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I just keep some black cardboard standing behind my tanks, can´t get any simpler than that and still it makes a big difference.

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So here I am once more...

i will do soon but at the moment i cant post pics. that tanks not setup yet, i only did the caves ect the other night but now i have to wait for my new stand to come before i can set it up ect... i will get pics on soon i hope, once ive paid my $20 or whatever it is?

Last edited by loulou at 14-Dec-2005 09:13

mrwizerd, check these out:

http://www.killies.com/Mosswall.htm

http://www.freshwateraquariumplants.com/christmasmoss.html

"I am a believer in punctuality, though it makes me very lonely" EV Lucas

do you happen to have any pictures of this?

yeh i have that blk polystyrene background in my tank, i just siliconed it so it wouldnt move,float or get fishies stuck behind it. its 3D so has bumps and hollows on it and to make it better i created caves in it by cutting irregular shapes and then removing bits of polystyrene with my stanley knife. yeh it was time consuming but my aim is to plant some Java ferns in the caves and getting some Java moss to create a moss wall. theyve done the moss wall thing in my LFS and it looks wicked, takes yonks for it to grow over entire wall but im keen!

Most have black acrylic paint on the base and the back wall, some have black, blue or caramel cardboard, and 2 have printed backing. The printed stuff looks lousy.

Have recently found some snazzy polystyrene backing for inside the tank, so i'm really wanting to see how that looks

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

On my smaller tanks, black construction paper taped
and/or cut to size, then taped onto the back of the tank with scotch tape.
On my big tank I have a black background that I purchased to size.


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Tape works fine for cardboard backgrounds.

Veggie or baby oil works great for plastic or LFS backgrounds. It really makes a difference using the oil .

^_^



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I paint the back of all my tanks black. looks much better that the plastic sheets that don't stay flat against the glass ...but do when any water runs down the back and you can see that spot for weeks until it finally dries!

what do you use to attach the cardboard, just some sticky tape along the sides???

I chose black backgrounds. Simple and really brings out the color of plants and fish. I am however intrigued with creating a "moss wall."

"I am a believer in punctuality, though it makes me very lonely" EV Lucas

Three of my tanks have no background but I plan to eventually add something

I have two tanks with a very dark blue background; two have brown mailing paper (light brown, just like paper grocery store bags, and the last has the matte side of aluminum foil which gives it an interesting look.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is water at the bottom of the ocean

Ok were talking from the tacky to the natural, the commercially available to the home grown... or none at all?

Whats behind your fish tank?

I was just asking what the consensus is, here in the uk youre lucky to find a tank that doesnt have a background of some type, usually commercially available plastic sheeting with pics of rocks or plants on, but I notice many of our american friends on fp dont use them. Whats your opinion and whats your preference?

Black posterboard on my 20G. and purchased black background for my 75G. both work fine. I alos had a purchased printed background of plain rock swhen I had my 5G. I am not a big fan of the photo backgrounds.

As of right now I ahve a black background on my 25 gallon. On my 10 gallon, I have one with a yellow tang swimmin gin front of what appears to be LR. I know its dumb but it is all I have right now.

I am still trying to decide what to do to my 55 gallon tank. I have not decided what kind of background I want onm it yet.


Christina

Well I have traditional green plant stick on backgrounds, it works well on the hex makes it look huge. currently the back of the 35 is covered in Algae so you can;t see much, really both the backgrounds on the 25 and 35 (when clean) blend in with the real plants.

My five gallon has a two laminated pieces of card plat green not sure I like it.

might change it to black, although on a small tank that might look funny.

GFG

PS
*illustrae - do have any pictures on line - I would love to see your fanasty background? sounds excellent


_______________________________________
Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
Harvey S. Firestone

I have black primer on two of my tanks and blue construction paper on the back of my 2.5 which fits perfectly. I have a commercially purchaced background on my 29 because I didnt know how attractive the black was before I filled it or else I would have painted it. Same goes for my 27 it was purchased with fish in it and if I knew how attractive the black would be I would have painted it first also.

But this styrophoam 3d idea is intresting... Anyone have pictures or instructions on how to make them or what they look like?

I didn't want plain black or blue for my background, so I went to the local drug store and bought some cheap wrapping paper in a design I liked (it's teal with gold wavy stripes) and taped it to the back of my tank. It's a semi-dark neutral background that sparkles a little. I find it quite attractive.
For my 65 gal. tank, I realized that the dimensions were 36x24, which happens to be the average size of most posters, so I searched and I searched, and I found a lovely fantasy poster of a waterfall, a sunset, and some lovely trees and mountains with a castle and some whimsical creatures. When I don't have green water and you can actually see to the back of the tank, it's quite interesting, and unusual.
Someday, though, I want to make my own 3D background out of styrofoam and epoxy.

Hoping that there must be a word for everything I mean...

Plastic backgrounds with plants and rocks. Because both tanks are low-light, the only red is the background rotala and the fishes fins!
I am thinking about painted styro though. I like that idea as my house temp changes so much thru the day and I like it cooler anyway.

"If you're afraid you'll make a mistake, you won't make anything."
-Family Circus

I have black on both of my tanks I prefer this to the internal shop bought types. I have seen some excellent home made units here on FP, Dr Bonke has possibly the best one of all.

Have a look in [link=My Profile]http://
www.fishprofiles.com/interactive/forums/profile.asp?userid=6741" style="COLOR: #00FF00[/link] for my tank info

[link=Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tanks]http://photobucket.com/albums/b209/keithgh/Betta%20desktop%20tank/" style="COLOR: #00FF00[/link]

Keith

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