Cali Kid Corals

putting a black background on an in-use tank

lol ok so whats the end answer? i kinda want to paint the back of my 60 gal. i hate seeing the equipment through the back, not to mention i cant get the damn algae thing back there to clean the tank walls LOL. anyone got a better solution?
 
What's your access like? Latex and a roller is probably your best bet as well if your back panel doesn't receive any traffic :) Be sure to open all your doors though and try to do it fast as you can. The fumes even being low-voc still suck for your animals. You may even will want to turn off your skimmer as it will suck in the fumes.
 
[quote author=Euphyllia link=topic=4314.msg53521#msg53521 date=1219588633]
tape the background on the outside back of the tank. That is what I did with my freshwater.
[/quote]

two words...salt creep. It'll go right thru taped edges :(
 
[quote author=ReeferGirl link=topic=4314.msg53517#msg53517 date=1219564123]
lol ok so whats the end answer? i kinda want to paint the back of my 60 gal. i hate seeing the equipment through the back, not to mention i cant get the damn algae thing back there to clean the tank walls LOL. anyone got a better solution?
[/quote]

just let the coralline build up ;)

after six months my tank looked like it got in a paint ball fight with with Powerpuff Girls.
 
just some wise words from an old salty....coraline growth isn't a good thing at a certain point. It becomes a huge sink for MG/CA/DKH. In a reef tank that is thriving with corals they will out compete coraline. My frag tank has zero coraline growth but major coral growth. My "display tank" has much less coral and tons of coraline :) They are connected via a common sump & fuge.

major coraline can be a bad thing as well if you loose power. It is an algae after all and participates in the whole photosynthesis deal :)
 
[quote author=ReeferGirl link=topic=4314.msg53517#msg53517 date=1219564123]
lol ok so whats the end answer? i kinda want to paint the back of my 60 gal. i hate seeing the equipment through the back, not to mention i cant get the damn algae thing back there to clean the tank walls LOL. anyone got a better solution?
[/quote]

So basically what Gresh said, latex paint and a roller. Might as well buy a dropcloth though. Cover up the wall anywhere near the back of the tank, as well as any area below where you're painting. If your stand is like most and open on the back, then cover that up too. My painting had a lot of drips going on, but then again I did it fast and sloppy. Looks ugly from the backside, but looking though the tank it looks like..well....a black back.
 
[quote author=GreshamH link=topic=4314.msg53536#msg53536 date=1219607127]
[quote author=Euphyllia link=topic=4314.msg53521#msg53521 date=1219588633]
tape the background on the outside back of the tank. That is what I did with my freshwater.
[/quote]

two words...salt creep. It'll go right thru taped edges :(
[/quote]

I have some thin plastic I got at tap that I tape on with no salt creep issues. Actually it pretty much just hangs there and it works well. I like it because I can change the color or remove it to see what's going on from behind the tank. But, I am able to access the tank completely from behind. :D
 
Access it completely from behind? Not many of us have a bathroom behind out tank that is 100% open to the tanks rear...you lucky dog :)
 
See but then if you had your skimmer up top and you happen to be sitting on the can you'd feel compelled to clean it, or at least I would :)
 
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