Painting The Back Of A Tank

[Flobex]

well... im trying to paint the back of my 20 gallon (its empty) and my first attempt failed... when the paint dried, i took off all my masking, and when i took off a piece of tape, and big piece of paint peeled of with it... what is the "techique" to painting the back of the tank right? is there anything special i should do? its a glass tank BTW

my dad suuggested taking off all the masking before the paint dries, but will the paint be fragile no matter what? i mean, if i bump the back when we move, will a big chunk of paint "rip" off?

[MattK]

What kind of paint are you using?

[Flobex]

spray paint...

do i need to buy a special kind?

[MattK]

Na, that should work. I was just wondering if yo were using latex paint. I used spray paint on one of my other tanks and it came out great. Just remove the tape right after you spray it. Let it dry for at least 24hrs so it will harden.

It will still scratch off if you try hard enough or hit it with equipment. I had that problem, so I used some old background scenery (ya know, that plastic sheeting stuff) and put that over the painted surface so my HOB filter and other equipment wouldn't scratch it.

[Flobex]

ok cool, thaks for the info. ill paint it tomorow, and telll ya how it goes :) well the only equipment that sould hit it, are the wires from my ligt, and the return line, so i hope ill be ok, but i may put cardboard, or something back there.

[Flobex]

i cleaned it with windex before i sprayed it... i dont have any cleaning alchohol...

[Euclid]

any vodka? everclear?

[TroyPham]

why don't you use vinyl. the stuff used for stickers. i've used it on my tank for years 5+ with out an issue. and if you don't like it... you can just pull it off with little work. change colors or what ever you want to do.

you can get it cheap for your tank. just go to any sticker shop and ask them for a piece. shouldn't cost you but 5-6bucks for what you need. less mess and easy.

[Flobex]

if the spray paint dosent work, ill try the vinyl, thanks.

[brewercm]

I used a latex on mine with a roller. Worked fine and would be easy to peel off if you decided you didn't want like it later. You can also clean it really good with vinegar before painting and the paint will stick better.

Just for info if anyone was wondering, you can also brush/spray tin roofs with vinegar before painting and the paint will stay on just fine if you wanted to paint one.

[Flobex]

well, i finished painting, and took of all the tape right away, and now the panit has dried, and no peeling or anything. i took it inside, so it can dry in here fully (its nasty/wet outside) so...yay :P

thanks for all the help/advice, i may have to repaint my 58 gallon now :P i like black instead of blue...