Tank background black faded

[Oaktree15]

Why does my black background look like it is faded? There are also smudges on the glass, is it because there are smudges between the paper back black cardboard background? I want it to be a solid black and not have smudges, would it be better if I painted the back black instead? I try to wipe them off from the inside but they won't come off

[pyithar]

i painted my background to get a smooth looking surface but i don't really care about that anymore. it's not very easy for me to clean the background spotless and i'm a lazy person. so over time, spirorbid worms and coralline algae grew on it.

[smeesh726]

Originally Posted by Oaktree15

Why does my black background look like it is faded? There are also smudges on the glass, is it because there are smudges between the paper back black cardboard background? I want it to be a solid black and not have smudges, would it be better if I painted the back black instead? I try to wipe them off from the inside but they won't come off

If the smudges aren't coming off when you wipe from the inside, i'd say they're between the paper and glass. I'm not sure how easy it would be to paint since the tank is now up and running, but if you do decide to paint it, obviously clean the outside glass extremely well and ensure all fingerprints and smudges are gone before paint goes on. You could just let coraline grow on the back and in time you won't even notice the smudges anymore.

[scottishbloke]

I use the laminated backgrounds you can find at almost any LFS- usually they will have either black or deep blue on one side and some kind of cheesy underwater scene on the other. They are available in all different sizes. Measure the glass height and length of the back of your tank, select the right height of background at the LFS and then cut the length of it to your needs. I then use clear sticky tape (extra-wide clear packing tape works best) to attach it at each side- make sure it is pulled tight against the glass so that it looks nice and black. The beauty of this method is that the background you chose can easily be detached on one (or both) sides if you get salt creep between background and glass and want to clean, or you want to change your background to a different color etc. The laminated background is also waterproof, unlike black cardboard or paper and is more saturated color-wise. Painting does work of course, but makes changing the background color kind of hard should you change your mind- you would have to scrape it all off with a razor blade and then redo it. I've used the laminated background method for many years on all my FW planted tanks and now also on my 12g long nano reef. Just my 2 cents.

Have a good one,

Colin

[cjmdh]

One of my LFS recommended using contact paper for cabinets. I used black and I can honestly say it was a great idea. No tape no fading and it's not permanent.


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[scottishbloke]

The contact paper is a cool idea- I've never seen it in black, only white or similar. I may try that next time

[vashawn]

I painted my back ground 3 diff colors. was mad time consuming. all flat.
i started the bottom with 2 diff shades of black starting with a deep black.
and finish with a really deep blue black. all 3 colors were blended where they meet.
sorry i dont have a pic right now

[flooddc]

I used auto window tint (the darkest one you can buy). Works awesome thus far.

[gallegos]

I paint my background