painting backgrounds

beetlebz

SO im throwing out my blue foil stuff backgrounds, theyre a PAIN IN MY BACKSIDE. instead this weekend im going to paint both tanks black (the back of them, anyway.

1) is any one kind of paint better than another one? Is it safe for the fish?

2) will using spray paint around occupied fish tanks be an issue? I dont have a place to put the fish during the painting process :\

willow

hi
i can't help with what sort of paint to use,however
could you maybe put a blanket or sheet over the tank,
just to make sure none goes in perhaps ?

Amphitrite

I would be wary of spraying the tank with the fish still in place. If you decide to paint the back of the tank, I would suggest sealing the tank with thin plastic sheeting and masking tape.

If you get black aquarium backing paper and put it on using cooking oil and a credit card to stick it to the glass, you will get the same effect as using paint - and it's more easily removed if you decide you would like to change it.

beetlebz

problem with the regular backgrounds here is they arent big enough. The only ones available at any of my LFS's are blue or tropical printed ones >< and even then its expensive because I have to buy the 75G precut ones and buy 2 at a time for my 110 gallon lol

i should just throw it out and buy myself a 55g like everyone else lol


it would be easy to seal up the top of the tank with some sheeting and tape though. or I could put it on with a brush :O

thanks guys!

herefishy

I'm just thinking outside of the box again. Have you ever thought about using a mirror? It would make your tank look twice as big with twice as many fish.

sazzy

mine is painted black with chalk board paint :D
i do like the mirror effect only problem is if you have aggressive or scattish fish you can stress them out, so maybe not a definate mirror just like a tinfoil kind of effect?

tangy

2 of my fw 10 gallons have the back painted black. one i painted with fish in it(not the best idea but then not impossible ) i just covered the sides with paper and taped them down with blue scotch tape to keep the sides from getting painted, the top was covered with a plastic sheet.

herefishy

I had a tank with full grown oscars with a mirror on the back of the tank. Before the placement of the mirror, I had alot of problems with aggression. (imagine having agression in a tank with 6 full grown oscars. Hard to believe, huh?) Anyway, after installing the mirror, aggresion among the inhabitants dropped noticeaby, except at spawning time. The main bullies were too busy trying to attack their own images that they left everyone else alone. As for skittish fish, I tried the same thing with a 70g blackwater tank containing many schools of tetras, dwarf SA cichlids, and a pair of Wattley blue Discus. The fish did not seem to mind at all that they could see themselves. I think that I even saw a few of the females apllying makeup. lol

sal329

I was thinking of painting mine black but I may go with black poster board.

Thumper719

i just have a poster of a dragon behind my tank
although, my tank is a 3 gallon... ha