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Aquarium backgrounds

jkh13

Member
Joined
9 Nov 2014
Messages
73
What aquarium backgrounds are people using if any? My tank faces a plain white wall behind it and I was thinking of putting a background behind it to make it more interesting, what is the best way to attach something like a plain colour or gradient background?
 
Hiya, i also have a plain white wall behind my tank, but have a controllable coloured led strip pointed towards wall which i some times turn on. It allow me to creat a gradient colour behind my tank, perhaps you could also used a similar method.

Note I has a small gap behind my stand and wall, and my tank isn't the same size as the cabinet so I'm am able to install a led strip behind.
 
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Heres a few quick snaps to show what my tank looks like with coloured led strip on, the colours is more washed out when main lights are on too.
 
Frosted with LEd light. It depends on your scape though. Some will benefit from 3d backgrounds but they are a pain as detritus collects at the edges.
 
I use a wall of tall stem plants as a background generally plus black board behind the tank.

After reclaiming a couple tanks with 3D backgrounds ... never again
Total stinking slime :yuck: :sick: :dead:
Due to detritus, dirt etc it collects I'm absolutely hater of these backgrounds. I got them with my Juwels and removed them pretty quickly, as you've said - never again! Plus they are quite thick and take lots of space.
 
I was considering to applying some frosted film or as Jusy liked to called them foggy film in the video the Alto posted 😅, and was just wondering if sucker cup still stick to back of these type of film, as I use sucker cup to hold cables in place to rear of my tank 🤔.
 
I was considering to applying some frosted film or as Jusy liked to called them foggy film in the video the Alto posted 😅, and was just wondering if sucker cup still stick to back of these type of film, as I use sucker cup to hold cables in place to rear of my tank 🤔.


I have just stuck a sucker onto the film I have on one of the tanks, I will let you know when it falls off 👍
 
Most nature show tanks have no background, just plain white wall or using led light to accentuate a blue sky simulation behind. But these tanks also don’t hang cables, hoses or HOB filters behind or hide them with tall plants if present. I use multiple HOB filters and tank top led lights that have many cables that I must and have used background to hide the clutter. I use commercial aquarium backgrounds made of water proof vinyl for my fish only tanks before I started growing plants. The patterns I inherited range from image of a rock wall, coral reef, to planted aquascape, and it turned out the the simple rock wall looks the best with plants. If I can select a new background for my planted tank, I will select plain light blue to green to resemble sky or natural water color that can reflect light back to the tank. Never use complicated images that are OK for fish only but distractive in planted tank, nor dark backgrounds that absorb light.
 
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I have one tank with plain white background and two with black. The one with white background has a plain white wall behind it, but still the tank looks better with its own background, hiding cables, shadows etc. One of the tanks with a black background is rather successfully hiding an ugly black HOB and its evenly ugly black prefilter sponge.
 
I have one tank with plain white background and two with black. The one with white background has a plain white wall behind it, but still the tank looks better with its own background, hiding cables, shadows etc. One of the tanks with a black background is rather successfully hiding an ugly black HOB and its evenly ugly black prefilter sponge.
Most aquascapers do not use HOB and prefer canister hidden in the cabinet. They want to minimize equipment and cables outside from distracting the view, so they have no need to have background to hide clutter. When they take pic of their scapes in competition, they temporarily remove all equipment.

I am no pure aquascaper as I keep large fish with plants that generate heavy bioload and canisters won’t work as they get clogged quickly and PIA to clean. I use multiple HOBs that are easy to clean and tank top LEDs so I must use background to hide ugly boxes and cables behind. There are still intake tubes inside the tanks ( 2 in my 75g and 3 in my 125 g) plus heater and intank reactor that cannot be hidden but the scenic backgrounds help diffuse their appearance somewhat. I favor the simple rock wall background in my 125g over the busy aquascape background in my 75g but I inherited them before adding plants.
 

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If you have loads of equipment behind the tank to hide, I'd still go with a plain black background over anything with an image or pattern on it.
 
I believe the lightground is a cheaper version of the ada light screen and makes a nice finish to the aquascape. Not yet available in the UK but I got in touch with the distributor who said they will be available here soon
 
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