How to install background?

[TaknByD]

I didn't know where to post this thread, but I had bought some background paper for my fish tank from the lfs and was wondering what is the best way to put in on the glass... I guess it would have been best if I had done it before putting all the water in my tank, but since that is not the case then what is the best way. I have seen it taped onto the back and I have heard of certain glues. What is best? Thanks in advance...

[Europhyllia]

you can use something like SeaView to adhere it

[jroescher]

Tape would be the simplest. I would suggest putting a piece of tape all the way across the top to minimize any water or salt creep from getting between it and the glass. Tape would also be the easiest to remove later when you neet to remove it.

[Regric25]

you can use something like SeaView to adhere it

+1 I used Seaview Gel to adhere my background to my 100g. I used an old credit card to smooth out all the air bubbles. The gel is not a glue just a.. well, gel...lol. Its cool because there is no ugly visible tape stuck to the sides and top. It looks really clean and its removable if you decide to take it off. It takes some patience to put it on but the end result is really nice. Be sure to be very precise on the cut so it fits perfectly. Good luck!

[tebstan]

+1 on the SeaView! The stuff is messy to get on there but worth the trouble. It's not permanent if you want to remove it, but it will stay put until you do. The best part is the way the background reflects light back into the tank when it's adhered with this stuff. There's a LFS with a tank that has half the background taped and half held on with SeaView. Its a noticeable difference.

[TMWTim]

To make the background shine through, here is the best method I have found.....saving some cash. When you go to your LFS they have backgrounds on rolls and you tell them how much you need. Make sure you get enough. Once you are home with your background, roll it up backwards. Once you have it re-rolled unroll it and it should lay totally flat. Now what you want to do is sit down with your background in front of you and apply Vaseline to every single inch of it using your finger. Put a very thin layer on it. It is time consuming, yes. Once the background is totally covered with a thin layer of Vaseline carefully place it on the back of the tank. It will stick like glue and this is when you use a razor to cut away any excess background. Then you want to use a credit card or any other flat sturdy surface, starting at the center, and push all the air bubbles out. Again, time consuming. Work every little bubble out while cleaning up the excess Vaseline that you will encounter. No glues, no tape, no chance of water getting between the background and glass.

Ever had water get between your background and the glass and noticed how well the background looks? Same principle.

[TaknByD]

Well, funny story (kinda). I purchased some background from the lfs that was a deep blue on one side and black on the other. My wife and I decided on the deep blue side, and after reading everyone's posts on how well sea view was we went ahead and grabbed some. I applied it yesterday and it was pretty easy, but with 60" of background that little bottle was gone fast. We made it work and got all the bubbles out and whatnot... Now my wife and I HATE the blue...lol... Looks like something out of the lfs... So I think I'm going to try pull it off, flip it over to the black side, and try the whole Vaseline ordeal. Sounds like it should work good... It's mainly all about making a vacuum between the glass and the background. I will keep you guys up to date... Thanks for all of the great info guys, it is greatly appreciated. :D

[tebstan]

SeaView is like a mineral oil, so it will make a background shine as well. A bottle of vaseline to cover a tank that size isn't much cheaper than a bottle of SeaView. A couple dollars, maybe.

I've messed with vaseline too, it worked very well, but it took much longer because its so thick. The SeaView is liquid and pours across the flat surface easier. But, I was working on empty tanks that were laid on their side. Since your tank is full, spending more time with a less drippy material might be worth the effort.

It will be interesting to hear your review after trying both methods on the same size tank under the same conditions.

[TMWTim]

Now my wife and I HATE the blue...lol... Looks like something out of the lfs...

Yep, I know the blue/black background you are referring to. Using the blue side will make your tank look like one right out of Petsmart! It is REALLY blue. Using tape with the blue side is one thing, get a airtight seal on the glass is something else.

The trick with Vaseline is to use one/two fingers and move it across the background until your finger won't slide easily. At that point you will know to grab some more Vaseline. You will see what I mean. Again it is a longer process but that background isn't going anywhere and salt creep is a thing of the past.

Here is a pic I just took of a little LP tank on our sink. That very same blue/black background held up with Vaseline. The bright lights kinda messes it up a little..

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f16/0zzmosis/003-2.jpg

[tebstan]

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f16/0zzmosis/003-2.jpg


Really nice job on that 10g half moon. Nicest I've seen yet. I love the setting too; seeing the plants outside the window make a neat continuity. Glad to see you did a filter upgrade, the stock 10i isn't the best. How are the plants doing under those LED's?

[TMWTim]

Thanks for the compliments.

It is a fun little tank so far. We bought this little tank after getting a 50% off at a LPS. I thought 'why not?". The LED's are 'alright'. They really aren't bright enough to get some real growth out of the plants. A few days out of the week I place another set of LED light on the top just to make sure there is enough light and I also use a HM CO2 reactor every other week. The Amazon Swords up front are growing like weeds. Hard to tell with that pic but you can see the new leaves in the center (white in color). The tank is rather new, just under 2 months. I would have taken a much better pic closer up but was just showing the background. Also, i used a couple of fancy guppies to cycle the tank a little faster and sure enough one of the females decided to increase the population by 15+.

Yeah that stock box filter type is a joke and it never made it in the tank. I am using just a mini bio wheel that I seeded in my main FW tank.

Anyway, it has been fun so far. Looking forward to seeing what it looks like 6 months from now. I am betting I will be pruning leaves soon. The wife loves it in the kitchen and she loves the 'kids'.







Below is a older pic when the tank was in the bedroom before I moved it to make room for the new 14g BioCube. You can see the added lights and biowheel...

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f16/0zzmosis/067.jpg

[TaknByD]

:::UPDATE:::

So the other day (Sunday) I gave the whole Vaseline thing a try... I first peeled the background off my glass, cleaned it and the glass, applies a super thin layer of Vaseline to the background, and applied it to the glass. First thing I noticed was boy did it stick. After finally getting it where I needed it I started to squeeze all of the air bubbles out with this cool thing I picked up from Lowes. I guess it's what they use for wallpaper or something but works really well... Needless to say I tried and tried and couldn't get it to look right at all... The Vaseline just didn't want to work it's way out. One thing I noticed was when looking at it straight on it looked great, but because I have a corner bow front tank and I am doing the back and sides of my tank you can really see the imperfections. It was so bad that I took it off, cleaned the glass, and went back to Petco to grab some more Sea View and another background piece to apply it on my tank... I have gone from blue to black. I really appreciate the info and the lessons learned while applying my background......

So here is what I have learned. If you are like most people and are just doing the back of a tank, go with the Vaseline. It sticks a ton better and will stay on there until the life of the tank, unless you want to just pull it off... But if your tank has the angles as mine then you might want to go with the Sea View. It's not as sticky as you'd like it to be, but you won't see the imperfections on the angles that you would see with Vaseline. Just my $0.02.

[tebstan]

Great to see an update! Sorry it turned out to be such a hassle for you, but at least it's something that can benefit others when they're doing some research. Thanks for posting your results.