Black background...Painted or stuck on?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Lepisosteus platyrhincus;3132602; said:
latex paint, i think it is. comes off in huge pieces if you want to take it off.
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I have several tanks with the backs, bottoms and some with sides painted with standard latex house paint. It peels off very easily when I want it to... I've never had problems with it getting wet... I've never had a tank that I painted peel off expect when I wanted it to... although I do have some used tanks with paint peeling off although I do not know what kind of paint the original owner used...

Besides, if every 5~10 years you need to repaint the tank... chances are every 5~10 years you could use a full remodel of the tank... I have tanks that I painted with latex house paint that have lasted 5+ years...

I’ve also used spray paint, which is far messier to use and far harder to scrape off… I’ll never make that mistake again…

Something else to keep in mind... any paint you use (flat, semi-gloss or high gloss) will appear high gloss when used on the back of a tank. Since the viewing surface will be seen through the glass... it will be perfectly smooth and the glass itself causes the high gloss sheen.
 
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

I was going to spray paint the back of the tank, but I am glad I read your post in time now I am going to paint it with latex house paint.

Oh and does it matter if it is indoor or outdoor paint?
 
i used the darkest static cling car window tint i could find. was in expensive and easy to use. i did use some tape in the corners because i didnt cut it exact. i didnt feel like emptying the 120 out and doing it exact.
 
for one of my tanks, I used the original rattle spray can from HD. If you intend on spraypainting it, just make sure you add a second coat to prevent see throughs after the paint is dry. In the daytime, you can see through the black because it wasn't enough coat. It is hard to scrape off and causes a mess if such a display tank was located in a living room/dining room/etc.

This time i decided to just slap on a black background from the local lfs and see how that works out. The only advantage I see with painting the background is that you eliminate the glares that you get from using a standard wallpaper. I see no real advantage that painting has over wallpaper besides the glare.

Im happy with the regular black wallpaper than I was with the paint. if i decide to change up the mood and switch bckgrounds, i can simply remove the wallpaper and turn it to the other side, or grab another one without headache.

If you want to paint the sides as well, then I can see paint being a better option because it would look better on the outside with paint on the sides instead of a wallpaper.
 
Texs;3133694; said:
Oh and does it matter if it is indoor or outdoor paint?
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If they cost the same or was within a dollar or two I would use outdoor...

But if it was more than that... or if you have the color you want already... I wouldn't hesitate to use indoor paint...

My 125 gal is painted with the exact same color paint as the wall it (was originally) sitting on... which made the back of the tank and the wall blend in together very well... Which was painted with indoor grade paint... and has looked great for several years...

The one warning/suggestion I would make... if you use HOBs then put a piece of paper/cardboard/something between the filter and the tank. If it sits in the same place for an extended period the the paint will stick to the plastic and then pull off when you remove the filter. Although if/when this happens you can dab a bit of paint back on to replace the blemish, provided you saved the extra paint ;)
 
I just smear vaseline on the glass, apply glossy black background, and use a straight edge to smooth it down. Looks pretty good, can be a little difficult to get out the smaller air bubbles.
 
Use indoor or indoor/outdoor paint. Straight exterior paint often has mildewcide in it and at best it will stink, at worst it will kill your fish with fumes. Cheap latex enamel works best. Avoid getting it wet the first week. It dries quick, but takes about a week to cure.

I sold paint for 5 years, does it show? ;)
 
I would not paint it. its a PITA to get off and if you ever want to swap the tank around because the front is to scratched up, well you can't until you scrape the paint off.

Use a black background and buy yourself some SeeView Background Sealant.
http://www.warehouse-aquatics.co.uk/sea-view-aquarium-background-sealant-3097-p.asp

Its great stuff. It does not try but it a gel that you put between the background and the glass.
 
Anybody else have any thoughts on using oil-based paint? Sorry to harp on this but my lfs swears by it yet most of your posts concern latex.....
 
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