# Aquarium Painting?



## Dewmazz (Sep 6, 2005)

Greetings form Hawaii! I'm new to the forum and I absolutely love DIY-ing. I'm having quite a bit of trouble finding black acrylic or plexiglass sheets, and was wondering whether or not I could paint plexiglass. I'm building an in-tank wet-dry filter for my small aquarium (10 gal.) and thought that I would just spray the plexiglass with black spray paint, then add a thin coat of polyurethane. Would this be advisable?


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## richy (Nov 8, 2004)

I'm assuming the painting would occur on the back exterior of the tank. In that case, I don't see much harm in it. I would rather paint a thin sheet of wood black, cut to size, and just place it flush against the back.


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## urville (Sep 20, 2004)

i took my tank outside taped of the top and sides on a non windy day and painted it with Krylon Flat Black Spray Paint. I think it looks great. Do several layers.


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## cferrell (Oct 5, 2005)

I haven't tried painting an acrylic tank, but I paint my glass tanks. I use paint brushes instead of spray paint, but either works fine. Tape the sides and have at it. Do a few coats so you won't see through the thin spots (paint bubbles). When you use glass, you can go back and remove the paint easily w/ a razor blade as well.

I use rustoleum. I've also used it inside the tank to paint PVC and have had no adverse effects on the fish - though it will "wear off" after a few months. You start seeing white specs - could be from paint failing underwater, interaction w/ algae (???) or even a plec rasping at the PVC. Regardless, no ill effects either inside or outside the tank.

I know my local glass store has black plexi. Maybe you could call a custom local shop? Maybe try eBay or something else online? I've seen sheets of plexi on eBay.


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## Dewmazz (Sep 6, 2005)

Thanks for the input. I actually forgot about this post, to tell the truth 8-[ . Yes, I have recently discovered that a nice, sharp razorblade is your frend when working with glass. Since I started this post, I've actually painted two 10 gallon tanks and my 29 gal. They came out just fine.


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## oztankgirl (Nov 10, 2005)

Ahh a razor blade.... I need to get the 'blue' off the back of my 45 gal.

Thanks for that !

Kerry
<_><|


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## tuvok (May 15, 2005)

cferrell said:


> I use paint brushes instead of spray paint, but either works fine.


What kind of paint did you use?


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## kilroy (Aug 6, 2004)

> What kind of paint did you use?


When I paint my glass tanks, my spraypaint of choice is Rustoleum Professional High Performance Enamle. I've used regular old spraypaint too. The biggest difference I've found is that the regular tends to run more. The solution is to lay the tank face down when painting so the back is level and to use one or two extra coats. The high performance stuff seems to stick to the glass a bit better. Supposedly automotive paint works well too.


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## tuvok (May 15, 2005)

kilroy said:


> When I paint my glass tanks, my spraypaint of choice is Rustoleum Professional High Performance Enamle. I've used regular old spraypaint too. The biggest difference I've found is that the regular tends to run more. The solution is to lay the tank face down when painting so the back is level and to use one or two extra coats. The high performance stuff seems to stick to the glass a bit better. Supposedly automotive paint works well too.


Thanks for the tips. Is spraypaint the only option?


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## kilroy (Aug 6, 2004)

In regards to painting, no it's not the only option. It's probably one of the easiest. So long as whatever paint is used actually dries and sticks to the glass anything should work. I'm sure some paints are more prone to peeling or chipping than others. You really don't have to worry about streaking or runs in the paint because they aren't visible from the front.

In regards to creating a solid color background there are other options to paint. There are vinyl cling backgrounds, etc. Personally, I'm cheap so a $3.50 can of spraypaint goes alot farther for me. Plus I like the look of a solid black background and I know I won't be changing it so I don't have to worry about scraping the paint off later.


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