Idea to black the back panel

[ryanjiang]

Need some ideas to black the back panel of my upgrade, which is a 48" X 30" X 20" (H) starphire rimless, right now the black panel is clear glass.

1) Paint it black. (What kind of paint? any special instruction on how to paint? Is it possible at all to remove the paint later? )

2) I remember I read from a thread that you can apply some sort of black vinyl?

3) I like the idea of having a black acrylic exactly fit the tank so you can remove it for cleaning but I am going to have lamp tree so it is not gonna work

4) Any other ideas?

 

[Tumbleweed]

Window tint.

 

[r0ck0]

My tank has a black vinyl backing that sticks on. Works well, just make sure it is applied properly and trimmed to prevent saltcreep from getting between the glass and vinyl.

 

[sfsuphysics]

use a black paint (Krylon Fusion is often touted) on the back should be simple enough, do it on the outside of the tank and you don't have to worry about any interactions with the water. Removing it can be done with a razor blade.

If you want something even more removable, why not the black fish tank backers you can get in just about any store? you can tape it to the back and be done with it, then removal is easy any time if you need to see through the back again.

 

[phishphood]

What do you mean 'lamp tree'? And how would that exclude a piece of acrylic?

 

[iani]

What do you mean 'lamp tree'? And how would that exclude a piece of acrylic?

Yeah, I am not sure about that either. I would think you could still do a piece of acrylic (or maybe 2 smaller pieces) with a setup like that.

 

[phishphood]

If it helps ryan, I have 2 bulkheads on the back of my tank and still put a blue piece of acrylic on the back that's removeable. It's all a matter of figuring out just how you need to slide it in.

 

[ryanjiang]

Lamp tree as in this picture, to hang the fixture. (This is not my tank, borrowed the picture from mnml on RC)

My concern was there will be problem to pull the black acrylic panel out, but as phishphood mentioned I might be able to do that with two pieces.

If I go that route, the question I have is will acrylic pane work well with Vortechs? I want to install my two MP40Ws on the back panel only.

1) The MP40W work on 3/4" glass max, my tank is 1/2" glass, the acrylic panel need to be 1/4" or less.

2) Can MP40W hold tight with wet side on 'moveable' panel? Do I need to use some extra securement for the panel.

Your help/opinion is much appreciated!

 

[iani]

I would think you wouldn't want the acrylic to be more than 1/8" of an inch. Thinner would be better.

 

[ryanjiang]

Got it the thinner the better, where is the best place to buy black acrylic panel?

 

[iani]

Tap plastic would be the place you would want to go to. They have other thin materials in black as well.

 

[phishphood]

Shouldn't be a biggie with the vortechs. Not sure how well they'd work going through it, but just take a holesaw to the acrylic when you're sure where you want the pumps and you're golden.

 

[ryanjiang]

Tap plastic would be the place you would want to go to. They have other thin materials in black as well.

I googled, is this the one in Castro street MV? Will check the store out.

 

[ryanjiang]

Shouldn't be a biggie with the vortechs. Not sure how well they'd work going through it, but just take a holesaw to the acrylic when you're sure where you want the pumps and you're golden.

Thank you & sounds cool. Do I need to use something to secure the panel against glass wall?

 

[Raddogz]

They do have thin black plastic sheets - they can it for you (there is a fee associated for this) if you give the exact measurements.

We had Tap Plastics cut it down and used double-stick tape to cover up the corner overflows and the back of the stand

 

[ryanjiang]

I was thinking to have black plastic sheets inside the tank, so it is easy to take out & clean.

 

[finalphaze987]

I have black vinyl stuck on the back of mine. You can go that route at a fraction of the cost of acrylic. There's tons of vinyl shops around but one that comes to mind is Okie Dokie signs in Hayward. We used to go there to get graphics for our cars back in the day.

 

[seminolecpa]

I would imagine that the sheets inside the tank could be a detritus trap if they arent sealed up tight. I have black acrylic on my tank floor but it is siliconed in.

 

[anathema]

I use black acrylic panels from Tap on the back wall inside my tank. Siliconed them in, so I never have to mess with them. I did this on my old tank too with an external overflow cutout on the back and it stayed in place with sillicone for 2+ years.

 

[ryanjiang]

The idea of having black acrylic sheets inside the tank is for easy taking out for cleaning, the tank is rimless open top. I am now thinking of forgetting about the idea to install two vortechs on back panel, instead install them on a less-viewable side & have two pieces of thin black acrylic sheets & use six small magnet cleaners to hold these sheets against back glass.

Does it sound good?