# best way to make/buy a background



## ir0n_ma1den (Apr 27, 2007)

So basically I need to make/buy a solid black background. What works for you?

thanks


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

My 45 gallon tank now has a black background I purchased at PetSmart. It looks pretty good, but not as good as painting the back with acrylic spray paint looked. The advantage is that I can easily remove this backgraound in a few minutes, where scraping paint off takes a lot longer and is a lot harder to do on a set up tank.


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## evercl92 (Aug 14, 2006)

1. spraypaint
2. poster board and tape


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## cwlodarczyk (Sep 18, 2005)

My black background is several rolled on coats of acrylic craft paint - the extra thickness helps to prevent scratch-throughs.

An afterthought - maybe it should be mentioned that you need to paint the _outside _of the tank.


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## SnakeIce (May 9, 2005)

I bought a black plastic tablecloth at a party supply store. I did have to cut it to size but that was no trouble.


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

I like using the colored foam poster board from Michael's.


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## d.plant (Jan 5, 2008)

I used leftover black foam underlay for laminate flooring


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## guppy (Mar 7, 2004)

I have used black spray paint and it works well just have to tape up the edges.


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## Sphearion (Jan 28, 2008)

on my tanks I have painted the outside of them with both acrylic craft paint and latex wall paint, both seem to work well if you use multiple coats. Also if you buy the background and use the tape method of holding it on you can smear the tank with some vegetable oil (outside only on the back) then use a credit card or similar plastic card or even a squeegee to get the air bubbles out from between the background that sticks to the back and the outside of the tank makes the background much easier to see an d not so hazy


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## helgymatt (Sep 12, 2007)

I used a black sheet cut to size and tacked to my hood and stand. On another tank I have the stuff from Petsmart.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

I use polar fleece cut a bit long and hung from the top trim with sticky back velcro. I used 1" x 1/2" pieces of velcro every 10" or so and it's kept the fleece in place very well. Polar fleece dries very quickly when it gets wet and is heavy enough to hang straight without tacking down the bottom. Added bonus: it's easy to move out of the way to see what's going on in the back of the tank.


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## DMHdispute (Oct 23, 2007)

A few days ago i was going to make a thread like this one, the cost of buying a premade background isnt real high but i think for what your getting its too much. So i was thinking of going to a craft store and looking for some waterproof materials that can be used. But that fleece idea is pretty cool, being able to move it out of the way real quick maybe to see if you got all the algae scraped off the back or something like that would come in handy.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

Yes, and you can also check for missing fish or see how the bases of the background plants are doing. 

When on sale a yard of 60" wide polar fleece is as low as $2. It's usually around $5+ a yard, but even that isn't too bad.


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## SkinniMini (Mar 26, 2006)

I work at a sheetmetal shop & for my 2 tanks I cut sheets of extremely thin aluminum (can't remember exact thickness, but think it's .060)to fit perfectly , painted it black in the paintshop & taped it up there with a few peices of scotch tape. it takes seconds to install it & I didn't have to worry about moisture problems or a painty mess.


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## lauraleellbp (Jan 31, 2008)

cs_gardener said:


> Yes, and you can also check for missing fish or see how the bases of the background plants are doing.
> 
> When on sale a yard of 60" wide polar fleece is as low as $2. It's usually around $5+ a yard, but even that isn't too bad.


forgive me, I live in Florida so can't for the life of me figure out what you're talking about- what is polar fleece? Something like felt?


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

lauraleellbp said:


> forgive me, I live in Florida so can't for the life of me figure out what you're talking about- what is polar fleece? Something like felt?


I live in California and I am equally confused. Perhaps we should google it? I admit to being too lazy to do so yet.


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## Deni (Jul 6, 2005)

> Polar fleece, usually referred to simply as "fleece", is a soft napped insulating synthetic wool fabric made from PET or other synthetic fibers. ... Fleece is primarily used in casual jackets, hats, sweaters, jogging bottoms/sweatpants, gym clothes, hoodies, and inexpensive throw blankets, and in high-performance outdoor clothing. Fleece is a vegan alternative to wool that can be made entirely from recycled plastic bottles and is very light, soft and easy to wash.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_fleece


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

Polar fleece is different than what I call sweatshirt fleece. Sweatshirts have the soft fuzzy inner side and the smooth outer and are usually made of a cotton or cotton blend. Polar fleece is the same on both sides (soft, not really fuzzy, it's mostly pretty smooth), thicker and keeps you warmer than sweatshirt fleece, doesn't stretch, and doesn't shrink since it's a synthetic fiber. And (as I've mentioned in a previous post) it dries very quickly which is a godsend when walking a dog in 40F weather on a typical drizzly, drippy northwest day - no sodden fabric to make your skin clammy. It does a better job of keeping out the wind too.  Polar fleece lasts longer if you let it hang dry rather than tossing it in the dryer. It'll develop pills and lose softness the more it's dried in a dryer.

So I guess I should say polar fleece is a great background material for those people who live where it regularly gets darn cold in winter.


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## lauraleellbp (Jan 31, 2008)

Ok- sounds like the synthetic fleece throw blankets I have. Gotchya- thanks!


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## Deni (Jul 6, 2005)

I was looking at an AGA entry that had two different backgrounds, each for a different effect, and it occurred to me that the polar fleece would be great for that. With the Velcro (I love Velcro!!), switching from one color to another would be very easy. I could see having a black, a white, a dark blue and a light blue. Maybe even a fish print! or not


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## johnmiii (Feb 15, 2008)

On the cheap (and I mean REAL cheap) I have used black trash bags two seperate ways that I thought looked real nice. (when I told my friends what the background was they were shocked)

Just cut the bag so that there are no seams visible through the tank. You can either squeegee it on with a little oil for a strikingly black background or you can crumple the bag up as tight as you can in tiny folds a few times and it will present a pretty decent textured look. The version with oil doesnt need anything else to hold it on, and just tape the crinkled version on.

I have got to find my pics.


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## ir0n_ma1den (Apr 27, 2007)

^what kind of oil?


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## johnmiii (Feb 15, 2008)

3 in 1. It does not take hardly any at all, I applied the oil to the (outside) of the tank with a paper towel, and it's easiest to do pre-fill/pre fish. I got my best results working from the center out, and using my drivers license as a squeegee. You can use soapy water too but mine usually dried and peeled up eventually when I used it, the oil stayed and was not as difficult to remove as paint.

Another note: Not all trash bags are equal, some of the thicker bags are better for the wet application while the thinner bags will give you a better crinkle.


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## IbnOzn (Mar 16, 2007)

Black matte board works for me. You could probably get a piece at Staples.

Was also just playing around with some frosted mylar taped to the back of the tank, tipping my light toward the back so the light bounces off the wall behind the tank and comes back through the mylar. It actually looks really good! The light is diffuse and silhouettes the plants very nicely, kind of like an Amano photo.


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## Afyounie (Aug 10, 2007)

I know this thread is about black backgrounds, but I am trying a white background, and want to know a good way to make a white background.


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## lauraleellbp (Jan 31, 2008)

I'm quite fond of the black garbage bag, myself. Couldn't get any cheaper or easier, or easier to remove if you ever change your mind.

I'd think a white garbage bag would work the same way, as long as you go with a thicker ply so you can't see through it?


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