Background questions

[smallblock]

First question would it be an advantage to have a background whether it be painted on or tape on to be light reflective. Usually people seem to paint the back black correct? a mirror would actually add a cool effect in my opinion but would the fish freak out and think there were more fish than that are actually there. What are your thoughts on backgrounds guys and if it would amplify light if the back was reflective.

 

[mapleredta]

Blue or black.

 

[smallblock]

wasnt the question chris!! What i'm asking is would lighter colors amplify the lighting output for instance if you painted it white would you get better lighting rather than black. Seems like there is alot of wasted light being absorbed by black when it could be reflected back

Saw you had a potential buyer on the bike good luck

 

[mapleredta]

I don't believe you will see any benefits from a colored background other thank a color pop from your corals with a blue/black background.

Yup, dude met me at the shop about an hour ago. We shall see.

 

[smallblock]

just trying to see if anyone has experimented on this topic.

 

[weaglereefer]

If you really want the most pop, go with grey.

 

[brianjfinn]

I think he's not really looking for color pop, but to recover light that is lost from either escaping or being absorbed by the back of the aquarium. I don't see any problem with having a reflective background, but IMO your display might get lost in a mirrored background. Worth a shot though, I think.

 

[dakota9]

Linda Lee started her first reef with a tank which the back piece of glass was a mirror. She hated it for various reasons, number one is it scared the fish. If you bought an aggressive fish that you could only keep one of, it would spend all day fighting it's reflection..

Probably not ideal...

 

[smallblock]

Thanks for the info guys

 

[shrimpy brains]

I tried a mirror once, but I just set it behind the tank to see what would happen. As atated above, my coral beauty and flame hawk kept attacking their reflections. I had to remove for fear that they would kill themselves bashing into the glass!

I have thought about painting various shades of blue to mimic the ocean, but I am not that talented, and no matter what you do, it will end up covered in coralline eventually.

 

[ricksconnected]

FWIW

i just switched my 27 into a 45. the 27 had no painted background and the 45 does.
the problem is, i got use to being able to see the back of the tank when i needed to in the 27. now i cant break the habbit. i keep looking around to the back in my 45 and its painted. lol

 

[rbredding]

I like a clear back... mainly for the reason's Rick just mentioned (if you're doing things right, it'll become covered in coraline algae eventually..)

obviously a mirror would act just like a (perfect) reflector and redirect the light back to the inside of the tank.

black absorbs the light of course..

BLUE is my favorite to see in a fish store, i think it really does a good job of reflecting the light and it also emphasizes the inhabitants of the fish, but for whatever reason, most tanks you see in people's homes are black, not blue..

 

[reeferboy83]

Has anyone ever painted the back of their tank after it was already setup? I originally went with background taped onto the glass but I am wanting to either paint it black or blue. Whats your guys ideas on this?

 

[dakota9]

Use a weenie roller and black latex....... Mask off best you can and remove tape while paint is wet. If two coats are required, you should mask and peel twice or you'll pull the paint off. (yes, you could score the paint down the edge of the trim to cut it cleanly from the tape, but may not have space for that if the tank is already set up.)

 

[jead85]

definitly be careful when pulling, ive pulled paint off the tank before. To do it while its setup i'd imagine you would have to do many thin coats of paint.

 

[buddyro]

I prefer blue, Just looks alot better,IMO....

 

[ricksconnected]

i wouldnt worry about painting it honestly.
if you must have color in the background, theres so many
different ways of doing it.
your LFS has different colored backgrounds.
tape it up and move on.