backgrounds

[jakejordan94]

so Im in the process of trying to come up with a new back ground for my tank, obviously i want something thats just blue or black, im told alot of the pros just the paint the back of their tanks, problem is i live in military barracks, so thats not really feasible, and i hate how the traditional backgrounds look ( like the sheet kind you get at petsmart), no matter what i do it always has bubbles and looks horrible, any ideas? thanks yall!

[YHSublime]

Why can't you paint the back?

[jakejordan94]

i would get in trouble with the navy if i started painting things in my room, lol, and i dont have the equipment or man power to carry it outside down 2 flights of stairs.

[gmerek2]

mine is painted in coraline algae since I got too lazy to scrape it off the back and dont have very long arms. It looks ok

[tomtom2245]

I have seen some tanks where they cover the back with a piece of colored acrylic. Some have used something like the 3M velcro strips to hold it on that way it can be easily removed if need be.

[smallreef]

Tint or vinyl can also be used...spray the outside back with water or spray away(window cleaner with no ammonia) and use a squeege or other hard piece of plastic to get the air bubbles out (I do this at work for this vinyl window clings all the time)

[YHSublime]

Yeah, window tint is an awesome way to go, ask Jason Rhodes about his 125! I think it looks sweet!

[Coral Hind]

When I lived in a dorm I just used an old black sheet and taped it tight on the back. You could get a black or blue corrugated plastic sheet and just taped it to the back. I have white sheets of it on my tank which I got at Lowes but you can order colored ones of the internet.

 

http://www.wholesaleartsframes.com/corrugated-plastic-sheets/?gclid=CJ_B1uPU2b4CFesDOgod2ygAFw

[Jason Rhoads]

As Mr. Sublime noted, I went the tint route and love it.  Be sure to take you time and squeegee out any bubbles.  Mine has been on for about 2 years now, and has survived two moves. It looks as good as day 1.  People recommend 2% or 5% black tint.  You can get a roll at Advanced Autoparts for something like $5. 

[treesprite]

Are the tint sheets totally opaque, or can you see kind of shadows and outlines of things behind the tank?

[hypertech]

Try this stuff with a piece of vinyl. It's not glue so you'll need to make sure the vinyl is flat or tape the edges too.

 

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=18280

[Coral Hind]

I've never heard of that product. Sounds like a great idea. Thanks for sharing!

[Jason Rhoads]

Are the tint sheets totally opaque, or can you see kind of shadows and outlines of things behind the tank?

 

With the lights on, and viewed from the front, you really don't see though it.  When the lights are off you can make out the outline of things behind the glass.  BUT, a big plus to tint is that if you ever drop something behind your rock work, you are better able to find it because your back glass isn't totally opaque (you can see through the rear pane and guide your hand to the frag, or whatever you dropped).