Backgrounds?

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pjos11

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Nov 13, 2005
Messages
41
Location
Ireland
Hi As a new starter I bought the background for my corner tank as recommend by the lfs. It is just plain sky blue. My problem is that when looking at my tank I can`t really see the BLUE, its almost like a mirror its very reflective. Got any hints? I tryed to copy the colour that the lfs uses. Is it because my tank is a corner tank that I can`t see the background well?
 
I used a thin coating of vaseline petroleum jelly to adhere my backgrounds to the outside of my tanks. It was a messy job, getting the bubbles out was difficult, and it needs to be redone once or twice a year as the vaseline dries up - but wow, it makes the colors in the background so much more vibrant.
 
I used vegetable oil for the same effect. It worked pretty well. I just poured some oil on a paper towel and used the paper towel to rub a thin coat of oil all over the back of the tank. It was a little bit of trial and error getting the right amount: just enough so that the background would slide with a bit of effort so I could align it. Then I used a plastic architect's scale to smooth out all the air bubbles.
 
Yes, it makes the colors stand out quite a bit more than just having it hang dry on the back of the tank.

Oh, and nice sig.
 
How does the colours stand out when you do this?
Well, the backgroud is kind of "glued" to the glass, so it doesn't have the mirror effect or air bubbles (one of my favourite problems).

I like the idea of painting the background (but I prefer black :mrgreen: ).
 
I just used a black trash bag that I cut to fit my tank and pulled it tight and it looks great. The fish really stand out against the black background!
 
I cut out a peice of foamcore and spraypainted it with a gloss blue. It looks really great and is easy to make and in the future.
 
If I paint my tank will the mirror affect go away? Does anyone have a corner tank that can relate to this?
 
try taking a page out of a magazine or something with glossy pages and sticking it to the back of the tank with a little soap or oil, you'll see exactly what painting or gluing a background with petroleum or soap would look like.
 
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