About to set up my new/used 450g. The paper was left on the bottom of the tank by the previous owner. It's not in perfect condition so I'd rather not leave it as is where I can see ripped paper through the bottom. I will absolutely be leaving it bare bottom. I know I've researched and removed old paper before and it's not fun... Unless there's some new easy way to remove it??? Assuming I leave it... what are your suggestions on how to have a white bare bottom? I will consider tiles. I think I like that look. How has your experience been with waste build up under the tiles? My main reason for bare bottom is ease of cleaning.
White bottom for acrylic bare bottom
- Thread starter Danh
- Start date
Personally, the best way is to paint the bottom. U can use an electric sander to get the paper off. Even if the bottom is scuffed up from the sander after its painted it will be “clear” from the inside. Its not too terrible to get old paper off. Spray bottle of warm water and a paint scraper works fairly quickly. Again, no worry of any scratches as they are hidden by the paint and not seen from inside the tank.
Ive heard of people using epoxy paint like pond armour on the inside as well. Not sure how long that will last tho over time.
Ive heard of people using epoxy paint like pond armour on the inside as well. Not sure how long that will last tho over time.
get a hair dryer out and warm it up. the adhesive used on the paper for acrylic softens up with warmth, i just peeled 5 sheets worth and it made it super easy
I don't care for the look of bare bottom, but as long as there are no burrowing or "earth-eating" type fish in the tank I can certainly see the benefit from a maintenance aspect; I have several tanks myself that I keep bare bottom for that reason. But I don't like just the smooth glass or epoxy (or in your case, acrylic) surface. I usually use 12-inch ceramic tiles to cover the bottom; just fit them carefully in place, cutting a couple at the end to get a nice fit. I like the rough-surface, textured tiles.
I always run a tiny bead of silicone all the way around the bottom surface of each tile, maybe a half-inch from the edge, and then set the tile buttom-surface-downwards on a sheet of waxed paper allow the silicone to set. This creates a thin silicone cushion on which the tile sits, hopefully to prevent detritus from insinuating itself underneath. I then lay the tiles in place with the tank at least half full of water, so that the gap underneath is filled with water rather than air. I never had an issue with debris building up under the tiles, and when doing a bottom siphon I run the mouth of the tube along each seam to suck out any that settles in the gap...although I frankly think that this is a waste of time as very little comes out. I actually siliconed all the joints between tiles on one tank, but now I am always expecting to break one of those tiles, so won't be doing that again...
Another thing I have toyed with is using one of the textured "luxury vinyl" type floor tiles. They are completely waterproof, much lighter and thinner than ceramic, look great, and have enough texture to them although they aren't "sculptured" on the surface like my favourite ceramics. They snap together at the edges so they can be made into a solid floor, rather than individual open seams between the tiles. I have no idea if they are non-toxic; I have a tank set up with them for a few months now and no problems...so far...
I always run a tiny bead of silicone all the way around the bottom surface of each tile, maybe a half-inch from the edge, and then set the tile buttom-surface-downwards on a sheet of waxed paper allow the silicone to set. This creates a thin silicone cushion on which the tile sits, hopefully to prevent detritus from insinuating itself underneath. I then lay the tiles in place with the tank at least half full of water, so that the gap underneath is filled with water rather than air. I never had an issue with debris building up under the tiles, and when doing a bottom siphon I run the mouth of the tube along each seam to suck out any that settles in the gap...although I frankly think that this is a waste of time as very little comes out. I actually siliconed all the joints between tiles on one tank, but now I am always expecting to break one of those tiles, so won't be doing that again...
Another thing I have toyed with is using one of the textured "luxury vinyl" type floor tiles. They are completely waterproof, much lighter and thinner than ceramic, look great, and have enough texture to them although they aren't "sculptured" on the surface like my favourite ceramics. They snap together at the edges so they can be made into a solid floor, rather than individual open seams between the tiles. I have no idea if they are non-toxic; I have a tank set up with them for a few months now and no problems...so far...
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depends on what brand you use. some acrylic. i have got the acrylic with the blue plastic protective tape. that comes off easy. the paper will tear often if its cold. its not an old tank issue specifically. half the walk through videos of working with acrylic talk about how hard the paper can be to remove.
Probably have to strip it off with a sander. The white makes this more complicated imo, youre gonna have to get every little bit off if you dont want it showing up against the white. You may even want to polish the bottom panel (to your liking of course), I feel like if you went with a dark color it would effectively hide the scuffs but with white you may see "smudges" from the sanding.
