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black background

3151 Views 11 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  IrkedCitizen
Instead of buying a black background could i just paint my background black?any ideas?thanks jason
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Yep! In fact, a lot of people opt for this.

I was planning to, but had to set the tank up ASAP due to space issues and didn't have time.

I've been told that Latex paints come off easier if you ever intend on selling/changing. :thumb:
Yep, that's what I did. Walmart has the Krylon brand at $1 a can. You need at least 2 cans. Tape everything off with masking tape put some newspapers or something over the top so nothing gets inside, and make sure to put multiple coats on.
Hey,thanks alot for the info.
Hey,thanks alot for the info.I'm really looking forward to the black background.I've recently put my tank in the wall of my too-be finished basement.
So Krylon spray paint works okay? I am planning to paint the back of my 55 gal tank. Which works better: gloss, semi-gloss or flat?
flat would be best in my opinion & I think that is what a lot of people use too.
Give us your info then.tom,or don't knock it till ya try it lol
I've seen a lot of painted black backgrounds on this forum and they all really good as far as I'm concerned. On tanks I won't be doing a 3D background for I'll definitely be doing the painted method. Black and very dark blue looks the best imho. Much better than any background on a roll.
don't forget about the oceanvisions backgrounds from petscape products:

http://www.petscapeproducts.com/index.c ... tegoryID=1

goes on like window tint and easily removable if need be

makes the back of your tank look like an acrylic with a colored back

super easy to install
I'll just quote myself from another post I did placed on the same topic in a different thread..

IrkedCitizen said:
There is a thread somewhere on here that someone did to get around painting the back of their tank. What they did was go to home depot/lowes and buy a piece of plexiglass. They then cut it to fit the back of the tank and in between the top and bottom frame. Then they sprayed it with the color choice of paint, let it dry, then put it in place and taped it down.

So in effect the paint is on the plexiglass and sandwiched between the tank and plexi so it won't get scratched or come off. Also, if you don't like the color you can always take it off and paint the other side a new color.

It is pretty much the same premise as painting the back but you don't have to worry about removing it if you sell the tank or have to deal with scratches. You don't need a thick piece either you can use the 1/8" plexi.

Just another idea. :fish:
Also it really doesn't matter which type of paint you use whether it be flat, gloss, semi-gloss. They will all look gloss through the glass.
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