Aquarium backgrounds...tacky or not?

[Hot2na]

spray paint

 

[heybae]

Build your own background. I did.

Omg I really like this can you spare some details please!

 

[Rilo]

To me, the aquascape is the art while the back of the tank is the blank canvas. Adding things like GSP or live rock to the backwall is like having different color canvases. But there is a point where the canvas is overbearing.

 

[Dr. Jim]

I always paint the back of my tanks with a medium blue color. IMO that looks nicer and more natural than black.
I once had a fiberglass 500 gal tank that came only in "Sky Blue" because this was a tank made for large public Aquariums and that's how they wanted them. That shade was nice, too.

I paint the bottom with White (eggshell, not gloss) for bare-bottom tanks.

 

[DaddyFish]

I gave up on backgrounds and went peninsula.

 

[JumboShrimp]

I like the sense of depth a clean black background gives. “IF” I ever did a printed background, it would be some subtle background corals, and not a scantily-clad woman sitting in a Martini glass... [Wink].

 

[Ippyroy]

Not anymore tacky than a 1970s van with wall-to-wall shag carpet

Brown Chicken Brown Cow!!!

 

[Cmooreinor]

 

[davidcalgary29]

I might do it if I can find some reef-safe fluorescing paint. I love the colours of dying coralline under blue light, and it would be cool to have that in a few spots on a black background so it could give a peekaboo effect under the living algae.

 

[Ratherbeflyen]

Omg I really like this can you spare some details please!

To prevent hijacking the thread, I made a new one.

How to build a DIY 3D background

My 72" x 24" x 30" tall 220 gallon tank is about to turn 3 years old and I've decided to this experiment has gone on long enough to share it. I covered the back wall of my tank with a 3D background made from sheets of lighting diffuser, black sanded grout, and lava rocks. I built the background...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[ca1ore]

Regardless of whether tacky or not, anything other than a solid blue/black is mostly useless. Unless you live at a hitherto unmeasured level of OCD and obsessively keep your back panel clean, the background will quickly get covered over.

 

[RobB'z Reef]

So I’m trying to decide if I should use a tank background on my main tank and possibly even my sump (I’ll explain later). I used to see these for sale in almost every LFS. There was your classic black or blue, some plants tank scene and of course your coral reef background. With the exception of the black or blue background I always thought they were kinda tacky and didn’t help the overall look of the tank. Of course living in 2021, you can customize anything and I did find a company online that has tons of custom images available that did catch my eye and maybe think twice. Also another plus is you send them your size info and the image is already adjusted and cut to exact size which is nice. I’m highly considering using one on the back of my sump because it will act as a “blind” to hide the array of cords that will be tucked behind it (in the tank I’m building the sump will be visible at all times thru the glass door of the cabinet...I’ve always found the inner workings of things to be fascinating and won’t be hiding them on my current tank build) let me know what you think! I’m a zoa lover at heart...here’s a couple backgrounds for my main tank I’m considering...

Only you get to decide that

 

[SaltISlife]

I have a shower curtain from walmart i cut. Has lots if reef fish and dolphin in the back.

I like it way better than a painted background.. or staring at my wall.. hard to see in this pic. Just zoom in to see it

 

[SaltISlife]

Not t

Regardless of whether tacky or not, anything other than a solid blue/black is mostly useless. Unless you live at a hitherto unmeasured level of OCD and obsessively keep your back panel clean, the background will quickly get covered over.

Rue. My 135 is 2 years old now. Has no algae but a film on it. I cant grow algae in my tank other thsn diatoms. Lol

 

[JumboShrimp]

That works.

 

[1guydude]

The wall behind my tank is a blue so i optd for a clear back. Lol
...it actually turned out kool cuz now i can walk behind the tank and look the other way. Lol
D

 

[KellyCorals]

So the biggest take away I got from reading all the responses was...just do you. So that’s what I did! I know the image won’t last long because of coralline but I had a local graphics shop print me an image on transparent vinyl for both my tank and my sump. I plan to LED backlight the tank so the image will really pop...for about 6 months lol

Image I chose for the tank -

My blank tank

Image applied like window tint!

Tank with a flash light behind it for demonstration

Image I picked for the sump

My empty 10 Gallon sump

Image applied!

 

[Ratherbeflyen]

just do you

Good you for you. It's your tank after all.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Enjoy, and let us see it with water and fish

 

[reefinatl]

You do you. I've never liked the black background so I've always done blue. I would never put a picture behind it but do what you want to do.