What to use for a background

[Booswalia]

What do people use for a background on their planted tanks. Right now I have one of those plastic scenes, but I reeeeeally don't like it. I'm thinking plain black but I don't want to paint it.

[punch]

I just taped a plain black paper to the back of my tank.
But I've seen some fake rock walls done with styrophome that look awsome!

[djlen]

Plain black or deep blue really look nice in planted tanks. I have both, and also one with a rock formation. You can get them at
www.bigalsonline.com at a real good price.
Len

[ArkyLady]

I was wondering in a planted tank if having the backgrounds that are like an underwater photo would give the illusion of a deeper tank as opposed to a blue/black solid background?

On a funny sidenote, I put a photo background (plants and rocks) on a 10 gal that was full of mollies and guppies several months ago. They spent the first few days trying to swim into these new plants :)

[ChilDawg]

Styrofoam does have a tendency to float, so you'll want to attach it securely before filling the tank with water.

[superjohnny]

I use a dark blue cellophane and I really like it. My wife got it at an arts & crafts store for $2-3. It is transparent, but still hides the wall, tubing and stuff behind the tank.

I agree that the standard tank backgrounds don't look good. The fake scenes are tacky & expensive IMO.

[Booswalia]

Some good suggestions. Thanks.
I'm not dealing with an empty tank, so putting the backing inside is pretty much out of the question.

I should have thought of it before???

Perhaps I'll try to paint a piece of styrofoam black and see what that looks like. At least it won't be hard to deal with.

[ChilDawg]

The problem is that you have to keep the front and back of the tank clean, or else the background won't look all that good.

[mickey]

If you wanted to try the natural look, you could cut a peice of fine mesh,the same size as the back of your tank,attach some suction caps to it ,then thread some java moss throughout the mesh and secure to the mesh with some green thread.
Secure the construction to the inside of your tank then sit back and watch your handiwork grow into a beautiful background.
Cheers.

[Beth]

I found a roll of solid silver colored gift wrapping paper... cut it to size and tape it to the back with clear packaging tape along the edges. It is sort of plain but it is unobtrusive, non-fake looking (as in pictures of plants, etc.), cheap, simple, and keeps the emphasis on the fish and plants inside the tank.

[brianfl]

Sometimes, the back of those pattered rocks and stuff are black. Mine was and I just turned it around and now it looks great.