# To paint or not to paint?



## Cowboy (Aug 19, 2010)

I have herd lots of people painting tanks, i like the looks of them, but when i set up my previous 4 tanks i used either Bristol board or a scenic background. All my tanks are used so i don't really care, but now i have a new (6 months old) 55 gallon tank, heck the stickers are still on it. DO i paint it, leave it clear, Bristol board again? its empty and want to do it right. Any ideas?


Thanks!


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## xr8dride (Feb 24, 2009)

depending on the paint, it can always be removed later...it pretty much just peels off.
It all boils down to your preferences.


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## Cowboy (Aug 19, 2010)

xr8dride said:


> depending on the paint, it can always be removed later...it pretty much just peels off.
> It all boils down to your preferences.


ok Then any suggestions on colour there is the standard Black and Blue, but which do you guys think will look better? it will be a Freshwater tank, maybe 
another Cichlid tank. I really like the looks of the Oscars but some say 55 gallon is to small, but to start off with....


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## xr8dride (Feb 24, 2009)

i'm partial to black when it comes to cichlids...it really makes their colors pop out at you. 
Here's my tank with a black background..all pipes have since been changed to dark grey to hide them better.


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## ryno1974 (Dec 6, 2009)

Paint it. It is worth the effort up front. Black is nice because it makes the back disappear and you only see the fish plants and decor. I have seen some nice stone type paints (grey with black flecks in it) but I always stick with black.

Good luck!


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

I use a black garbage bag; cheap effective and easily removed if the back needs to become the front.


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## Dabigmandan (Nov 13, 2010)

BillD said:


> I use a black garbage bag; cheap effective and easily removed if the back needs to become the front.


I don't use a garbage bag but I do use a black piece of fabric for the same reason.


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## characinfan (Dec 24, 2008)

Why not a mirror?


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

You can use a mirror but any algae or slime that grows on the glass will show up.


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## Cory (May 2, 2008)

I find that painting is great in tanks you don't want to use for show but it isn't as attractive when you are going for a more showy look. Black paint seems to darken the tank in my opinion but it's probably partly an optical illusion.


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## ryno1974 (Dec 6, 2009)

Cory said:


> I find that painting is great in tanks you don't want to use for show but it isn't as attractive when you are going for a more showy look. Black paint seems to darken the tank in my opinion but it's probably partly an optical illusion.


What do you use on the back of your show tanks?


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

Use latex paint for easy removal...some paints can be a pain in the arse to remove...


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## Cory (May 2, 2008)

I use standard backdrops, nothing especially fancy but usually a background that resembles somewhat the aquascape Im going to create. For example, the one one my 90gal is a bunch of green plants, some driftwood and a few rocks just like my tank is and I find it complements everything very well. The ultimate show backdrop is the aquaterra style but those are pricey and require some installation.


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## Adam Aquaponic (Nov 18, 2010)

Best idea man.. go to Crappy Tire and buy DIY car window tint.. its super easy and looks sleeeek


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## ohmyfish (Feb 20, 2010)

BillD said:


> I use a black garbage bag; cheap effective and easily removed if the back needs to become the front.


Heehee! I thought I was the only one.  I initially was going to use the garbage bag as a temporary background but now it has been 10 months. I cut it properly so no one can tell. Algae has grown on the back and it looks nice. If I put a background image on the back, you probably wouldn't be able to see it. lol

I'm buying a new tank soon, my REAL tank. My biggest right now is a 12 gallon and I'm looking at 50 or 70 gallon tanks. I see Big Als using a blue paint on the back of some of their tanks it looks great. But I'm wondering if it will begin to look plain after awhile.


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## Holidays (Apr 18, 2010)

I use pleather (fake leather - a vinyl) from fabricland. Its nice, the lighting shines differently creating nice effect and nice texture too.


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## Holidays (Apr 18, 2010)




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## TBemba (Jan 11, 2010)

What does everyone think about painting the sides as well?

I have a short story: I had a buddy that worked at a hot tub manufacturing place and when they are going to make a tub they have big flat sheets of the stuff. It came in different colours, like blue, dark blue, burgundy, green, Black any way they would have white/gray swirls though out the piece and it looked really cool (like a storm or clouds). The only issue was they were about 1/8 of an inch thick and they needed to be secured to the back of the tanks. It was years ago, I wish I would have kept just one piece


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

> What does everyone think about painting the sides as well?
> 
> I have a short story: I had a buddy that worked at a hot tub manufacturing place and when they are going to make a tub they have big flat sheets of the stuff. It came in different colours, like blue, dark blue, burgundy, green, Black any way they would have white/gray swirls though out the piece and it looked really cool (like a storm or clouds). The only issue was they were about 1/8 of an inch thick and they needed to be secured to the back of the tanks. It was years ago, I wish I would have kept just one piece


I think painting the sides work when you have multiple tanks. I guess it depends on what look you are trying to achieve. If you don't need a side view it's fine. Like an in wall tank it would be good to paint 3 sides.


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## TBemba (Jan 11, 2010)

gucci17 said:


> I think painting the sides work when you have multiple tanks. I guess it depends on what look you are trying to achieve. If you don't need a side view it's fine. Like an in wall tank it would be good to paint 3 sides.


Well I have a nice oak stand with top and was thinking that if I bought a new tank I would maybe want to paint 3 sided maybe even the bottom some trim clad pebble look just in case. I thought it would create a cool box effect on a sweet reef tank. Also i would eliminate the need to scrape the sides, cause it's a PITA to take off the top and lights to keep the sides clean.


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## 4rdguy (Nov 27, 2010)

another idea is going to a local sign company and getting a piece of whatever colored vinyl. this comes off easier then any paint and inst that hard to put on. the sign guys beside my work didnt have straight black in stock but they've ordered some in for me. when i get it ill put it on and take some pics, hopefully itll be in this week. im paying about 15 bucks for the piece of vinyl.


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## qwerty (Dec 15, 2009)

Personally I would say paint it black.

I wont really argue over which gives a better appearance for a show tank, because there's vast differences in opinion about that, and it really depends on how you want to set the tank up.

I will say though that black gives a very simple base with good contrast against most colours for displaying the contents of the tank.

Also, black will hide algae, and will not distract the eye (nothing like filling your tank only to realize that the biggest focal point is the red lotus printed on your backdrop ).

If you want a background that's full of plants you might as well just plant a bunch of tall-growing plants. Least that's how I see it


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## BettaBeats (Jan 14, 2010)

I've read this is only good for FW as painting the back of the tank changes the way light reflects and slows growth along the back.


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## qwerty (Dec 15, 2009)

yeah, probably... White is usually used more for gardening materials because it doesn't absorb light like black does... Apparently it does actually make a difference to the plants.

Though personally my background plants do fine... Maybe they would have done better if I didn't paint it black. Can't say...


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*background*

i dont know how this will look but while walking in home depot i saw some slats of brick maybe the size of a mars bar but they were stacked into like a 6 x 6 sheets sort of like a backing for a kitchen . have been thinking about it but not sure how its gonna look in my tank
just an idea
cheers 
tom


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