Why paint your aquarium?

[vaporlockv2]

What is the point of spray painting the back of your aquarium? The only thing that comes to mind for me is to keep more light in the aquarium. Is this a correct assumption?

[evsalty]

Painting is an alternative to adhearing a backing to the tank. It will keep unwanted light out of the tank. It also looks very good if you like that type of look. It can also help to hide the unsighteliness of all the cords and such running down the back of your tank. IMO it helps to keep the focus on the inside of the tank and not what is behind the tank.

[yongpanda]

In my opinion, having the back of an aquarium can be a good idea but only in certain cases. I believe that the cases in which a painted back would be better is it you have unessecary cords and equipment that you'll see through your tank, if the place in which you place your tank has distracting things behind it, and certain colors (i.e. blue/black) can give you a much different experience when viewing it from the front. However if you fall under the category where you don't have these things more so for nano tanks than larger ones, Going with an unpainted tank can also be a good idea. keeps things looking trim n sharp.

hope this helps.

[tspors]

Your Assumption is right on. Just a personal choice no gain or loss from it.

[drunkfish3]

Just a personal preference. just remember that if it is a reef ready tank don't paint the glass behind the overflows.

[Neogenocide]

For me....when the wife paints the walls bright orange, it looks ugly when that orange is peeking through the gaps in the rocks.

Scott

[Agu]

In addition to the above (hiding cords and other distractions behind the tank), paint seals the back from salt creep.

A paper or adhesive backing allows saltwater to get between the glass and backing creating an unsightly mess. You either have to live with that or remove the backing periodically to clean the back of the tank. A properly prepared and painted back looks good for years.

[jimmyj7090]

Actually painting or covering the back of a tank with adhesive may Reduce the available light in the tank.

James Fatheree (sorry if I miss spelled the name) did some light testing a while back and ended up with data that showed lower light levels in the back of the tank he was using which had a painted back. After some investegation, it turned out that this was being caused because there is an effect where the interface between water and glass, and then the interface between glass and air, both reflect a notable amount of light back into the tank. By painting the back, you lose that glass to air reflection effect and this can cause a measurable drop in light level in the tank. I'm paraphrasing all of this based on a presentation he gave at a local club meeting a while back. Not sure where a specific and more detailed write up could be found, and also not sure what the name of that reflection effect is, but it does have a name..

[LovinReef]

I painted mine to hide any pipes or wires. That and its also a nice contrast for my coral.

[vaporlockv2]

Wow, thanks for all the responses guys! I appreciate everyone taking the time to answer the millions of questions I have!!

[Nano Chris]

I like it because i think it makes the corals and fish stand out more.

[dwd5813]

the benefits i see are that it hides equipment cords and is more permanent than those stick on types. eliminating the air bubbles and salt creep that always seems to get in between those stick on types and the tank is a nice bonus as well.

[mikid]

we also had james at one of clubs monthly meeting and he started that painted can and will decrease light into the tank, so in my case ive just left the tank alone and painted the wall behind the tank midnight blue for the look of depth........mike

[Footbag]

My last aquarium, which is now broken down was in front of some of the ugliest wallpaper you've ever seen. Were talking cheetahs, monkeys and unicorns bad. I didn't paint the back and always regretted it.
The tank I just set up is in front of a not so great pine wall, but I just figured I'd rather have a black background rather then pine. I also think it is a must do with most bonsai or open spaced tanks.

[jimmyj7090]

I hang a black sheet a couple of feet behind my tank.

[hopple5]

i believe its preference. I like the black backs

[Threelittlefish]

Why would anyone paint a tank when they could go down to their local print shop and buy any legnth of self adhesive vinyl in any color they wished and put that on the tank?

[evsalty]

Originally Posted by Threelittlefish

Why would anyone paint a tank when they could go down to their local print shop and buy any legnth of self adhesive vinyl in any color they wished and put that on the tank?

HHMMMMM let's think about this one for a second. I have a 125g tank so it is 6' long by 21" tall. To get that vinyl would probably (complete guess so correct me if I am way overboard here) atleast $50 and I am not that good at laying vinyl so either I pay more for prof install or I fight with the bubbles. Now if I paint I spend roughly $10 for paint, $1 for a roll of tape, and $.50 for a newspaper or free if I just save all those stupid sales adds in the mail. See where I am going with this. Not too mention but but what if the cut is a tiny bit off or you start it just a hair off?

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

There is a line of thinking out there that a black background directly affixed to the rear pane will cause light loss in a tank. The black absorbing light.
In the discussions on this topic they advise having at least some air space between the back pane and whatever you use for a colored background.
Don't know how legit this argument is, but it made me take a different route.
I spray painted foam cut to size and then used velcro to adhere to the top and bottom black edge rims on my tank. This puts the foam ~.75" off the back pane but from the front it looks the same as painted. I can also remove and/or change the color for a $1.

[Schoeny]

I painted the back and the bottom. Both metallic black.

The back hides the cords and stops the water getting in front of paper and staining it or havin gwatermarks.

The bottom turned out to be a wise decision... My PH always uncovers one corner slightly, no matter where it's pointed, but now instead of the bottom looking unfinished, it doesn't look nearly as bad.

[jc-reef]

Originally Posted by mikid

we also had james at one of clubs monthly meeting and he started that painted can and will decrease light into the tank, so in my case ive just left the tank alone and painted the wall behind the tank midnight blue for the look of depth........mike

What type of finish did he use? (i.e. High Gloss vs Flat) I would imagine that you would get more 'reflection' with a high gloss finish vs one with a flat finish.

Im sure once your back wall gets covered in coraline, it wouldnt matter either way...of course unless you are one to scrape it off.

[jimmyj7090]

The issue is not reflection or absorbtion of the light. It's the effect where the interface between the glass and the air causes a reflection. When the back of a tank is painted, OR a background is adhered (including plastic backings that become stuck to the glass when they get dampness between them and the glass) that reflection is lost. When paint covers the back glass, the glass and air don't meet, and thus you lose the reflection you would otherwise get.

For example, look down the length of clean glass inside a tank full of water, looking the long way from one end. You will see a mirror effect. Now let micro algae grow on that same glass for a few days, or look at a similar tank with a backing or painted back. There will be less or no mirror effect.

[j5hughes]

Plus it hide anything that could be behind the tank, & imo it looks better.

[Ding2daDong]

So when you have lights and powerheads in the tank you don't see all the cords. I also like the look of black, makes you focus on other things in the tank.

hth

-Matthew

[evsalty]

Has anyone actually taken a par meter and tested how much extra par you get or loose with one vs the other? IMHO I can't see it being enough to make or break a corals growth.

How many people have corals behind their rock work anyway? The reflected light is only going to come out from the back glass so far. It is not like that light is going to bounce off the back glass and hit the front glass so why even worry about reflection. If you are that worried about reflection then use a mirrored finish.