Need internal background ideas

I was given a 30 gallon tank, which I happily took. Nothing wrong with it, the person who got it just ordered the wrong one (never even opened the box it was shipped in!).

Come to find out, I don’t like it either!It’s acrylic, and the lid is solid and permanently attached with only small openings. And the kicker - the back panel is blue. Like the acrylic piece is blue, inside and out.

I really want to cover it up, and I normally do black backgrounds. However, most black background options I would use, I wouldn’t be comfortable sticking inside the tank.
Someone else I know siliconed tiles to the inside of their tank, and I like that idea, but I’ve heard silicone doesn’t work well on acrylic?
I know there are some internal 3D backgrounds, but I don’t know that I’d be able to get those through the openings, and then again, if they also need to be siliconed in place....
Similarly, could locate some black aquarium safe plastic, but would need to find a way to secure it.
My mother suggested painting it? But are there any paints that would even hold up??

So I figured I’d ask here if anyone has any recommendations on what I could do. (If there is a kind of silicone that would work on acrylic, I’d love to try the tiles!)

(Also apologies if I got this in the wrong category, nothing seemed to fit perfectly)

 

that situation sounds tough. maybe try looking for aquarium safe paint. As for "gluing" on a background try using epoxy I'm pretty sure that'll sick to anything.

 

Hmm, could one of those backgrounds petco/petsmart sell on the rolls be used inside the tank? I’m not sure how they adhere, or if they’d be dangerous when IN the water tho

 

I've never used one, I'm not sure how they work. Another good option would to use dense plant cover to hide the blue background, tough it may show through at times.

 

I'd say you've got a few options. I'll rank them easiest to hardest with explanation. In my opinion.

1) Deal with the blue. Hey, the price was right?
If its fresh, just put tons of stem plants in the back of the tank, load it up! If you would be interested in saltwater, you can put green star polys on the back and let them cover the back panel over time, you'll never see it.

2) I would try using silicone with either a black acrylic sheet or tiles on the back as a background. Honestly its not like there will be much lateral on whatever you choose to put there. The silicone really just has to hold it in place lightly, you won't really be moving it around a lot. If anything the water inside the tank will help keep it in place! I know the youtube channel Aquarium Co-op the creator has an 800g acrylic tank that they have a custom background in that is siliconed in place.

3) Use spray foam and make a custom background. This one would be if you really want to try a DIY. It would be hard, as acrylic scratches so easily, once it goes on you aren't getting it off. It's an option, but I wouldn't do it. If you pulled it off, it could look amazing.

 

Acrylic tanks always have a blue or black back panel. The ones Ive seen anyway. I think it is a matter of taste to what color you buy. Some people like the blue. I think siliconing some tiles or something like that is about all you can do.

 

You got the tank for free, and it sounds like a high end custom tank. So how about investing into a custom 3D internal background? There are beautiful options out there.

 

Acrylic tanks always have a blue or black back panel. The ones Ive seen anyway. I think it is a matter of taste to what color you buy. Some people like the blue. I think siliconing some tiles or something like that is about all you can do.

They don't always come with a colored panel. Almost 99% of the time it costs extra to make one side of the tank a separate color. A lot of the tanks that are made at my work are full clear, but the acrylic dealer gave us some sheets of red, yellow, purple and other colors for free, and they made tanks with different colored backgrounds with it. Honestly it looks like a preschool house fish tank, its very strange to look at.

 

Decided to just give up and go with the blue because I was tired XD






Gotta wait for the driftwood to water log, but I think it came out pretty okay. Still think it’s look better with black or stone tho lol

Also, this is something of a housewarming gift for my grandmother, as she has to move, and she isn’t happy about it! We think she’ll enjoy being able to watch the fish (and I’ll be maintaining it)

 

Decided to just give up and go with the blue because I was tired XD

View attachment 771216
View attachment 771217

Gotta wait for the driftwood to water log, but I think it came out pretty okay. Still think it’s look better with black or stone tho lol

Also, this is something of a housewarming gift for my grandmother, as she has to move, and she isn’t happy about it! We think she’ll enjoy being able to watch the fish (and I’ll be maintaining it)

Looks good! I was about to suggest. . .

Fish Tank and Aquarium Backgrounds | Universal Rocks

https://www.modernaquarium.com/3d-aquarium-backgrounds/

 

That tank is stunning! Nobody liked it? Acrylic is amazing but I’ve never seen the blue background in real life, only the black

 

The blue is not so bad, but I would just plant a lot of tall plants at the back so that you just get a few subtle glimpses of it. 3D backgrounds are expensive and take up a lot of space.