Backgrounds

[watson3]

My tank is set up between two rooms, so i do not use a background..Am I losing light by not having one side blacked out? How many people use backgrounds as opposed to this or just up against a wall...

 

[daninct]

My tanks are against a wall but I use the black background anyway as I have HOB and wires to shield. I also did not want the color of the walls to interfere with the tank. I did not really think of light loss when I did it.
If you want to view the tank from both sides, which is a cool look, go for it. If you have the correct lights anyway your tankcoral should be fine no matter what. Some folks I have read use spot lighting anyway to directly get the correct light on the target specimin and do not flood the entire tank with light.

 

[fgcu14]

Light loss is not really a factor when someone decides to put a background on their tank. It's all about taste. I use one just to give a cleaner look to hide wires and such. However you do not need one.