painted bck of tank

[Myrphie]

Just chiming in to confirm that it will take multiple coats for the brush strokes to blend in. A roller or spray is generally easier, but I've pained many tanks with a brush and it typically took about 4 full coats for the back to appear uniform. Good luck!

[Divetime]

I spray painted the back of my tank about 10 yrs ago. Now I've noticed that the paint is begining to flake and salt creep is making things worse.

Can I just reroll the areas that is flaking with Rustolem since the tank is stocked and I won't be able to spray paint it?

Sorry to steal the thread but it sparked the question

[doomicon]

Divetime, I don't see why not as long as you can match the paint, seems like that would be the most difficult if you painted a color other than black.

I just painted my fully stocked tank. There will be alot of fumes if you use something other than an water based paint. I personally used Rustoleum, that is meant for plastic/metal (couldn't find anything specific for glass), and a small sponge roller. I took my time sealing off the top of the tank (during the painting process), cleaning the area to be painted (salt creep etc.) ventilating the area very well by opening windows/doors and using a couple of small fans I had available. one fan sat on top of the canopy blowing down the back, helped paint dry quick and blow any fumes away. Removed the taped off top within 30 mins.

FYI, the color I chose was a darker royal blue, but actually came out alot lighter than I expected. Looks really good, but I'm glad I didn't try to match my old taped on background or I think the color would've came out baby blue

[Divetime]

Thanks for the update Doomicon - After reading everything I figured I could do it the way you mentioned but was curious as to others response just to cover all the aspects.

[FTDelta]

What is the best color to paint the background ? I've heard 2 colors : blues and black. Which is more attractive ?

[Divetime]

I don't think that there is a best color. It is mostly preference on what you like and prefer. The blue background tends to stand out more but it also shows more like algae buildup and power cords IMHO.

Your best bet is to look through some of the photos on RC and see which you like better under the different lighting setups and livestock selection. You could also purchase a sheet with both Blue & Black colors from the LFS and see which one you like best on your system.

Happy reefin