To paint or not to paint

[ksfulk]

Is this tank set up yet?

That tank has come and gone already https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/big-kid-tank-v2.233727/

 

[tom reilly]

Starting a new tank and before I do the final placement and add water. Do I paint the back black? Does anyone have any pics of painted backs?

I painted back and sides. Tank is in front of three windows.

 

[NeverlosT]

Dont paint. If you want a blacked out back look, go to Autozone, spend $15 and get some window tint. Apply it to the back or sides of the tank. You get the same effect, no mess, and it is removable easily anytime.

Plus you can decide how opaque you want the background to be.

 

[CastAway]

I bought and use colored poster board from Hobby Lobby, so far black and blue. Tapes in place, cheap, easy to change, and no impediment to magnetic cleaner. Thinking about trying one of the color transition sheets next, just for giggles.

 

[Broadfield]

Is there an option to not do anything at all... just leave it clear? My Red Sea tank came with a black vinyl back and I was perfectly fine with it. But then I got a wild hair and ripped it off... so much better now! Much more illusion of depth and the feel of diving in the ocean and looking into the abyss across a reef. Of course the only way to achieve this is by not having a single chord hanging anywhere. And have a fairly neutral colored wall behind it. I came up with an ingenious solution for hiding the cables to my power heads. The cables for my light fixture are simply hidden by the overflow.

 

[Ahgee]

I sprayed with black plastidip. Just peels off if you decide you want to remove or change colors

This is exactly what I do. I highly recommend it!

 

[Christopher B Keyes]

I've always painted mine. I used krylon latex paint in a spray can. I've tried both blue and black but I did prefer a nice dark blue. With the lights going it will be lighter than what you would think. I agree with a previous comment about not being able to clean the back anyway because of location. I just used a glass scraper blade anyway. Can easily be removed in the future with the same blade if you ever wanted too.

 

[jd371]

I recommend against this stuff. I tried it on my 72. 3 cans later I could still see the sun shining through and if you put a mag cleaner to it, it would peel off. The best way to paint a back of a tank is to ROLL on Krylon Fusion.

^This. About 3 light coats. If you ever want to remove it, it scrapes off with a plastic plaster spatula.

 

[themcnertney]

Innovation! I love it! Can you snap some photos of the strips and the acrylic panel and maybe start a separate thread about the process? I would like to feature it!

Removable Background
https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?threads/Removable-Background.265400/

 

[fernalfer]

Starting a new tank and before I do the final placement and add water. Do I paint the back black? Does anyone have any pics of painted backs?

this is obviously prior to putting water in the tank. i'll try to get a pic of it with water. I painted mine with the paint you can peel off.

 

[Rpujol85]

I am personally a fan of no paint/tint/etc. With proper placement of the power heads you get such an awesome clean aesthetic. Here's the 40b I'm in the process of cycling.

 

[Sealion]

I went with the blue opaque film. Looks great. I had some experience with the film as I had put film on my house windows

 

[MJC]

I got 2 plexiglass pieces from home depot and painted one side blue and the other black.
I switched them out when ever I got board lol.

 

[Chris Rabkin]

I printed a custom vinyl static cling for my new 180 gal. This was put in place after the sand and rock were in the tank- My son helped me drape it across the back and we secured it with some tape on the tank frame. It self adhered in about 10 min. No drips, no runs no errs. These cost me about 30.00 including shipping to print out for a 6ft 180 gal - paint on glass while not permanent, is too permanent for what we wanted.

 

[Bubbas Clowns and Angels]

Blue

 

[Lokipsl]

I always painted myou tanks. With my recent tank the paint started to scratch so I ended up scraping off all the paint and putting black vinyl on. Much better and will not have to worry about the paint getting sctatched

 

[juanrmattos]

Have you considered using a sheet of acrylic in your color of choice instead?... From what I read about the amount of paint needed to make it solid, it may even cost less

 

[themcnertney]

Have you considered using a sheet of acrylic in your color of choice instead?... From what I read about the amount of paint needed to make it solid, it may even cost less

It cost me a little over 100$ to get my acrylic pieces cut to size with black acrylic. But it was worth every penny.

I might steal @MJC's idea of painting the acrylic. Was thinking I could do one side blue and switch from blue to black depending on my mood.

 

[Bob Escher]

Ha mine came painted or rather a black covering. Of then again almost all AIO come that way. Darn I wish I could have a bigger tank

 

[Rhaegar]

I keep hearing that you should use Krylon Fusion spray paint. Where can I find this? I have looked at Home Depot, WalMart, and Hobby Lobby. Their website only shows where you can find Krylon.