"Bare Bottom"

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haxjester

haxjester

Gambusia
MFK Member
Jul 11, 2007
320
0
16
Toledo, OH
I would like to remove the river rock from my tank, and go bare bottom. I know I can remove the gravel without having to empty the tank, but I would like to have the bottom of the tank black. I would like to do so without having to empty it out to paint the bottom. I was thinking that I could get a piece of abs plastic, or pvc sheet similar to what arl used in his plywood tank. Just cut it to the correct inner dimensions of the tank, remove river rock, and replace with the abs/pvc so that way its "bare bottom" and black without moving or emptying the tank. Sounds like a doable idea?
 
good idea although make shure the plastic doesnt float(i think abs does but not pvc)
this thechinque also helps to protect if you ever drop something in the tank
 
isint so that and leeches toxins into the tank?.. i recommend just emptying the whole tank out to paint the bottom and the sides and since your removing the gravel in whole, you will end up doing about a 50% water change to get the water to clear up. but if you do choose to cut a piece of black plastic, just know that the edges will catch bits of stuff and create a problem... so i recommend going 100% bare bottom all the way :headbang2
 
i know you dont want to have to empty the tank to paint the bottom, but i think its the best idea. you wont have to worry about anything getting trapped under the sheet of plastic or pvc. plus if you paint the back black and bottom, it ends up looking very nice because they are the same color and texture.
 
Thanks for all the input. I will go ahead and empty it out and paint it. Now when I do so, a friend recommends that I buy a 55g trashcan, and put half the water in there, and put that back in after painting, so its more or less a 50% water change instead of 100% new water. Does that sound right?

Also with the painting, Ive read that alot of people use spray paint, but has anyone brushed on with sand added to the paint to give it a little more texture when used on the bottom?
 
haxjester;1409557; said:
Thanks for all the input. I will go ahead and empty it out and paint it. Now when I do so, a friend recommends that I buy a 55g trashcan, and put half the water in there, and put that back in after painting, so its more or less a 50% water change instead of 100% new water. Does that sound right?

Also with the painting, Ive read that alot of people use spray paint, but has anyone brushed on with sand added to the paint to give it a little more texture when used on the bottom?
Click to expand...

Make sure the trashcan is totally spotless before you put your tank water anywhere near it (even though it's brand new) - rinsing it with boiling water and salt should do the trick.

As far as the painting goes, why would you want to add sand to it for texture? The paint goes on the OUTSIDE of the glass. Just a bit worried there that you were thinking of painting the inside.....

You might actually get away with just painting the back (or sides as well if you want) as the bottom of a bare tank looks like a mirror anyway unless viewed directly from above. (Light refraction or something technical!)
Clear a bit of the gravel away from the bottom before you do anything and you'll see what I mean.
This would save you emptying the tank if you have enough access to paint the back without having to move it.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks for the advise with the trashcan. And yeah, I am painting the outside of the tank, I just didnt know if adding sand to the paint even though its on the bottom would add some texture. If the bottom would become reflective, I might just stick with that then, so long as I can't see through into the stand, it'll work for me. If not, I'll just paint it black (w/ no sand added), along with the back at the same time.
 
If your worried about seeing into the stand. It sounds like you can access the bottom from inside the stand. Why not just use black spraypaint from inside the stand and NOT break down your tank at all, as not to disturb as much BB as possible. You will lose alot of BB, maybe all of it if you drain the tank and leave it dry for painting.
 
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