, board, cloth, ect. on the back and sides or just the back. All I’ve been able to pull up on google is doing a complete black out for algae control.
Thanks for y’all’s time!

[RadMax8]

It’s an aesthetic thing… a background helps hide the wall and all the wires behind your tank. Also, it can provide a sense of comfort for your fish. One less area to have to worry about predators. Plus, fish who tend to change color based on surroundings typically show better colors in darker environments. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 8/16/2023 at 9:19 PM, Smashyomerf said:

What are the draw backs and pros to putting black vinyl, board, cloth, ect. on the back and sides or just the back.

On the back of a tank, I haven't found a single drawback. On the side of the tank it just means there is a little bit of view restriction. Beyond that, the fish usually enjoy having the back/side blocked off as need be to reduce stress from traffic around the tank.

Shrimp tank: back and right wall blocked off, wall is near a doorway. 75G just the back is blocked off. 29G by the window I have just the back, but would like to block the side due to ambient light bleed.

10G(QT tank) I have both sides and the back blocked off to minimize stress as much as possible.

[Smashyomerf]

Awesome! Thank you! I have a mean gourami that tries to fight himself may have to do the three sides for him!

[Galabar]

I highly recommend black paint (spray paint or roller). 🙂

[JChristophersAdventures]

@Smashyomerf I always prefer to black out the back (and sides, especially if you don't intend to view from that angle). It is a good idea to give the fish as much of a sense of privacy as possible and still be able to enjoy them. On my current tank project, I have used rolled on flat black paint (I used interior acrylic, but most paints will do) and then I cut out 1/4" Owens Corning pink foam board, painted it black also (both sides) and placed it between the top and bottom frames, where the glass was painted black. The foam is held on to the top/bottom frames by using black Gorilla duct tape and rests directly against the painted glass.

I did this extra step for several reasons. First, I was finding out that it would take a lot more coats of paint to make it completely opaque (which is what I prefer... maybe it was simply the type of paint I was using, but it was already on-hand), the painted foam addition easily fixed that issue. Second, it protects the paint on the glass from getting accidentally scratched which might detract from the look of it. It is easy to clean up painted aquarium glass, but that also means it is easy to unintentionally peel it as well. Third, the painted foam helps to insulate the tank against temperature swings and makes heating the tank more efficient.

I hope that helps.

Edited August 17, 2023 by JChristophersAdventures

[Smashyomerf]

alright guys it seems the 3 side black out for my 5.5in male opaline gourami just has made him more aggressive.. could this just be his personality? I do need to add he was a LFS rescue and does live alone, i have tried to add friends.. he hates them all. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 8/21/2023 at 10:14 PM, Smashyomerf said:

alright guys it seems the 3 side black out for my 5.5in male opaline gourami just has made him more aggressive.. could this just be his personality? I do need to add he was a LFS rescue and does live alone, i have tried to add friends.. he hates them all. 

There might just be some adjustment. What was his territory got cut off a bit. The same thing happened to @Chick-In-Of-TheSea with their betta fish. 

Hopefully the fish calms down a little bit.  If you don't see improvement after 10-14 days then potentially remove one of the side covers and see how that helps.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 8/22/2023 at 1:35 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

There might just be some adjustment. What was his territory got cut off a bit. The same thing happened to @Chick-In-Of-TheSea with their betta fish. 

Hopefully the fish calms down a little bit.  If you don't see improvement after 10-14 days then potentially remove one of the side covers and see how that helps.

My betta was biting his tail.  Someone suggested that there is too much outside stimuli and that I should cover 3 sides of the glass.  That was the worst tail biting day of all.  He went nuts.

On 8/17/2023 at 12:19 AM, Smashyomerf said:

black vinyl, board, cloth, ect

https://www.amazon.com/Velimax-Blackout-Stickers-Blocking-Darkening/dp/B073TVRQ5D  <---- removable!

2 things that helped my betta a TON are: 

Upgrade from 5.5g tank to 10g tank.

Raising tank up so he can see other tanks or the room.  He was previously in a lower shelf tank, and he didn't like that. He likes to see what is going on. He is curious.  

@Guppysnail has gouramis and may be able to offer ideas re: the temperament?

On 8/22/2023 at 1:14 AM, Smashyomerf said:

alright guys it seems the 3 side black out for my 5.5in male opaline gourami just has made him more aggressive.. could this just be his personality? I do need to add he was a LFS rescue and does live alone, i have tried to add friends.. he hates them all. 

 

Edited August 22, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Maximus]

Vinyl? Are you either a sadist or really good at applying that stuff? Seems like a choice I wouldn't make, but maybe I'm completing.

Any air caught will be super obvious looking at it from the inside out.

Edited August 22, 2023 by Maximus

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 8/22/2023 at 9:23 AM, Maximus said:

Vinyl? Are you either a sadist or really good at applying that stuff? Seems like a choice I wouldn't make, but maybe I'm completing.

It's not so bad. You spray water onto the glass and then it allows the material to cling.  Then just use a credit card to push the bubbles out the sides. It does not have adhesive, and you can reposition it or remove it at any time.

Edited August 22, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Guppysnail]

I have honey gourami which are peaceful. 
As far as I know Opaline gourami are a more aggressive species than honey gourami.  
If he lives alone aggression is not an issue you just cannot add tank mates. Fish have individual personalities some more aggressive than others. 

On 8/22/2023 at 9:01 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

@Guppysnail has gouramis and may be able to offer ideas re: the temperament?