painting back of a fish tank
- Thread starter mooch4056
- Start date
I spray painted the back of my new 30 gal with METALLIC black, with all the glittery sparkly tom-foolery. It looks sweet!!!!! Like stars at night kinda (If you use your imagination).
I used one can of metallic, and it still wasn't opaque. I re-coated with a can of plain black.
I think it looks great, I am so stoked.
I used one can of metallic, and it still wasn't opaque. I re-coated with a can of plain black.
I think it looks great, I am so stoked.
Ok, so there is some really good advice here, but no pics. I'm just trying to find a pic of a tank with black paint on the back, so that I can decide to paint mine. I will have to paint it inside (in the house, not inside the tank), so it will be rolled on. So if you have a tank with black paint on the back, rolled on, please post an image of it front and back along with a bit of how you did it and what worked/didn't work.
Thanks all! This forum is great!
Here are some pics of mine (spray painted). Painted inside the house, just taped off my other tanks with plastic covers so they were air tight, opened windows and ran a heavy duty fan in between and after spraying a layer. Paint is Kyrlon H20 (latex based). Awesome paint and I love the outcome. :thm:
A little advice though if you don't want to scratch the paint with HOB filter, paint it then tape a piece of cardboard behind the painted surface. It won't scratch the paint but will give you a little "cushion" for the weight of the filter the paint would not allow. Also, in the pics you'll notice the reptile light I used. Use one when spraying, it will show you low spots where you have uneven painted areas. GOOD LUCK!
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Not many detailed pics, but this thread describes mine:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=181540
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=181540
I've used both latex with a roller (lots of coats) and Krylon Fusion. I like the spray better. For me it had a better finish. I've got several spots in the latex tanks and haven't yet gotten one on the ones I sprayed.
If I ever take down those tanks, I'm going to clean and spray them.
Good luck with your project.
If I ever take down those tanks, I'm going to clean and spray them.
Good luck with your project.
oops, I think you meant to start a new post - you maybe should ask to have this moved or try again in the cichlid forum....BTW welcome, I see this was your first post and I'm new here too.
Just last week I scraped off the old paint and repainted a running tank! I use Acrylic hobby paint I buy at Hobby Lobby. It is fairly cheap and comes in dozens of colors. It takes several coats.
Clean the surface with white vinegar, it is cheap, works great and will not harm your fish. It also works great on those nasty crusty white deposits.
Mask off anything you don't want painted.
Apply the first coat and let it dry.
Apply the second coat but only go over the old paint once. If you try to keep painting the moisture from the second coat will soften the first coat and it will rub off.
When I peeled it off to repaint it took some elbow grease but a lot of it came off in sheets. Acrylic is water soluble to an extent so I used a spray bottle filled with water and a plastic scraper. Don't worry, in three years the background was not effected at all by water.
Clean the surface with white vinegar, it is cheap, works great and will not harm your fish. It also works great on those nasty crusty white deposits.
Mask off anything you don't want painted.
Apply the first coat and let it dry.
Apply the second coat but only go over the old paint once. If you try to keep painting the moisture from the second coat will soften the first coat and it will rub off.
When I peeled it off to repaint it took some elbow grease but a lot of it came off in sheets. Acrylic is water soluble to an extent so I used a spray bottle filled with water and a plastic scraper. Don't worry, in three years the background was not effected at all by water.
I used latex paint with a roller. A couple of coats should do it. Make sure that you use blue tape on the frame and tape newspaper on the side glass or you will get spots and splashes that have to be removed later.
Use poster board on the back (some silicone should hold it). It's cheap at supermarkets, stationary stores and will stop anything from scratching away the paint.
As for color I used a light green, figuring it to be a more natural color then black or blue. It has worked well so far.
To remove the latex from the back at a later time use a razor scraper and there is a spray chemical designed to remove latex as well.
Use poster board on the back (some silicone should hold it). It's cheap at supermarkets, stationary stores and will stop anything from scratching away the paint.
As for color I used a light green, figuring it to be a more natural color then black or blue. It has worked well so far.
To remove the latex from the back at a later time use a razor scraper and there is a spray chemical designed to remove latex as well.
i thought about doing that for mine but i decided krylon fusion flat black wouldn't produce as much glare when i photograph the tank. I also didn't want to use cardboard because it would just get wet and gross
