Tank Background Color - Black or Blue

Arron209 · Apr 21, 2015

I've had blue and black on tanks and I prefer black.

jsker · Apr 21, 2015

hybridazn said:
I use black. But I don't use paint I just buy black vinyl from a custom sign shop and use that instead. It goes on just like window tint

that is a great idea!

Fin · Apr 21, 2015

I have always used black, because I felt like it helped make things like overflows, powerheads, bulheads, screens and black PVC less noticeable in the tank. Blue backgrounds tend to accentuate those types of items. On a new nano I am building from scratch, I am trying an experiment. I going with blue and I have painted the background, overflow, bulkheads and plumbing inside the tank with Krylon Fusion Blue. And yes, that is a towel used to simulate sand, just for the picture.

vetteguy53081 · Apr 21, 2015

Black- Brings everything forward.

DurocShark · Apr 21, 2015

Black or white for me. Blue just makes me think of the cheap acrylics used at crappy LFS's.

NanaReefer · Apr 21, 2015

Black for me.

Mark426 · Apr 22, 2015

Black adds depth and tends to make corals appear more colorful. Dark dark blue is next. Shadow boxes are probably the best looking if done correctly but they have their own set of problems. IMO...the worst looking are coralline covered backs, takes away any sense of depth and looks like a box with corals in it. That's just my opinion. Different strokes for different folks.

scardall · Apr 22, 2015

Hey Pete: I forgot about the fish attacking their reflection. Oops. It would be fun to watch though. Not the killing part. I have a Blue Convict that would likely go nuts. MY BAD :squigglemouth:

MOPAR · Apr 22, 2015

I would go with a dark blue like navy. Black to me seams dark and takes depth away. In the end it's personal preference. Why not just have both use the velcro to make it removable like your last one. That way you can change it on the fly.

Windy · Apr 22, 2015

My wife does the same thing.

Eckolancer · Apr 22, 2015

I like sky blue but current tank I tried black and it's ok but the blue gives off a look like you are in the ocean

afamousjohnson · Apr 22, 2015

MOPAR said:
I would go with a dark blue like navy. Black to me seams dark and takes depth away. In the end it's personal preference. Why not just have both use the velcro to make it removable like your last one. That way you can change it on the fly.

Ya actually grabbed paint today. Gonna try card board 1st paint and velcro on. Doing 1 of each but now I need more cardboard.lol screwed 1 up - doh

afamousjohnson · Apr 23, 2015

Did the cube last night. Went with a blue bottom and used blue behind the black design painted on back to fill it in. Really can't even tell it's blue.lol thought it would be more so.lol maybe on the bigger tank.

Harold Green · Jun 13, 2015

Over many decades I've tried black, blue and a few other colors. I had a 55g fish only setup that I put mirrored window film on the back. It made the tank look like it was at least twice as deep. Over the last couple of years I've gone to painting the tank backs with a krylon metallic blue. It's gotten a little hard to find and I had to order the last batch online. The drawbacks are it takes many coats of paint because it is fairly transparent. You also have to keep the area behind the tank dark are you'll see through the paint. Done correctly you'll end up with a blue that looks like an ocean scene going off into the distance.

vetteguy53081 · Jun 13, 2015

My new tank. Went black again. Just a winner.

hatfielj · Jun 13, 2015

I prefer black, but tend to let the back glass get taken over by coraline algae so it doesn't really matter in the end

Stephanie11 · Jun 13, 2015

We painted the wall behind the tank blue and did no other background. We painted the pipes and everything else behind the tank the same color. It works for us. We had both black and blue. I think bigger tanks look better with blue.

Dr.Pat · Jun 13, 2015

afamousjohnson said:
What does everyone think? Black looks great and pops but boxes in While blue seems to pop also and open up the space.

Have usually gone with black but thinking I may try blue this time around. Interested in what others think on this with any pros n cons for each.

I have always used black contact paper it gives the best contrast imo, but its personal preference