Why paint your aquarium? - Page 2

Jstdv8 · 04/26/2010, 02:30 PM

one less wall you have to clean

E-A-G-L-E-S · 04/26/2010, 02:31 PM

Many people have rock in the middle of their tank these days, with room all around it. So corals are all over the tank....unlike old days when almost everyone had a "wall" of rock on the back pane.

I have no idea how much it changes the PAR.

jimmyj7090 · 04/26/2010, 04:53 PM

I think we would have to track down Mr. Harker to get the actual numbers. That said, IIRC yes it was not a massive difference, but it was quite clear from the graphs he presented that there was a difference.

On corals in the back of a tank, well there are a lot of ways to set up a reef tank. If nothing else, keep those corals happy and after a while you'll have enough that that landscape in the back starts to seem quite useful, and the effect of depth can be very cool

Scubagal8 · 06/24/2020, 07:15 AM

Hi. I have a 125 gallon - the classic 72" long rectangle tank with two overflows. I am leaning toward painting the back of the tank but would love to know if there is any downside to painting it? The tank is so large that once I get it in place, I'll never be able to move it, so I want to make a good choice.
thanks for your time and any suggestions you may have.
Lori

Member No. 1 · 06/24/2020, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scubagal8

Hi. I have a 125 gallon - the classic 72" long rectangle tank with two overflows. I am leaning toward painting the back of the tank but would love to know if there is any downside to painting it? The tank is so large that once I get it in place, I'll never be able to move it, so I want to make a good choice.
thanks for your time and any suggestions you may have.
Lori

Downside:
1. Prep and proper paint.
2. If it starts to chip or peel.
3. If after a period of time, you don't like it.

I would use some sort of vinyl or other water proof backing. Easier to apply, easier to change.
Also after a while, the back glass will get covered with coralline algae anyway.

Sk8r · 06/24/2020, 09:30 AM

I'd go for well-applied sticky scenery: it's a LOT easier to remove. Or just wait for maturity, because pink coralline algae is very likely to take over the back glass unless you fight it. Having a wedge tank, myself, with no background but a lot of scraping. I get a beautiful reflection of the reef on either side, but I don't know what reflection an oblong tank might offer. One thing to point out: if you can't reach that rear panel from the outside, you are either hand-cleaning it with a razor, or letting the coraline grow unchecked. So whatever you do on the rear panel is likely to be obscured by growth.

04/26/2010, 02:31 PM	#27
E-A-G-L-E-S Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lehigh Valley, PA Posts: 7,038	Many people have rock in the middle of their tank these days, with room all around it. So corals are all over the tank....unlike old days when almost everyone had a "wall" of rock on the back pane. I have no idea how much it changes the PAR. __________________ Smug Egotistical Contemptuous It's difficult to get a man to understand something that his salary requires him not to.

04/26/2010, 04:53 PM	#28
jimmyj7090 aka John K Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Sudbury Posts: 2,367	I think we would have to track down Mr. Harker to get the actual numbers. That said, IIRC yes it was not a massive difference, but it was quite clear from the graphs he presented that there was a difference. On corals in the back of a tank, well there are a lot of ways to set up a reef tank. If nothing else, keep those corals happy and after a while you'll have enough that that landscape in the back starts to seem quite useful, and the effect of depth can be very cool __________________ my reef ate my wallet Current Tank Info: 57G, RBTA's Zoa's and softies

06/24/2020, 07:15 AM	#29
Scubagal8 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2020 Posts: 4	any down side to paint the back of your tank? Hi. I have a 125 gallon - the classic 72" long rectangle tank with two overflows. I am leaning toward painting the back of the tank but would love to know if there is any downside to painting it? The tank is so large that once I get it in place, I'll never be able to move it, so I want to make a good choice. thanks for your time and any suggestions you may have. Lori

06/24/2020, 09:30 AM	#31
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	I'd go for well-applied sticky scenery: it's a LOT easier to remove. Or just wait for maturity, because pink coralline algae is very likely to take over the back glass unless you fight it. Having a wedge tank, myself, with no background but a lot of scraping. I get a beautiful reflection of the reef on either side, but I don't know what reflection an oblong tank might offer. One thing to point out: if you can't reach that rear panel from the outside, you are either hand-cleaning it with a razor, or letting the coraline grow unchecked. So whatever you do on the rear panel is likely to be obscured by growth. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%. Last edited by Sk8r; 06/24/2020 at 12:23 PM.

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04/26/2010, 02:30 PM	#26
Jstdv8 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Wasilla, Alaska Posts: 1,420	one less wall you have to clean