Aquarium Background

[Kenneth]

Hey guys,
Quick question,

Is it important for a tank to use aquarium background? and why?

A lot of article says it's important for their color and stress but I've seen some people not using any backgrounds as well. So, this is where I start to wonder actually...

[Ken Dyer]

I find it can depend on the fish as some like a safe space to back up to and a background can provide a safe side of the tank. For most of the fish I keep they don't seem to care, so the only benefit would be ascetics.

What fish are you looking to keep? That would possibly help me give you a more specific answer than "sorta" 😉

 

[Kenneth]

15 minutes ago, Ken Dyer said:

I find it can depend on the fish as some like a safe space to back up to and a background can provide a safe side of the tank. For most of the fish I keep they don't seem to care, so the only benefit would be ascetics.

What fish are you looking to keep? That would possibly help me give you a more specific answer than "sorta" 😉

 

I see, I have 30 Gal Aquarium and I have 5 Black Neon, 5 Albino, and 2 Oto. The neons always move to the back of the aquarium eveyertime I turned on the light but when I turned it off they starts to wander around but sometimes they would stay at the back of the background. So, I am doing some test by buying 3 more guppies to see if they have the same behaviour and when I put it in at first they wander around the tank for a while,then few minutes later they are following what the neons are doing. So, I was thinking maybe they are stressed because they are looking at their own reflection? Please give me a clarity XD

[Ken Dyer]

I typically find that tetras can be shy regardless of having a background or not until their numbers get around ~10 fish for me. Guppies seem to occasionally start shy, but as they spawn and increase the numbers also get very outgoing (especially if they think food may be involved). But most all of my aquariums are densely planted so that typically helps as well as more cover tends to lead to the fish feeling more secure.

For your fish I don't think you "have to" have a background, so up to you if you think the tank would look better with one or not but I can't see it having any negative effects on the fish. I would make sure you have enough plants/cover and if the aquarium is in a place with a lot of activity/foot traffic (or flashing light from a television) a background could help make the fish feel more secure. And as with all things aquarium related time seems to make the biggest difference for me as the fish settle into their new habitat.

[FrozenFins]

I have never used a aquarium background. for breeding fish it may be important so the fish feel like they can back up to something. I know with discus fish backhrounds are reccomended along with altum angelfish. I have heard of fish getting scared and swimming into the glass, and killing them selves because of it (this is very common with altums angelfish and some wildcaught fish) 

[Kenneth]

43 minutes ago, Ken Dyer said:

I typically find that tetras can be shy regardless of having a background or not until their numbers get around ~10 fish for me. Guppies seem to occasionally start shy, but as they spawn and increase the numbers also get very outgoing (especially if they think food may be involved). But most all of my aquariums are densely planted so that typically helps as well as more cover tends to lead to the fish feeling more secure.

For your fish I don't think you "have to" have a background, so up to you if you think the tank would look better with one or not but I can't see it having any negative effects on the fish. I would make sure you have enough plants/cover and if the aquarium is in a place with a lot of activity/foot traffic (or flashing light from a television) a background could help make the fish feel more secure. And as with all things aquarium related time seems to make the biggest difference for me as the fish settle into their new habitat.

ah maybe it's because I lived in a studio where my aquarium is in between with my tv and computer... maybe I should add a backgroun on the back then... I'll think about it, thanks for helping!

 

18 minutes ago, James Black said:

I have never used a aquarium background. for breeding fish it may be important so the fish feel like they can back up to something. I know with discus fish backhrounds are reccomended along with altum angelfish. I have heard of fish getting scared and swimming into the glass, and killing them selves because of it (this is very common with altums angelfish and some wildcaught fish) 

oh interesiting insight as well.. I'll make sure to remember that!

[lefty o]

ive never used any kind of back ground. it is my belief it is more for the person to see fish better, not so much for the fish. certainly nothing wrong with having a back ground though.

[gogomarigo]

Dark background and substrate can bring out deeper colors in shrimp and some fish.

If they're on a lighter substrate, their colors can become more muted as they try to blend in with the lighter substrate/background.

I used black Plastidip spray for my background. Super easy! Apparently it's really easy to remove in case you wanna change the color or just take it off when preparing to sell the tank. Though I suppose if your tank is already set up and running, it would be a bit of a hassle.

But yeah, I think it's all more about aesthetics and personal preference 🙂

[L.W. Wetarm]

I paint the back and sides of my tanks black. I used black PlastiDip on my 60 but going to use regular Krylon Fusion for the 29 I’m setting up now. I like the way it hides all the plumbing and wiring, but most of all I like that it blocks most of the ambient light seeking algae to nourish. 

[Kenneth]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! This is certainly a useful information for me and everyone who's fairly new to the hobby!

[Fish Folk]

We buy black foam board at Walmart, cut to size between upper and lower tank rims, then gorilla tape it to the back rim with some spall tape pieces. It will make planted tanks look very nice, and as others have said, provides some refuge for shy or stressed fish. It also helps to mask darker objects like sponge filters or hang-on-back filter inflow pipes. 

[Marc]

I just used a cheap black table cloth with powerful magnets.

I do think for very skittish fish it may be beneficial especially if light and shadows can reflect off the wall behind it to scare them. I would do it for my bigger tanks, it also hides any cords, tubes, and can make it easier to see the fish.

[Cheryl P.]

I recently painted the back and sides of my 10 gallon shrimp tank black and they are much more active now.  I also painted just the back of my 90 gallon black and it looks fantastic.  I just used cheap acrylic paint from the craft store.  It can scratch and need to be touched up but it's also easy to remove if I want to change it up .  Plus it's non-toxic and easy clean up which came in handy when, as I was cleaning up, my white dog got ahold of one of the rollers I used. 🙄