Painting the Back

brdracing · 07/15/2008, 01:40 PM

I am trying to find out what is the best way to paint the back ground of my 55g tank. Any help would be great.
The tank is not set up.
Thank you
Brooks

alextheromanian · 07/15/2008, 01:45 PM

well there are stick on backgrounds...

what i did was take painters tape...cover the trim on the side i wanted to paint...and used the color i picked to paint the back

best way to paint is with a roller ....to avoid streaks. also i believe youlll need 2-3 coats...i only used a quart ....well 3/4 of a quart of paint on the 75 gal i have

also if you get bored of the color like i did for the 3rd time acrylic peals off very easily with a blade making cleanup pretty easy.

what i suggest is picking the color you like...also take into consideration that your tank lights might make it more blue or white than it may look on the card...so take a few cards tape them togheder and put it in the back of your tank so you have an idea what the color would look like under your light.

hope this helped.

good luck!

griss · 07/15/2008, 01:45 PM

I used black Rustoleum spray paint and it worked great. Just make sure to use several thin coats as opposed to one thick coat to keep the paint from running.

freestone · 07/15/2008, 02:12 PM

I used a foam roller and some cheap black paint I had lying around. Once you get the entire back covered it doesn't matter if you have streaks, because you will only see the "inside" of the paint where its totally flat against the glass. The back of my tank is not a nicest paint job by any means but from the front it looks perfect. If my tank was visible from the back(freestanding in the middle of a room) I would probably go with spray paint. Since you're not set up yet you could do anything. My tank was already against a wall so the roller was the only option for me.

cornhusker85 · 07/15/2008, 02:36 PM

Easiest way to cover a the back of a tank is go to your local sign shop and get some vinyl (any color you want) and apply it to the back of the tank using windex. The vinyl lasts forever and will never flake off. I work at a sign shop and we do it all the time for tanks. People love it and it holds its color awesome.

neotracer075 · 07/15/2008, 03:41 PM

I used Krylon Fusion and sprayed it on. Worked great! 1 can did the entire back of my 72g Bow!

HTH,
neotracer

brdracing · 07/16/2008, 07:36 AM

Thanks for the info guys

fishnu · 07/16/2008, 02:57 PM

I bought a plastic sheet and cut out a square to allow my tank back to peek through. Taped the edges to the sheet and taped the bulkheads. Spraypainted with black spraypaint (Thought about Blue on the top half, Black on the bottom mixed in the middle.......I'm a diver. )

Looks great anyway..

biecacka · 07/16/2008, 05:12 PM

another option is to get a background drop from your LFS and put it on the back of the tank. this way if you ever want to change colors its as easy as untaping it.

07/15/2008, 01:40 PM	#1
brdracing Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Statesville, NC Posts: 299	Painting the Back I am trying to find out what is the best way to paint the back ground of my 55g tank. Any help would be great. The tank is not set up. Thank you Brooks

07/15/2008, 01:45 PM	#2
alextheromanian Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Binghamton NY Posts: 1,007	well there are stick on backgrounds... what i did was take painters tape...cover the trim on the side i wanted to paint...and used the color i picked to paint the back best way to paint is with a roller ....to avoid streaks. also i believe youlll need 2-3 coats...i only used a quart ....well 3/4 of a quart of paint on the 75 gal i have also if you get bored of the color like i did for the 3rd time acrylic peals off very easily with a blade making cleanup pretty easy. what i suggest is picking the color you like...also take into consideration that your tank lights might make it more blue or white than it may look on the card...so take a few cards tape them togheder and put it in the back of your tank so you have an idea what the color would look like under your light. hope this helped. good luck! __________________ i just cant think of any phylosophical, deep, critical thinking quotes right now. Current Tank Info: 29g Reef, 75g FOWLR

07/15/2008, 01:45 PM	#3
griss RC Mod Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: In The Jungle (Wildwood, MO) Posts: 29,214	I used black Rustoleum spray paint and it worked great. Just make sure to use several thin coats as opposed to one thick coat to keep the paint from running. __________________ George Current Tank Info: 40 Gallon Breeder

07/15/2008, 02:12 PM	#4
freestone Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Middletown, New York Posts: 211	I used a foam roller and some cheap black paint I had lying around. Once you get the entire back covered it doesn't matter if you have streaks, because you will only see the "inside" of the paint where its totally flat against the glass. The back of my tank is not a nicest paint job by any means but from the front it looks perfect. If my tank was visible from the back(freestanding in the middle of a room) I would probably go with spray paint. Since you're not set up yet you could do anything. My tank was already against a wall so the roller was the only option for me. __________________ Scot Current Tank Info: 75g w/ 29g sump with refugium, mag 9.5 return, 2-koralia #3, 1 Koralia nano, EuroReef Rs80 skimmer, PhosBan Reactor 150, T5 lighting:(2) 24w tru 10,000k, (2) 54w tru 10,000k, (2) 54w tru actinic

07/15/2008, 03:41 PM	#6
neotracer075 Premium Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Youngstown, Ohio Posts: 127	Spray it!! I used Krylon Fusion and sprayed it on. Worked great! 1 can did the entire back of my 72g Bow! HTH, neotracer __________________ 72g Bowfront with Oak stand, 48" Nova Extreme Pro, Octopus NW200 Skimmer, DIY PVC Overflow, 36g Rubbermaid sump, 110 lbs Key West base rock!! LPS, Shrooms, & Ricordia! Current Tank Info: 72g Bowfront FOWLR as I have moved the FW Cichlids to my 45g. Planning to go on to Reef after I get the hang of things in the marine environment.

07/15/2008, 02:36 PM	#5
cornhusker85 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Cape Coral,FL Posts: 70	Easiest way to cover a the back of a tank is go to your local sign shop and get some vinyl (any color you want) and apply it to the back of the tank using windex. The vinyl lasts forever and will never flake off. I work at a sign shop and we do it all the time for tanks. People love it and it holds its color awesome.

07/16/2008, 07:36 AM	#7
brdracing Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Statesville, NC Posts: 299	Thanks for the info guys

07/16/2008, 02:57 PM	#8
fishnu Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Naperville, IL Posts: 439	I bought a plastic sheet and cut out a square to allow my tank back to peek through. Taped the edges to the sheet and taped the bulkheads. Spraypainted with black spraypaint (Thought about Blue on the top half, Black on the bottom mixed in the middle.......I'm a diver. ) Looks great anyway.. __________________ I'd rather be good slow than bad fast. Current Tank Info: 75G DAS flatback hex rebuilt, stripped stained mahogany and spar varnished; 30G sump, 90 Lb LR, ASMG2, 2X150HQI, 2X96 Actinics, Ocean Runner 6500, Aquacontroller 3

07/16/2008, 05:12 PM	#9
biecacka Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Columbus Ohio Posts: 6,361	another option is to get a background drop from your LFS and put it on the back of the tank. this way if you ever want to change colors its as easy as untaping it.