Mel Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 I want to black the back of my new tank and am wondering if this would work? http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Cu ... 435454.htm anyone tried this on tanks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted January 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Sorry should also add .. what does the 35% mean, is it a darker tint? would 35% be darker enough? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 no it wont, if you wanted to tint your glass go with the 5% tint which is what is allpied to the windows of a ambulance but again this is stuck on so its basically a see through film. a black background sheet will be better or you could paint it. i painted my 4 footer with 2 test pots from resene. the % refers to the amount of light it lets in, 35% is let in on this were as 5% on the darkest tint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 100% should be black. anything less and you will see through it depending on light i think. edit or maybe not... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted January 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 i see, thanks for that smidey. has anyone tried it on tanks before. I don't really want to go with painting the tank so looking at other options. Do they do a black background? I just thought this way would be better as you'll get a better finish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 i see, thanks for that smidey. has anyone tried it on tanks before. I don't really want to go with painting the tank so looking at other options. Do they do a black background? I just thought this way would be better as you'll get a better finish i have had blue & black back grounds on tanks & they are never perfect. Are you going to be able to see this tank from behind? painting it gives a perfect fish from the fish side of the back panel but you will see the brush strokes from behind the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 spray paint maybe better? otherwise just some black card from warehouse stationary etc is what i would use. If not wanting to paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 tinting has to be stuck on so removing it could be as much of a pain as removing the paint. the back ground i have is blue one side & black on the other & it comes in a roll in different widths, i got mine from my LFS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted January 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 the tank will be hard up against a wall. what sort of paint did you use? my hubby asked the painter at his work about painting glass and he said any type of paint - in time - will crack and peel, thats why i don't really go that way. i was thinking maybe that stuff you use to cover books? or yes some sort of card board, but using card might go funny if water spills down it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Why would you paint the background when backing paper is quicker, easier and removeable? :-? Personally, I'm put off by any tanks that have been painted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 I just use spray paint on my tanks and have always done so.. I have only had one peel off and that was going strong for years and years and only peeled off when we moved and handled it.. Backing paper would work but remember it looks terrible when water does drip down the back and the paper sticks to the tank and also gets horrible water marks between the backing paper and glass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted January 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 the LFS down here only have the ugly picture backing, i will have a look next time i'm in there. But even the background is hard to put on nicely i have used it before and once water is spilt down the back it's ruined - is there a special way to put it on to stop that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 Why would you paint the background when backing paper is quicker, easier and removeable? :-? Personally, I'm put off by any tanks that have been painted. when you get water or even moisture between the glass & back ground it looks rubbish. If the paint flakes & falls off then the job is half done & the rest should be easy to get off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 the LFS down here only have the ugly picture backing, i will have a look next time i'm in there. But even the background is hard to put on nicely i have used it before and once water is spilt down the back it's ruined - is there a special way to put it on to stop that? thats why i painted mine, it looks awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insect Direct Posted January 21, 2010 Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 yea i agree with SamH. the tanks i use to have that were painted looked good but if spilt any water it left marks in the paint (maybe related to the sort of paint that was used). after a while some cracked and or peeled off but that was from water getting to it. Some tanks looked ok after years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Posted January 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2010 what sort of paint did you use smidey? but spray paint i guess would give it a nicer finish :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 what sort of paint did you use smidey? but spray paint i guess would give it a nicer finish :roll: spray will on the outside only, the glass makes it smooth as long as you have enough paint to cover all the glass i used resene test pots, its been a year i guess & is still looking great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 Why would you paint the background when backing paper is quicker, easier and removeable? :-? As Smidey said, stuck on backgrounds always end up with water marks between the glass and paper/plastic/card and look like rubbish, not to mention the unevenness, falling off, fading etc. Several thick coats of satin black spray paint (just the cheap stuff from repco) works fine, just make sure you clean the glass with meths and a razor blade before hand to make sure its spotless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oO SKIPPY Oo Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 i think the water getting between the backing and the tank is all up to how you attach it - i have it on 3 tanks now and dont have any water stuck between - i use double sided tape from one end to the other and down the sides making sure its all overlapped - if i had an empty tank i would have done the bottom too. the tape stops any water getting in between so its not a problem for me HTH Skip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 I used spray paint from cans bought from the big red emporium Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEE Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 hi there i think that i would just tint the tank darker. but it wouldn't give you the thick black Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 I don't put anything on the backs of my tanks. I'm too busy looking at what's in the tank to care about the backing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamkerrnz Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 The 35% means it will only let 35% of the light through. You would want to use a 5% tint to be the darkest possible. I dont see why you wouldn't want to use window tint, Water doesnt get behind it (like paper backgrounds), it wont be streaky or blotchy (like some painted backgrounds I have seen). Once you apply it, and allow it to fully dry out, it should remain pretty decent looking for many years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N1CK Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 I don't put anything on the backs of my tanks. I'm too busy looking at what's in the tank to care about the backing. I agree, the only reason I painted the back of one of my tanks is because of tubing, ect having to go right across the back of the tank diagonally(due to the lengths of some of the power cords ) and if this is going to be your planted tank, I wouldn't bother. As long as the wall doesnt have some ugly print on it :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted February 2, 2010 Report Share Posted February 2, 2010 The 35% means it will only let 35% of the light through. are you sure its not blocking 35% of the light meaning it lets in 65%? I have 35% tints on my car & its not much better than having none. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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