Brody4 Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 Went into Bunnings to buy some black paint to paint the back of my tank. This would seem to be a reasonably easy request.....apparently not! They could not sell me anything as they could only recommend a primer first followed by a coat of black paint. The primer is designed to etch into the glass to allow the paint to adhere - the primer was grey, so in fact that is what you would see. Surely there must be something available, as so many tanks are just painted. Any ideas anyone?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 Black spraypaint is what i ised :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faran Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 Black vinyl is what I used and highly recommend to anyone thinking about a background. Applies easily with some water and detergent and is permanent until you decide to remove it. If you get proper 3M stuff it won't even leave a residue when removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richms Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 I had issues with spraypaint where it was pulling back from various spots on the tank, and I had to really layer it on to get a solid coating. I think it took about 4 coats. What I did was lie the tank down on its front and put a light in it, kept going till I could see no more light shining thru it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ant N Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 Vinyl etch primer....PA10.... comes in black, grey and red(oxide) avaliable in spray cans, messy otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 Satin black spray cans from Supercheap Auto FTW!! Clean the back of the tank (outside :roll:) with meths and a paper towel and allow to dry. Mask the rest of the tank off so its completely covered and sealed from any overspray. Do 2-4 coats and check to make sure you get good coverage by looking thru the front panel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Afrikan Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 We just used black spray paint from Super Cheap Auto.... went through a few cans for our 8fter :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrie Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 Bunnings are correct but the level of finish and the lenght of time you need it to last is different to what they are thinking. Problem with paint is that it moves in a different time frame to what glass moves and as the paint cant stick long term to glass, it slowly breaks down through movement. Spray cans will do the job near enough. Splash backs behind oven are an example of straight paint being useless for the expansion retraction movement and to give you an idea, the meadium for allowing the paint to stick long term costs about $5000 per letre... not very much is used of course. As a back ground, Vynal is probably the best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ant N Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 I just paint poly (acrylic paint) and jam it onto back of tank, small blobs of silicone in each corner hold it in place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrie Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 thats also what I did Ants and it has the advantage of adding a bit of depth and texture as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 Problem with paint is that it moves in a different time frame to what glass moves and as the paint cant stick long term to glass, it slowly breaks down through movement. How long-term are you talking? I've seen some pretty old tanks with painted backs and they looked fine. I guess for the life of an average aquarium it would be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 Mines been painted for a couple of years now and no sign of it coming off, the tank before that was second hand and had been painted for 5-6 years at a guess. I made sure it was very clean before I started and did lots of light coats (spray can) to stop it from running. Because the coats are so light it only took a few minutes to dry before I put on the next one. I cleaned the glass with isopropyl alcohol. Fish tank glass doesn't move that much because the temperature is pretty constant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrie Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 I agree that it moves a lot less but it depends on the room temperature as well. Have a look at shop windows and you will often see the paint falling of. Time frame... impossible to tell as it is depending on room temps as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted July 15, 2008 Report Share Posted July 15, 2008 I agree that it moves a lot less but it depends on the room temperature as well. Have a look at shop windows and you will often see the paint falling of. Time frame... impossible to tell as it is depending on room temps as well Like Suphew says, fish tank glass doesn't change temperature very much. Unless your house is well below 0° or like 70°+ the temp of the glass surface is going to be within a degree or so of the tank water temp and that shouldn't be ranging more than a few degrees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrie Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 the same with a shop front glass... the difference inbetween the front surface and the back surface of the glass is very small but hands up who hasnt seen paint comming off a shop front I dont really care if you paint or not... I simply tried to back up the advice that Bunnings gave and my experiance in glass that is now 41 years. Do you need that paint to last for 5,10 or 25 years? I dont know and to be honest dont really care but if the paint lifts, at least you will know why. Simple. Each member knows what they want and expect. Thats all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brody4 Posted July 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 Thanks for all the advice guys. It sounds like it can be as complicated or as simple as I wish it to be. I will check out the vinyal option, along with the spraycan option (6ft tank) and will go from there. It is just good to know that this has been done before. It does not need to last a lifetime, but does have to look good for a reasonable amount of time. Will pass on the primer etching as this sounds like it marks the glass, therefore limiting my options in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deno Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 I bought a sheet of polystyrene to insulate the back and sides of my tank and I have painted them with cheap charcoal fence stain. These will be glued to the glass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted September 3, 2008 Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 I just used basic art/poster paint. Works fine, though not overly adhesive (don't stick anything on with sellotape after). I just used what I had. I imagine spraypaint is better. With it lasting..... at least I can remove mine very easily if I so desired. Say if the front got all scratched and I wanted to turn it around..... or something. There are plusses and minuses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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