Painting the back of a tank.

[faqbch99]

OK, I am new to salt water, have my tank in it's 1st cycle and it is going well. I have been reading and learning a lot over the last several months. One thing I see is many people on here advise not to use backgrounds on your tank. I have one today, left over from the fresh water days.

I am looking to remove it and paint the back. I have heard ppl say on here Black or Blue work best to make the colors in the tank POP.

What I wonder is if I can use a mirror paint?

I can turn the back of the tank into a mirror so I can see both sides of the rock, and reflect the light better within the tank.
Has anyone ever done this before and what is the general opinion on this method, good bad, ugly and why?

Want to do the paint on Sat, so I need to decide soon.

Thanks Folks!!
Richard.
Krylon® Looking Glass®- Mirror Like Paint
Turn ordinary glass into a decorative mirror with Krylon® Looking Glass® Mirror-Like Paint. Simply spray on the reverse side of clear glass for a quick-drying, reflective finish. New one-step spray offers easy application and increased durability.

 

[perfectdark]

I too was thinking the same thing, but I didnt think they had mirror paint available.. Hmmm got me thinking now. I love it for the refectiveness of the light that would get absorbed by the black paint. But I am thinking about the growth on the back of the tank in time it will just cover the mirror over anyway... tough decision..

 

[matt boyer]

I dont belive a paint can make the glass look like a mirror try on a sample piece of glass first. But my brother had a 55 gallon with mirror glass and we thoght it was awesome. So if it works it does look cool and you can aways scrape it off later with a razor blade.

 

[earlybird]

I've never heard of mirror spray paint. Wonder how the fish would react?

 

[sk8shorty01]

I dont think that having the back reflective is such a great idea. Think of your quarentine tank (for those that have one) and why you paint the bottom of the tank black. This is because otherwise the bottom of the tank would be reflective and it will stress fish out if I am not mistaken. I think you would run into the same problem if the back was reflective, especially for those fish that do not get along with other members of similar species (wrasse, tangs). I think it would be too stressful on the fish, although it would look nice.

 

[faqbch99]

Thanks for all the input. I did not hear a clear "Go for it" or "NO!!!!" but it gave me enough to pause and think about it a bit more.
Much appreciated!

 

[metweezer]

I don't know how your tank is situated but obviously there is water in it and the glass would have to be extremely clean for the paint to adhere. Can you get a spraycan to the back of your tank? If you have a HOB filter and a protein skimmer, these items will have to be removed to paint. You may need a few coats of paint and your filtration will be shut down for awhile.
Like someone mentioned above, check out how good this spray works. Spray a window or something to see if this paint is all it is cracked up to be. I would still go black or blue. I purchased a $5.00 roller kit from walmart and rolled latex paint on the back. I did this before I added any water and started my cycle though.
On another front, there are mirror type films that can be taped on the back with duct tape. They have been around for years and since I haven't seen any body using it (or talking about it) I wouldn't think it would be the best thing for your tank inhabitants.
My 2 cents,
Steve

 

[perfectdark]

The process of painting the back of a tank is done before it is set up. At that stage there is no need to remove any HOB items. You just mask off the sides cover the entire area you dont want painted with news paper and cover the top. Then spray away...

 

[faqbch99]

Other then fish that hate themselfs or others like them, any reasons not to have a mirror background?

 

[metweezer]

Where are your spray paint fumes gonna go

 

[faqbch99]

Around the living room and out the window via fan have lots of news paper to line the trim and floor, and a cover to put over the tank, should be ok there.. i am not worried about how to do it, just the concept of the mirror paint or black paint.

 

[earlybird]

I wouldn't risk using spray paint at this point. You should consider a roller. I've also read about some using auto tint but with tint it's just a matter of time before saltwater gets between the adhesive and the glass.

 

[perfectdark]

I agree if your tank has water in it I would not use a spray paint.. in fact IMO I would empty it and then paint the back... just my 2 cents..