Want to paint bottom of tank with fish inside...

[Riv D]

I'm thinking of going bare bottom and I'm wondering if I can paint the outside bottom of the tank?
It's a 210 so I'm not going to drain it and move my fish around.
Thinking of using Acrylic paint.
So, will this be safe to do or no????
THANX!!!

 

[Bllib]

Not sure how your going to paint the bottom of the tank without draining the tank but, I have used an acrylic paint by behr that worked pretty good on my 220. It went on easily. Only 2 coats and it was covered.

 

[paulW]

If you are going bare bottom and removing all your substrate anyhow, why not just drain it and put the fish in temporary holding quarters for an afternnon..

I've painted bottoms of glass tanks. I just used latex paint and laid it on really thick. Worked fine. Obviously, a darker color is easier to get coverage. Latex dries quick, so you can put a second coat on if need be..

 

[Riv D]

Not sure how your going to paint the bottom of the tank without draining the tank but, I have used an acrylic paint by behr that worked pretty good on my 220. It went on easily. Only 2 coats and it was covered.

The bottom "Underneath" the tank.

 

[TheFanatic]

I'm thinking of going bare bottom and I'm wondering if I can paint the outside bottom of the tank?
It's a 210 so I'm not going to drain it and move my fish around.
Thinking of using Acrylic paint.
So, will this be safe to do or no????
THANX!!!

It will be fine. Make sure you wipe down the bottom really well before applying paint.

The great thing about acrylic is that if you don't like the color, you can easily scrape it off with a razer blade and start over.

Put on one coat which will look like crap and let it dry for a day and then put on another coat. It may take 3 coats but it will look pretty good.

I painted the back of a couple of my tanks with black acrylic and it looked great....

 

[Dr_Shakalu]

I'm thinking of going bare bottom and I'm wondering if I can paint the outside bottom of the tank?
It's a 210 so I'm not going to drain it and move my fish around.
Thinking of using Acrylic paint.
So, will this be safe to do or no????
THANX!!!

How are you going to paint the outside bottom of your tank? I mean, isn't it on a stand so how can you paint the parts of the tank that is sitting on the stand? The tank will still have water and fish so it's not like you can pick it up and paint the parts on the stand. Please explain how you are going to do this. The Doctor.

 

[TheFanatic]

How are you going to paint the outside bottom of your tank? I mean, isn't it on a stand so how can you paint the parts of the tank that is sitting on the stand? The tank will still have water and fish so it's not like you can pick it up and paint the parts on the stand. Please explain how you are going to do this. The Doctor.

I could do this with my 110 and 55. Both have open topped stands. Just a frame the tank sits on. This is fairly common. I was actually surprised that my 75 that I just picked up in December had a top on the stand....

 

[Riv D]

It's on a metal stand, only the edge is supported.
I was concerned for the same reason you wouldn't use windex on a tank, don't want any toxins going through the glass and killing everything.

 

[toxicfish]

It's on a metal stand, only the edge is supported.
I was concerned for the same reason you wouldn't use windex on a tank, don't want any toxins going through the glass and killing everything.

I have always used windex, in fact I've only used windex to clean my tanks... I see no problem with painting the bottom of tank. Your fish should be fine just be sure to ventilate very well.

 

[FireMedic]

It's on a metal stand, only the edge is supported.
I was concerned for the same reason you wouldn't use windex on a tank, don't want any toxins going through the glass and killing everything.

Just to clarify, glass aquariums are not permiable nor are the sealants utilized in their construction. If glass or silicon were permiable, they wouldn't hold water.

The danger in using store bought cleaning agents on galss or acrylic tanks is the overspray (tiny, misty droplets) that always accompanies its application. This overspray easily drifts into even the tiniest nook-or-cranny on the top of an aquarium. It is the ammonia (very high conc.) and other chemicals that then enter the water and harm the inhabitants.

Also when using such cleaners you tend to get some overspray on your hands without much notice. If you then put your hands into the water....well you get the idea.

Respectfully,
FireMedic.