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View Full Version : Which is the best color background for the tank?


CyberGuy
09/05/2006, 10:29 PM
I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but which color background is best for the tank? Is it black, dark blue, or light blue?

I am leaning either black or dark blue. Is there a specific name for a dark blue one?

I am ordering a custom made tank and I just want to know which back ground color I should choose.

drummereef
09/05/2006, 10:32 PM
I've used black and dark blue. I think the contrast that black makes against the fish/coral colors is much better.

drummereef
09/05/2006, 10:33 PM
Oh, and it hides powerheads and other crud you might have haging in there better, i think.

affan
09/05/2006, 10:38 PM
Black. Makes for a good "deeper than it is" look.

GinaSofia
09/05/2006, 10:43 PM
black..IMO, blue looks cheesy.

R_DEL
09/05/2006, 11:04 PM
I have both, Blue is on my FOWLR community tank with various small fish and shrimps and looks well, and black on my 29 gallon tank which i will be putting a predator fish of some sort in. I like both, blue really makes the tank look more colorful while black makes the tank look deeper. What kind of tank mates are you thinking about having?

jdieck
09/05/2006, 11:19 PM
Do you guys clean the coralline from the back?

Orseemi
09/05/2006, 11:22 PM
I like the blue color.

CPT. MURPHY
09/06/2006, 12:34 AM
IMO Black is the only way to go.
CPT.

CPT. MURPHY
09/06/2006, 12:36 AM
Of course I have been wrong many times before. :)

CPT.

mleinart
09/06/2006, 03:53 AM
I like mine: blue on top fading to black halfway through

marinelife
09/06/2006, 06:01 AM
Mine is a mix of Blue/Green/Black, and looks great

TKByrnes
09/06/2006, 06:45 AM
I have blue..... wifey likes blue better. I like the black better. but like i always say...... light a fire in the house its easier to deal with.

SDguy
09/06/2006, 07:45 AM
black

2fishy
09/06/2006, 08:08 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8086918#post8086918 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jdieck
Do you guys clean the coralline from the back?

I do just because it makes the aquarium look nicer. It also helped spread the wealth of the coraline!:D

Silencer
09/06/2006, 10:18 AM
It doesn't really matter because if you don't scrape the glass it'll all be purple in 9 months anyways. Black does look really good while you can see it though, and if you're willing to scrape the back it'll make everything in the tank stand out and look more colorful. I'd scrape mine to see the black but it would just grow back in a week or two and what am I gonna do with 12 square feet of coralline?

TWallace
09/06/2006, 11:11 AM
I don't like the look of blue at all. Black looks nice. Having said that, my tank has a clear back and I'm counting on coralline to cover it up.

GMAX
09/06/2006, 11:13 AM
I dont know, I have glass on all 4 sides!!! And I rarely scrape the glass, coralline just seems to prefer the wavebox and tunze and rock surfaces.

CyberGuy
09/06/2006, 11:16 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8088886#post8088886 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Silencer
I'd scrape mine to see the black but it would just grow back in a week or two and what am I gonna do with 12 square feet of coralline?


Well, you can sell it on Ebay. :lol: People buy crazy stuffs on ebay.

daytonians
09/06/2006, 11:27 AM
I have a reflective deep blue on mine. It looks like a mirror. Makes the tank look much bigger.

SirSmapty
09/06/2006, 11:29 AM
Once you go black.....

STEELERFAN747
09/06/2006, 01:31 PM
I have had both. Right now I have blue, I think my current tank underconstruction will be black.

CPT. MURPHY
09/06/2006, 02:04 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8089329#post8089329 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SirSmapty
Once you go black.....

:lol:

Steffish
09/06/2006, 02:07 PM
On my first tank I went with blue. I now have no background (viewable from 4 sides) and love it. It looks so much cleaner.

njb2345
09/06/2006, 02:14 PM
I have a darkish blue and i love it too

cindyolson
09/06/2006, 02:20 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8089329#post8089329 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SirSmapty
Once you go black.....
lol

IndyReefMan
09/06/2006, 02:22 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8089247#post8089247 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CyberGuy
Well, you can sell it on Ebay. :lol: People buy crazy stuffs on ebay.

That's a great idea. You could put a little bit in a glass vial filled with tank water and sell it as "coraline seed" and I bet people would buy it.

petoonia
09/06/2006, 03:02 PM
I like the reflective blue.

Zoos
09/08/2006, 09:23 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8086666#post8086666 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CyberGuy
Is there a specific name for a dark blue one?


Dark Blue!:smokin:

vijaym85
09/08/2006, 10:01 PM
I tried black and blue, I liked the blue in the end. It seems brighter overall and looks more like daytime in a reef. Black will hide algae if that is a problem you have. I think the blue as expected reflects more light than black which will absorb more light. It really end up being a matter of your own personal taste, this is likely the one thing about your reef tank that you can go nuts and do as you feel without some major consequences. and look at other tanks and see what you prefer.

vanmo92
09/08/2006, 10:26 PM
I got balck on mine.

mg426
09/08/2006, 10:43 PM
Black here.

AJ69
09/08/2006, 11:58 PM
Negro

Chaloupa
09/10/2006, 12:30 AM
I have blue...I like it a lot and find it nice and bright on my tank...I had the same question though when I was first painting mine and just decided to do blue with this one and black with the next.....

benray4fun
09/10/2006, 02:16 AM
In the end go with what you like most..."I have blue", but like someone here stated, "it's all gonna be covered with coraline algae if you don't scrape it." I don't scrape it at all and the backround is all mixed purple, green and red, very natural. Don't create more work for yourself by scraping the backround knowing it helps to filter the water.

want2reef
09/10/2006, 05:19 AM
I like black.

Zoos
09/10/2006, 10:06 PM
Purple with pink poka dots

xtm
09/10/2006, 11:38 PM
I liked the clear look also... the tank looks HUGE with no background

but my current tank has a black background. I love it

Nano Chris
09/10/2006, 11:54 PM
Looks like black is the winner so far, i dont have anything but im thinking of geting some type of background maybe blue/black and velcro, so i can change it whenever i want, an option so i dont have to paint it.

TekCat
09/11/2006, 01:54 AM
Black - no cream, no sugar :)

culdublvd
09/11/2006, 11:36 PM
Now gloss or flat paint?

jdieck
09/12/2006, 12:26 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8127015#post8127015 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by culdublvd
Now gloss or flat paint?
As you paint it on the outside from the viewing side (The inside) it will make no difference as both will be glossy but on the outside gloss will be easier to clean and will not stain as much with carbonate or salt creep.

Bippus
09/12/2006, 09:16 AM
Coralline!!!!!!!!