Background colour recommendations?

[Matt15]

I've been tossing up whether or not to colour the background of my new 5ft tank.
I'm thinking that having a plain colour background will enhance the discus and plants colours but also help light the tank alittle more. At the moment its just plain glass and i've considered buying another laytex background but want to do something different this time.

Should I do this, what colours do people recommend?
Eg. Light blue, black, aqua blue, white, karki green?

Mat or gloss colours?

Also what is the best method?
Eg. paint, spray can, paper, adhesive tape?

[TW]

Well it all comes down to personal tase, but I like a painted black background. That's just me. 2 of my tanks, hubby painted with a paintbrush, but I suspect spray might be better (though there are absolutely no issues with his brush job - looks fine).

The new 7ft tank being made is going to be painted by the manufacturer before delivery. We don't want to have to move it a 2nd time.

[Hollowman]

Matt first question is what strain of fish are you going to put in the tank?
Reason I ask is because if you have Pigeon Blood, blue types of disucs, colour can affect their appearence quite a bit. I have had pigeons, some with minor peppering, that when in a planted tank, lots of wood, darker places to hide, the peppering is far more predominant, plop the same fish into a light painted bb tank, the pepper almost comletely disappeared. The fish looked like a new one. Also with fish like blue diamonds etc, with a darker background, they can and will try to blend in, and darken, this darkening can also lead to misinterpretation of illness.

Obviously you have to have what you like, I have seen both very dark and ligth backgrounds which have both been stunning, and show the fish off to their best.
For me, I use just white emulsion for the back and sides of my breeder tanks, and a very light sky blue for the bottom, I paint the bottom to avoid the mirror effect.For my big tank, I used the light sky blue for the back and bottom, but might change that to a white back the next time I empty it. I use a brush to paint it on, although spraying is an alternative

hth

Hollowman

[rwel4809]

I painted the background of my planted tank light blue and I'm very happy with how it sets of the plants and fish.

The nice man at Bunnings sold me this magic stuff to prime the glass with - ESP (easy surface prep) by Flood. You wipe it on with a cloth let it set for 5 mins then wipe off the excess - allow that to dry for 90 mins then repeat. I then painted three coats of dulux enamel in 'Lagoona Teal.'

It worked really well... the ESP creates such a good bond that you can't even scratch the paint off with your nails...

Any way.. that's what I did... I am glad that I didn't go for an internal background - they have only ever caused me problems, degrading or worse trapping tetras behind them.

Many planted tank people go for a black background, which looks great for plants, but I suspect you wouldn't get the best colours out of your fish...

HTH

Robert

[TW]

I've heard about the peppering issue to often enough to know it must be true, so if this bothers you, don't risk it. I've been lucky. This red melon (my 1st discus) had slight peppering when I bought him June 07 & even though gravel & tank rear wall are both black, I've gotten away with it this time. I probably won't buy another pigeon blood for a tank like this again, as I may not get away with it a 2nd time.
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l128/TankWatcher/165L/000_1988pepering.jpg http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l128/TankWatcher/165L/000_1997pepering.jpg

I didn't know about the blue diamond issue, but again, I've been lucky there too http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l128/TankWatcher/165L/000_2029.jpg

[Matt15]

Thx everyone for your replies.


Matt first question is what strain of fish are you going to put in the tank?
All types of discus strains are in the tank including pigeon blood and blue diamonds. I'm aware of the pepper issues with darker backgrounds which is why I'm leaning away from the colour black, so a sky blue might be the go. I like your idea of painting the bottom (for a bare bottom tank) which stops the reflection issue.


I painted the background of my planted tank light blue and I'm very happy with how it sets of the plants and fish.
Robert have you got any pictures you could post here for me? Sounds like you went to loads of effort to get it perfect.

[AHC]

I like the darkish blue look. You can always change it matt with a bit of effort but thats a hassel. I was thinking Blue contact for my next tank. Have you thought of using contact instead of paint?

[TW]

Why not experiment with a few different shades of coloured cardboard taped to the back of the tank. Leave the sky blue there for a couple of days, then try the darkish blue. See how you like the effect on this trial basis, before you commit to something more permanent like paint.

[Matt15]

Mate I used to work for a signage company here in Brisbane so i'm going to drop by there and see what adhesives they have. I remember working alot with vinyl which would work in a simular fashion to contact. And should i not like the colour can easily be removed.

Otherwise who would sell contact is large sizes? 5x2ft?

[AHC]

Ive had a quick look online and couldnt find anything straight away. I will keep looking and get back. I orginally thought using the rolls of contact people use for books etc and placing it down so you cant (or hard to see) the joins. Those rolls come around 2 2.5ft from memory.

[AHC]

ok, so basically i looked up some graphic companies on the web and made a few calls. They have an adhesive film that would be perfect for the job. I hope its ok to post this? im sure our sponsors dont have a contact adhesive. Sorry in advance and please delete if they do.

I called these guys first. http://www.visiongraphics.com.au/html/prints_grand.htm
They said they had coloured vinyl adhesive which can be made as thin as paper and can be made in any PMS colour. The problem with them is they have a minimum $125 order which means a bulk buy with someone. Not really a good choice considering other methods such as paint or Book contact. She said a 5 x 2ft tank would cost around $65 each tank.

i spoke to these guys http://www.johnsonprofessionalgraphics.com.au/. Who have a contact adhesive in about 130 colours. He said it would cost around $15 a meter which is great. At first he said he could do it (he is in sydney - tried to look for places in Qld). But then he said that he is a trade supplier and its a hassel if heaps of people go to him to get a meter here or there so would rather sell in bulk - naturally as they are a trade supplier. Taking this further, i said i was a member of a forum where LFS etc are sponsors (i didnt name names) and would he deal with fish shops. He said thats more his cup of tea being the trade supplier. So something ASA, Bubbles etc may be interested in if they dont have a product like this already (im sure graphic companies in different states would work with shops in those states. He also said 2ft width would be the widest he would make, but length is as long as we want as its a roll.

So, basically matt you may be able to get something from your old work being a graphics company. For anyone else - graphics companies may do it for you as a one off job (unless everyone goes to the same place and they get the poo's). All our if our sponsors have or get something like this we can go to them.

I like the idea of the contact adhesive (as aposed to pain or the vinyl). Its cheap, less effort and would work.

I also looked at this site - http://www.designyourwall.com/store/One-Color-Glossy-Translucent-Self-Adhesive-Window-Films-c-140.html

Good luck with what ever you choose and post some pics - as always :D

[rwel4809]

OK Matt here are some pics of my tank that I have just taken...

the discus are undergoing a prazi treatment in a hospital tank so I have taken the opportunity to take out the fast growers and rearrange things to make it more discus friendly - I had a carpet of tellenus before but it was hard to keep clean... also I had to prune the ambulia and rotala walchari twice a week...

So here is the new aquascape - I plan to gets some more swords to fill out the planted areas more..

Anyway this means that you can now actually see the background that was previously covered by plants...

[Matt15]

Robyn I was actually at spotlight yesterday looking at cheap wrapping paper, and thinking of just taping it on to see how it would look... :-)

Aaron your a champion mate, love the info thats great. I'm going to visit my old work tomorrow and i'll let you know what I end up bringing home. The hardest part is applying without bubbles but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve for that.....;)

Robert thx for the pics. The light blue certainly shows off the plants and lightens up the tank. I think thats the look i'm after.

[TW]

Someone I chat to on another forum keeps his tank with a clear glass back, but for different photographic effects, he temporarily places different coloured cardboard on tank back. His most recent was red (surprisingly stunning) & whilst I wouldn't want that & certainly not permanently, it's what gave me the idea to use cardboard as a sample to help decide what look you like. Just get some paper or cardboard the colour of rwel4809's tank & try it for a week. Then get the contact or paint or whatever, when you're sure.

[Matt15]

Robyn your joking.... Red??? Mmmm... i can't picture that but would certainly love to see it. Sometimes different can look fantastic. You never know, your friend might even start a new tank fashion... hahahahaha.

Yeh I might toy with the cardboard idea before trying anything more permanent.

[TW]

If you want to see the red background, have a look at this thread from another forum http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/threads/4662.18.htm?470# I hope it is ok to post the link. The link should take you straight to page 18, but if not, go to page 18 & he shows a shot with a green background, then scroll down a few posts & there is the red background. Whilst I wouldn't permanently want red in my own tank, I think it looks stunning as a special effect. On page 19 there is another shot of the red that is the same background, but he played around with the camera settings & got a really bright red effect. The ordinary red was better. Anyway, thought you might be interested to check it out.

[AHC]

Yeah your right, the red does like nice.

Matt, no problemo :) Good luck with it. Oh and i will bwe coming back to you in the future should i get contact. Will need to know those tricks you have!

[Matt15]

Ok, i purchased some Vinyl from my old work 1500x1200 for $30. Special price for an ex employee, so i'm guessing if I turned up off the street approx $50-60.

Vinyl is extremely hard to apply so I would highly recommend you either have somebody apply it for you or you ask for a demo. It's very easy to messup and make mistakes.

You'll need:
- Water spray bottle
- Plastic squeegee
- Sharp stanley knife
- Dependant on size of vinyl two persons

1. Ensure your piece of vinyl is at least 1 inch larger than the surface size it's being applied too. Eg. 24x60 tank requires at least a 26x62 piece of vinyl. Also clean the tank glass with metho or vinegar.
2. Remove the adhesive backing so the vinyl is sticky side up.
3. Using the spray bottle, spray water to the sticky side of the vinyl and to the back of the fish tank where the vinyl is being applied too.
4. Using two persons lift the vinyl keeping the tension tight between you and starting from the center, let the vinyl fall into the glass at the back of the tank.
5. Then both persons should let the tension go as the vinyl is sucked against the glass.
6. Ensure the vinyl is attached to the glass with no large ripples and covering the entire tank surface (having a larger piece of vinyl will make this easier)
7. Using the plastic squeegee start sliding the squeegee from the exact middle of the tank up and down pushing the water and bubbles out from underneath. Each stroke should remain consistant and even so that you don't miss any spots and work your way to each end of the tank slowly. (It's highly recommended that you spray water on the outside of the vinyl before doing this which will help the squeegee move smoothly and not rip the vinyl should a large unevan bubble be found)
8. Once this is complete and all the bubbles and water have been removed let the vinyl dry to the glass for a few hours.
9. When the vinyl is completely dry use a very sharp stanley knife to trim the outside explosed edges of vinyl.

:wink:

[Matt15]

...pics...

[AHC]

Good stuff mate, Thanks for the tips. Any pics from the front? you know us! :P

Hey, that vinyl - how thin/thick is it? Is it thin like paper contact? And to remove it should one need too, would you just peel it off and clean the glass?

[rwel4809]

that looks like a very neat job matt. good work!

Now let's see how it sets off the discus :D

[Matt15]

Thx for the comments.... :D
Give me a few more days and I'll take a pic of the front. ATM i've got a piece of driftwood leeching tannis like crazy so its more a green than a blue. But yes, it does look awesome. I'll put some new carbon in the filters and do some water changes to help clear it up.

You can see it here, but there aren't any full lenght tank shots.
http://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16207&highlight=

Aaron, vinyl is paper thin and very simular to contact.

[rwel4809]

I used 'purigen' to clear the tannins in my tank - you just buy it in a bag and add it to the canister filter - couldn't be easier - also it doesn't suck up the fertz like carbon and only needs to be changed every 6 months or so... I think it costs about $ 25...

Robert

[Matt15]

Yeh i've seen this at my LFS but haven't really taken any serious considerations to using it yet.
I might give it a try then...... :wink:
Have you got yours in a sock or stocking Robert?

[rwel4809]

it comes in its own bag...this is what I have:

http://www.aquariumsuppliesaustralia.com.au/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=786

I can't remember how much you need per litre - you might need more than 100g for your tank, not sure...

R

[Matt15]

Gotcha... yeh its just in a container at my LFS. But they might have a bagged version too.
Thx again.... :wink:

[FNQ]

Hi all

we did the same using black on our tanks. the vinyl is used on shop windows etc and can be bought from signwriters, who keep a large range of colours in stock. One tip they gave me which matt didn't mention is to put a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid in the spray bottle and give it a good shake before using. It makes the vinyl slide so that you can position it properly before you squeegee. This makes it easier to put on a tank in it's upright position.