JWalker

Hi Everyone,

Im thinking of getting a background for my fish tank 55G. I am trying to figure out though how do you fix it to the glass ? what do you use ?

Thanks in advance

capekate

Hi
Most of my tanks backgrounds were fixed with simple tape. Cut small they only wrap around to the side a tiny bit and do not interfere with the look. On my 55 I used a heavy black cotton cloth for a solid background. I ironed on velcro to the cloth and attached velcro along the upper and lower edges of the tank to attach the cloth. It has worked out very well.

jack--sos

i have used duck tape for my cardboard backgroud, it works very well and you cant see the tape because its around the back of the tank. theres a product called "seaveiw" that is made to stick backgrounds to fish tanks.

some members have put water or baby oil on the background, then attached it to the tank and used a ruler to smooth out the bubbles

hope this helped

aquatic mouse

I use clear tape for my backgrounds.

haedra

Hey, that's a good idea.

MissMTS

Kate that is a genius idea! I am going to try that with my 75 gallon because it doesn't have a background yet

agabr123

just regular tape for me

SWilkins

This might sounds nuts but that will not be anything new for me. Here goes...I use vaseline. Just put a glob in the middle and then smooth out with a ruler or credit card to get out all the bubbles and excess. It really makes the background stand out and water does not get between the glass and the background that way either.

Shawnie

alot of my backgrounds are different styles and patters of wrapping paper so I have to use tape...I like to change them too often to spend the money on regular backgrounds ...typical woman! LOL

aquatic mouse

Wrapping paper, Shawnie? What a cool idea! I'll have to try that on my new tank. I was trying to think of something that wouldn't wash out the betta and dwarf puffer (divided tank). Thanks for the idea!

Shawnie

your welcome!! I just love change and believe it or not, just changing the background, often changes the entire tank without touching the insides of it...not to mention, theres some really cool patterns of wrapping paper LOL

whiskeyhill

They sell something that works really well and stays bright and clear with very little light loss. I think it's called "clear view"...comes in a little tube for like $4.00. You put newspaper on a table big enough to have some extra room for background and spread it out with paper towel and it sticks to back of tank with no tape and doesn't dry out. You just have to get air bubbles out...I used a paper towel to do it. Would think Vasoline would get kinda sticky after awhile ewwwww. Use this and your tank will be bright and if using planted side will look great. Any fish store should have this...it's a must have.If you look at some of my pics you can see how bright planted side looks compared to not using this. Hope this helps

whiskeyhill

Sea view that's it....Jack is right......get some!!!

JWalker

Thanks Guys

JWalker

and gals

aquarist48

I use black plastic (from the fish store) and taped it on the back. The black really makes the Bloody Parrots shine

ooibhuskyoo

You know something creative that I havent seen much people do? If you are just getting a plain colored background, I would just get a sheet of Vinyl Sticker the size of the back of the tank and do it that way.

This way it's easy and clean way to stick a background on your tank AND there is no chance of any water, moisture, or mold to get in between there.

Red1313

hmmm.... that would be a really really really big sticker....

ooibhuskyoo

Yeah but I see it as less tacky and easier to work with than a background, and also safer than painting the tank as well =p

FireDroplet

I like to change my mind alot too, so I use velcro. I get that cheep sticky velcro from the craft isle and put one on the tank corners and the other side on the background. I use backgrounds that are laminated. This way I can use dry erase markers on them (you can erase it off of these) and/or use those window clings on them. You can put those straight on the glass too. This will allow you to bring part of the theme all the way around the tank. Plus the lamination keeps everything waterproof and easy to clean. If you can't find a laminated background or you dont like any of the ones you do find then you can laminate your own blank paper in your color choice. Or any picture - which means you can print off something you like from the internet.

eepruls

I have never sealed the background to the glass and have always wondered why my backgrounds always look so awful. Do you cut the background so that it only goes over the glass part? I've always taped it to the top and bottom black frames but then the top and bottom edges don't touch the glass (because the frame sticks out a bit from the glass). There is always a space and I couldn't use a ruler or credit card to remove the bubbles right to the top and bottom edges. If you use vaseline (over the entire thing?) or SeaView, the edges wouldn't even touch the glass.

Could you explain exactly how you apply your background and how you cut it?

whiskeyhill

You have to use Seaview for your background...makes a world of difference. Just hang it against glass on top edge of frame and get a razor blade and follow bottom edge...trim sides then remove apply Seaview and you will be all set. Here is the link to help you decide to use this wonderful product.http://seaviewinfo.com/

eepruls

That's a great demo they have on their site. Thanks for providing the link! Just so I understand you, the background should never actually be on the frame correct? Just on the glass? I think I'm going to try that Seaview out!

jack--sos

abit off topic here, but would seaveiw work on acrylic painted cardboard?

Hoji

I've used calendar pictures, with tape. The Monet and the Tiffany irises looked especially groovy.

quarterback13

I had my background taped to the back and was very disappointed. I got a tube of seaview and applied it and I can not believe the difference, It is so bright and clear. Its a great product. The difference is like night and day