Aquarium backgrounds

[SoleMan]

Just got an aquarium background, and am trying to figure out the best way to affix it. Does anyone have any better alternatives to scotch tape?

Thanks from a beginner. 8O

 

[fishfreek]

Not sure what others use but I use the good ol scotch tape method myself. Tape one side and pull the backdrop nice and snug. THen tape the othe side. Put a few bits of tap on the top and bottom and its one there.

 

[Grant R]

I'd recommend a bit of double sided stuff, will make life much easier. The annoying thing about backgrounds ( as if they weren't already hard enough to put up ), is that they are rolled - :x

So it's a nightmare trying to make one straight, as it keeps wanting to roll back at you !

 

[SleeplessLwd]

The double sided tape is a great idea. I never thought of that. Thanks for the idea.

 

[Grant R]

Sometimes, the simplest ideas are the best.

 

[tyler_old]

i just painted the back of mine black and i couldn't be happier with the look of it. another interesting thing i've heard you can do is silicone cork bark tiles to the back of the tank. then you can staple plants like java fern and java moss right to the back and it will grow across.

 

[michealprater]

that is pretty cool. does it stain the water for awhile , like drift wood?

 

[CRaZeeeBiTcHisH]

that's interesting, does the bark deteriorate or does it stay intact? has anyone out there tried that?

 

[robertmarda]

That is a neat idea! Do most fish stores have java fern or java moss?

 

[CRaZeeeBiTcHisH]

i woul.d think so, as far as i know it is pretty common, at least it is here....

 

[cricket]

A year ago I put a background on my tank after putting a thin layer of vegetable oil over it. This helped it to stick to the tank, and the picture looked brighter. More like it looks before you view it through all that water, which tends to make it look dark if its just taped on. I still used tape on the edges though. This worked great, the only downside is just recently I removed it, and when I did the oil smelled a bit off. No big deal, I just cleaned the glass well, and put on a new background. I have since read of people using petroleum jelly, this is probably a better alternative to the vegetable oil.

 

[Deucecoops]

Background

When I first started my tank, I didn't like any of the backgrounds that I saw. So, I used some blue christmas paper. It looks pretty good! I just taped it to the back and I haven't had any problems

 

[Grant R]

Agreed, it can be difficult to find a decent background, especially one that matches decor / plants etc in the tank. I quite like the idea of a sky blue background at the moment, but not so sure the fish would like it.
I've actually heard that some backgrounds can affect certain fish's colour / pattern etc ....

 

[Somethingfishy]

I have a sky blue background on my 130G and it has brought out the colours in most of the fish, but that might also just be because they are in a bigger home

 

[Grant R]

Is that just a painted background ?
Well, come Sunday / Monday, mine will be in a bigger tank too ..

 

[Somethingfishy]

No its one of those bought ones.

 

[Grant R]

Not seen them anywhere ..

 

[Somethingfishy]

Try www.animal-house.co.uk

The site does take a while to load, the catalogue, but is good. I bought a whole lot of stuff from them, and they are pretty good.

They have some nice stuff.

 

[Grant R]

" No web site is configured at this address. "

 

[Somethingfishy]

Sorry there was . in the wrong place, try again.