Aquarium background question

[Mooky9669]

I have a 20 gallon high tank with a background on it. I have had it a long time and the background is starting to get bubbles in some areas..can't seem to get rid of them all...it's good enough and not a major issue, but wanted to know if I could stick a new background on a piece of cardboard and put it flat against the tank..Thought it could be a way to avoid bubbles.

 

[LordHappy]

Happy day...that depends on whether or not you have an HOB filter or something else that would be pressing up against it. The cardboard will dent, and may absorb water. Peeling off the old and re-applying it might be annoying, too. Instead, consider going to Home Depot or a similar store and buying a sheet of plexiglass. It is quite cheap, and you can cut it to size. Place your background on that and connect it to the tank by placing it up against it and dabbing a bit of silicone sealant to the four corners or the edge. Masking tape works fine for holding it together until the Silicone dries.

 

[Mooky9669]

Happy day...that depends on whether or not you have an HOB filter or something else that would be pressing up against it. The cardboard will dent, and may absorb water. Peeling off the old and re-applying it might be annoying, too. Instead, consider going to Home Depot or a similar store and buying a sheet of plexiglass. It is quite cheap, and you can cut it to size. Place your background on that and connect it to the tank by placing it up against it and dabbing a bit of silicone sealant to the four corners or the edge. Masking tape works fine for holding it together until the Silicone dries.

Thanks for the idea. Do I glue background the plexiglass? Will it press against the tank enough to make the background show clearer? I've also been looking for self adhesive backgrounds online, but haven't found much.

 

[mcordelia]

I've heard that if you get the plastic kind of background (the "typical" kind sold most places) if you get it wet when you apply it, it will stick to the glass on your tank and will show through better. If this is what you did originally and now it's starting to separate, I would take it off and give it a good wipedown (maybe even with some dish detergent as long as you clean that off well enough afterwards), and then see if you can get t to stick all over again.

 

[Mooky9669]

I've heard that if you get the plastic kind of background (the "typical" kind sold most places) if you get it wet when you apply it, it will stick to the glass on your tank and will show through better. If this is what you did originally and now it's starting to separate, I would take it off and give it a good wipedown (maybe even with some dish detergent as long as you clean that off well enough afterwards), and then see if you can get t to stick all over again.

I ended up taking the background off and turned it over. I used vaseline to reapply it. It looks better and if there's any bubbles, can't really tell cause it's a slightly darker background with rocks and plants. I'm sure most of bubbles are at the bottom and hardly noticeable.

 

[Colin_T]

Your not meant to stick backgrounds to the glass. You just tape them to the outside of the tank. A small piece of tape on each corner is all you need.