Black Background or White?

Hey all! I am moving and am taking my 55 gallon planted tank with me. Since I am moving it I have an opportunity to customize it a bit more and I wanted to paint the back of the tank with acrylic paint.

I've seen a ton of planted tanks with black backgrounds and also some with white! Currently I've been using white paper in the back but of course that has gotten wrinkled with water and looks pretty terrible.

I like the aesthetic of a black background with bright green plants & fish but I also don't like the idea that black as a colour sucks up light. A white colour on the other hand reflects light, so it bounces it back to the plants.. my tank is a low-light set-up and needs every bit of light it can get! However I don't love being able to see every bit of algae on the back glass and it does show the tannins off in my water really easily.

What would you do? White or Black?

Also! This is what my tank looks like currently -

 

Black without a doubt.
Most natural

 

Agreed. Black. Your fish will wash out and become lighter with less natural colors if you go too light.

 

I haven't found my fish to look washed out at all with a white bg, they look bright and vibrant, especially at night when the tank can really show off. The black will create heavier contrast so they will pop more, along with the plants, but otherwise I doubt there will be a significant change in colour

Has anyone found a change in plant growth with a bg that doesn't reflect and sucks up light vs one that bounces it back?

 

If you can't decide, why not try taping a black/white shirt to the back of the tank and let it sit for a few days to decide which you like more. That's what I'm currently doing. I have back gravel and a white shirt taped to the back of the tank as a background and it's making my fish look INCREDIBLE.