# Background



## cusccrstud21 (Mar 18, 2009)

Hey guys what would you do...I bought my tank off CL and it came with a Poster on the back of it that looks like a river bottom sort of (although it has a lot of green/bright green plants). Should I keep this or should I paint the back and sides black? Are there any pros/cons to either solution?

I was thinking with the poster background it might cause more running into the back side of the aquarium due to the fact that it will give it more of a 3d look...any experience?

Aaron


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## Murphy18 (Oct 17, 2008)

Paint it black, do not paint the sides black. A solid black background gives the tank depth IMO. You could Always just put a black background on, or even a piece of acrylic.


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## cusccrstud21 (Mar 18, 2009)

Ok, looks like I'll be stopping by wal-mart today and I'm going to buy some black poster board and using double sided tape to get it to stick. I think I like the look of the black better anyways. I agree that it does add depth to the tank, and plus, I think unless the aquascaping of the aquarium matches the poster background very closely it makes the tank look weird. Thanks for the input Murphy!


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## Plowboy (Apr 9, 2008)

Good choice


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## roccov12345 (Sep 26, 2008)

Black without a doubt, black or blue, I like both, depends on the setup though.....


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## upgradepc (Jan 30, 2009)

what kind of substrate do u have?


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## cusccrstud21 (Mar 18, 2009)

upgradepc said:


> what kind of substrate do u have?


I have a mix of black and white gravel substrate, all mixed together. That's another reason I think black will look good. If I had brown substrate then I think the blue or poster would look better.


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## exodon king (Mar 25, 2009)

Paint is much better then any poster you can add. And it looks much cleaner. No wrinkles, no air pockets, no tape. And its not hard to clean if you change your mind.
Alternatively, you ca drape a black cloth behind the tank. Just attach it so you only see the cloth. And make sure its not wrinkled or is just as useless ad the poster


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## upgradepc (Jan 30, 2009)

i just put black background from walmart on my tank and i love it.


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## gtc (Nov 5, 2008)

Way to go i like black as background and planning to change all of my tanks background to it.


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## Scooby (Dec 25, 2003)

I'm a fan of blue personally.


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## lovemyreds (Feb 18, 2009)

i went with a rock background my friend from my lfs put it on with that jell adhesive looks great compared to taping it on gives it a 3-d look to it


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## khmerboiRED (Jul 15, 2008)

i say black... i didn't paint mines though.. I just put black background.


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## Crossfire636 (Mar 26, 2009)

cusccrstud21 said:


> Hey guys what would you do...I bought my tank off CL and it came with a Poster on the back of it that looks like a river bottom sort of (although it has a lot of green/bright green plants). Should I keep this or should I paint the back and sides black? Are there any pros/cons to either solution?
> 
> I was thinking with the poster background it might cause more running into the back side of the aquarium due to the fact that it will give it more of a 3d look...any experience?
> 
> Aaron


Go down to Home Depot and get this stuff called Plasti Dip (it will be in the spray paint section). It is a real mat black color and it has rubber in it. I did my tank and it looks fantastic. If you ever want to change your mind it is very easy to get off (hense the rubber). Trust me you will love it.


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## shiver905 (May 27, 2009)

DO NOT PIANT IT.
why would you? i spent good money on this tank, what happens if you change your mind in the future?

I did one time, took me 24hours to get the paint off, I was about to throw it out.

You can buy black background at aquarium shops, Now they have some type of thing that bonds the background to your tank alot better, Never tried it but. It might work for airbubles and such


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## exodon king (Mar 25, 2009)

shiver905 said:


> DO NOT PIANT IT.
> why would you? i spent good money on this tank, what happens if you change your mind in the future?
> 
> I did one time, took me 24hours to get the paint off, I was about to throw it out.
> ...


Lol. I don't know what you did that took you 24 hours, but apparently you did it wrong.
Latex paint will peel right off of glass, and paint thinner will take anything else off pretty easily if for whatever reason you decided to change it (though I don't know why you would)


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## shiver905 (May 27, 2009)

honestly, It dosent peel as easy as you make it sound, You need a razorblade and time, It peels in TINY sections.

I dont know about the paint thinner. I know i would have thought of it when i was taking the paint off.
But there was a reason i didnt use it.

maybe it messes with the silicone ?
Or many just useing something that corrosive like paintthinner on a Fish tank kinda creeps me out.

Either way why paint when u can get a black background. Same look


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## exodon king (Mar 25, 2009)

shiver905 said:


> honestly, It dosent peel as easy as you make it sound, You need a razorblade and time, It peels in TINY sections.
> 
> I dont know about the paint thinner. I know i would have thought of it when i was taking the paint off.
> But there was a reason i didnt use it.
> ...


Actually if you're careful you can peel latex paint off in one piece.
And I have never had a problem with paint thinner "messing with the silicon".

Why paint it instead of a black background?
First. It DOES NOT give the same look. Paint it much cleaner and more even. And as mentioned before, no creases, wrinkles, or bubbles.
Not to mention its cheaper, easier to apply, and just plain looks better. And when done properly, is easy to remove or touch up. 
Why do you think the stores have painted tanks, but sell you the plastic crap? All it is, is another novelty to make money off of consumers who don't know better.

Changing the background does nothing for the fish, so why do it? The only scenery change that will make any difference to the fish happens inside the tank in the form of aquascaping.

My favorite is when people use those plastic backgrounds with coral on it for their FRESHWATER tanks.
Bahahahaha. How dumb can you get. Lol.


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## His Majesty (Apr 5, 2005)

i voted black. by far the best option


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