Paint or Paper the Back Glass....

[Anonymous]

Will be needing to mask off the back sheet of glass on my aquarium. I plan to paint it black. Will a gloss black spray paint work or should I stick with the brush on method?
Possibly you might have a better solution, if so, let me know.
Thanks
Clayton
DSAO

 

[Anonymous]

We have always painted the back with spray flat black paint. A few months ago we setup a 200 gallon tank and could not paint it because it was to heavy to move in and out of the house. We thought that we could velcro a sheet of black acrylic on the back. After buying the acrylic and then velcro we installed it. All was well until the adhesive on the velcro came loose from the acrylic and it fell on the floor. Back to your question, paper never looks that good long term in my opinion. If you paint be sure to cover the top of the tank so that no overspray can get in it.
My $.02 worth.

 

[Anonymous]

buy a small roller and a small can of black latex paint,,,put on the first coat then let dry a few hours and give it another coat then let dry a few more hours them another coat. if you try to put too much paint on it will take off some of the paint, make sure to let it dry for a few hours between coats,,, i did mine with a flat black and it took a few coats but looks great

 

[Anonymous]

A black garbage bag taped on the back looks good in a pinch but it mat get crudded up w/ salt creep after a while.

 

[Anonymous]

I used a small brush and small roller,used sea blue latex enamal ,taped sides off with masking tape, applied 3 coats waiting for each coat to dry and then finished it with a coat of water based varathane to seal and waterproof against possible water spills
looks great
worked for me !

[This message has been edited by Jegg (edited 19 December 1999).]

 

[Anonymous]

I have done it both ways (i.e., spraying or brushed on). They both work fine.

 

[Anonymous]

I have never painted the back of an aquarium. What is the reason to do so? Is it strictly for aesthetic reasons? Will it look better than the glossy paper I have back there now? What colours are best, blue or black?

Thanks,

-Nathan

 

[Anonymous]

using a "painting pad" gives a nice "clean" look. Be careful about toxic odors and an existing tank!!

------------------
brian
atlantisaquatic.com

 

[Anonymous]

1/8" black acrylic works as a simple alternative as well

 

[Anonymous]

Spray paint works fine. Mask off the sides and use several coats of paint. I did this to five tanks(2 55G, 3 20G) when I started working at my LFS. If I did it again I would probably brush a latex on the back as they dry a lot faster than spray paint.

 

[Anonymous]

Check with your local pet store. Mine sold this stuff that was almost like window tint. You just need to wet down the back panel and then apply the sheet of tint. It comes in black and blue, it worked great on my 135.

 

[Anonymous]

Another alternative - black PVC sheet, cut to size. I spent $8 for 60"x24" of 1/8" material. It was quick, easy, and if I change my mind down the road, I won't have to scrape paint off the glass with a razor blade.
-Steve

 

[Anonymous]

Spray paint in flat black works the best. With the sheets, you can get water splashes which leave salt deposits and look cruddy. I wish I had painted mine instead of the sheet I used. Oh well, lesson learned for the next tank!

------------------
ladyballplayer,
http://www.geocities.com/ladybeachlover

 

[Anonymous]

In the wake of these conversations, I decided to take the plunge and paint the back of my aquarium black. I don't think I regret it. Actually I quite like the "clean" look although I think it makes it look a little smaller, perhaps because it's not so reflective now.

Anyway, it was fun to paint it.

-Nathan