To black background or not?

[Wynie]

My new tank has finally arrived and im not sure if I should blackout the back of my tank.

All my previous tanks were blacked out, but looking at it I also like the see through look.

Im afraid that if I dont do it, I might regret it later and then its to late to change.

What are the pros of blacking it out??

Edit: Ill start a build thread soon…

 

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In my experience I always like to black out the tanks background, while it is cool having it be see through it loses the charm after a few months once the algae starts to set in. Then it feels more like an eyesore/extra chore to keep it clean. If you plan on having any coralline algae or corals grow along the back wall then it doesn't matter too much, I think having the black background makes it look a bit neater though.

 

[BryanM]

I would black it out since it is going up against a wall. If it were to be out in the open on all sides I would leave it alone.

 

[Fish Fan]

I would black it out, you'll regret not doing it later once the tank is running.

 

[exnisstech]

I would black it out if only to hide cables and such. I've always preferred black but have seen some nice blue backgrounds but I would have to scrape blue and I'm not a fan of scraping the back.

Fat fingers @Fish Fan not sure how the heck August populated but it is the month I was born lol

 

[sjfishguy]

Deep navy blue is the background I always use. Looks way better if you are running balanced lighting. If you like the real blue/neon coral kinda look, black is probably better. I would never just leave that wall showing

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I paint the backs of my tanks blue. Only one tank is not painted and I regret it. It makes the algae growing on the glass much more noticeable when your looking through a clear tank.

 

[KQuillan]

In my experience I always like to black out the tanks background, while it is cool having it be see through it loses the charm after a few months once the algae starts to set in. Then it feels more like an eyesore/extra chore to keep it clean. If you plan on having any coralline algae or corals grow along the back wall then it doesn't matter too much, I think having the black background makes it look a bit neater though.

 

[Wynie]

Thank you for all the replies. Ive started painting tonight. Will take a photo as soon as the tank is back on its stand.

Ill also start a tank thread with my new build

 

[saltwaterfish.com Verified Sponsor]

Awesome we look forward to seeing how it turns out! Are you planning on updating this thread as you cycle/start stocking it?

 

[slingfox]

The tank looks set up against the wall. You may want to push the tank out a few inches so you can more easily access cables and things which may jump or fall into the back area. Unless you don’t plan to scrape the back having some space to run a magnet scraper along the back is also useful.