Aquarium background gel
 

Quite some time ago someone wrote that they used petroleum jelly to adhere their background to the aquarium. I thought it would be such a mess.

Last week during the weekly water change I got a little reckless and some water got between the back wall and the background. The image stuck to the glass and it was an amazing difference - much brighter, much better.

Then I saw some backgrounds that came with an application gel....and then a product called Seaview Aquarium Background Mounting Solution....

Product Features
> Seals aquarium background for a flawless, illuminated view
> Easy to apply & remove
> Works on glass or acrylic tanks
> Non-toxic formula prevents condensation

Has anybody used this stuff or a product like it?

It is messy to put on but if done right it works amazingly well.

I have it on the back of my 75g background. You need to make absolutely sure there is nothing on the background before adding it, otherwise it will stick to it and show up.

I would recommend putting it on with newspaper on a flat surface, use a soft scraper (I used a rubber spatula) to remove air bubbles and smooth it down. You need complete access to the back of the tank while you use it though. It takes time to do it but it can be done with the tank nearly against a wall..best done with two people to keep the background tight while you put it on, if doing this way.

Do you apply the gel to the background or the tank?

Yea, this concerns me with the tank only about 4" from the wall in back and maybe 10" on one side. With the two foot height, spots might be real tough to reach.
The motivation is how much better I think it would look as right now you can barely see the detail and when the spot was wet it just popped.

This is where I ran into trouble. I still tried and I am sorry I did. It looks rough. I couldn't get it flat against the tank and all the bubbles out. I now have a smeary looking background. I am not going to try again as it could get even worse. Now, I just hide the poor job with plants.:oops:

An office supply store might have something that fits the back of your tank. Something like heavy duty paperboard. Then attach your background to it, smoothing out any wrinkles and then mount it to the rear using cellophane tape. The tape may loosen over time but just apply more tape.

I have a great background and it is applied with tape. The difference is that the gel makes the background more alive and vibrant since the image nearly becomes like part of the glass.