prune_tang
Member
What type or brand should i use to paint the back of my 72 soon to be reef tank thanks!
Paint as a background?
- Thread starter prune_tang
- Start date
cl0wnfish
Member
Painting a tank is just a bad idea. I would go with that wallpaper stuff that you find in fish stores that you buy by the foot. It is available in different print designs as well as plain blue or black. Simply tape it in place and you are done. No need to worry about paint chipping or chemicals leaching into your tank or degrading your silicone seals.
dskidmore
Active Member
Originally Posted by CL0WNFISH
Painting a tank is just a bad idea. ...No need to worry about paint chipping or chemicals leaching into your tank or degrading your silicone seals.
Why? All the paint is outside the glass. With the backgrounds you have to worry about salt creep getting between the background and the glass.
Painting a tank is just a bad idea. ...No need to worry about paint chipping or chemicals leaching into your tank or degrading your silicone seals.
Why? All the paint is outside the glass. With the backgrounds you have to worry about salt creep getting between the background and the glass.
K
kimc
Guest
I painted the outside a beautiful blue color. I am getting a new tank that I think I will paint black....semi gloss latex with a brush.... on the outside of course!!!
pontius
Active Member
Originally Posted by CL0WNFISH
Painting a tank is just a bad idea.
that is just flat out not true. my dad kept an aquarium for 20+ years with that fake looking landscape taped to the back. I have set up my first 3 aquariums in the past 12 months, with flat black paint sprayed on the back, and they ALL look 1000+ times better than my dads tank, simply because of $2 of spray paint. I would NEVER have a tank that wasn't painted or at the very least, with dark dark car tint on the back.
Painting a tank is just a bad idea.
that is just flat out not true. my dad kept an aquarium for 20+ years with that fake looking landscape taped to the back. I have set up my first 3 aquariums in the past 12 months, with flat black paint sprayed on the back, and they ALL look 1000+ times better than my dads tank, simply because of $2 of spray paint. I would NEVER have a tank that wasn't painted or at the very least, with dark dark car tint on the back.
maeistero
Active Member
definitely paint it! for the past 13 yrs i've been painting the outside with latex. exterior works best. the only difference between ******** and exterior is that exterior can flex with temp & humidity changes. that's why a lot of small bathrooms crack the drywall above the shower.
don't use spray paint unless you tape off the top. brush on lots of thin coats. thicker coats will dry a film over the inside wet paint and crack over time. (did i mention i managed a paint store for awhile?)
i prefer a light blue over black because it looks cleaner, but that's just me.
and don't waste your money on those tape on backgrounds, they're c r a p. it always gets water drop marks or dust underneath and it's a pain to remove everything from the back of the tank and squeeze your arm in to clean.
imo
don't use spray paint unless you tape off the top. brush on lots of thin coats. thicker coats will dry a film over the inside wet paint and crack over time. (did i mention i managed a paint store for awhile?)
i prefer a light blue over black because it looks cleaner, but that's just me.
and don't waste your money on those tape on backgrounds, they're c r a p. it always gets water drop marks or dust underneath and it's a pain to remove everything from the back of the tank and squeeze your arm in to clean.
imo
dragonfli
Member
SORRY CLOWNFISH! i had the backing stuff and it sucks! could never keep the salt creep out. it is hard to express a hard opinion on anything here because ther are always different opinions. but flat black worked awesome for me. i like the flat(matte) colors because they cut back the glareand give more depth to the back of the tank.
snipe
Active Member
Painting wont hurt the tank in anyway. It looks good and you dont have to worrie about water getting in between in it and the glass. Though the downside is you will eventually get bored with that background and want a new look and when that comes you cant change it unless you scrape it off and re-paint. If you do paint it either go with a sky blue or black the black will work better at hiding equipment in the background and the color of the fish and such will stand out more. If you paint make sure to cover the top of the tank so no fumes get in it and then take the cover off after the paint has dried.