painted Background??

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nighthawk2207

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 25, 2009
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Cincinnati,Ohio
I seen a thread of a guy who painted the back of his tank
black is this easy to do or a pain with a tank thats already set-up
an running, do you have to buy special paint couldnt find anyting
on this
 
nighthawk2207;3266035; said:
I seen a thread of a guy who painted the back of his tank
black is this easy to do or a pain with a tank thats already set-up
an running, do you have to buy special paint couldnt find anyting
on this
Click to expand...

I would buy black latex house paint, its thick and easy to apply and if u ever want to take it off it will just peal right off.. Spray paint will be messy and car undercoating will be hard to take off.. Just tape off around the area u wish to paint and brush or roll it on..:D
 
Latex for sure..I did this on a running 55, major PIA..
If you must, use a roller with an extension handle. Put some cheap-o protection on the wall behind the tank. Give yourself plenty of time for the paint to dry. Probably need a couple of coats.
It`s not the painting that is the PIA..it`s moving everything away from the tanks back.
I would not do this again.
Looks good, better than no background for sure, but the paint is real easy to scratch.
 
I agree with the roller idea for painting an already setup tank. I did this on my 125. Probably didn't do a very good job at it, but it worked well enough. Definitely make sure you cover the wall behind it. You will get it on the wall if you don't.
 
I'd rather spray paint. I've tried rolling and the paint always pooled and didn't stick to the glass at first. I'd have to wait ten min and reroll the back with the piant that was starting to dry. I may have been using the wrong kind but for me spraying was easier and faster.
 
Any paint will work.

Latex house paint is easier to remove later down the road. But it will scratch of easily if you go to move some filter or something behind the tank.

Spray paint would have to be removed with a razor blade or chemical stripper later if you wanted. And it is more scratch resistant.

What ever one you choose just put a coat of it on and don't worry if it covers 100% or not. Then wait a day and add another. 2 coats has allways worked for me.

Just read the paint can and see how long you have to wait between coats. Most are ethier 1 hour or 48hrs for spray paints and 24hrs for latex paints.

I allways moved my filters and corded items to the front side of the tank while I was painting the back. When they were allready set up. And if you spray paint it lay a few garbage bags on top of the tank to catch any over spray from entering the water. Buts its not a huge concern.
 
That's why I said car undercoating. It sprays on easy, should only take one coat, and will not scratch easy at all. It may be harder to get off later, but I would assume that if you want to paint your tank, you're not entirely concerned about how you're gonna get it off. Simple, easy, effective.
 
The problem with undercoating is that it never fully dries. And it is a mixture or tar, rubber, solvents. And anything that touches it gets smeared with it. Its just nasty stuff.

Truck bed liner coating would be a alternative to spray can undercoating. And bed liner is a formulation of plastisizers and dries fully after a while or quickly with a baking proceedure.
 
roll on latex. he asked about painting a running tank, probably not a good idea to spray it...
 
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