background, always looks crap

[darksheep]

hi

I was wondering is there anyway of making ur background stay looking bright and colorful, instead of going dull and fading away, theres like gotta b some secret mine looks awesome when i put water behind it but soon as the water dries in goes back dull........ arrggg very annoying, everything else looks beutiful

 

[Tropjunky]

well get some PVA glue or silicone that's been thined out and stick it on works like water but i haven't tried this it's just an idea so don't do it 2 ur tank just use some glass. hope it works out. i think there's a product in the UK that u can get instead of a background u paint it onto ur tank

 

[aloaring]

I wouldn't put it in the tank. Try taping it tightly to the outside of the tank!! I once lost a fish who actually managed to get behind the background. he was there for weeks and i didn't realise!! Taping it to the outside of the tank facing in seems to work well for me and it means the background doesn't get soggy or smell. Hope this helps

 

[cometcattle]

I never knew that some people put them inside their tanks.

I use small pieces of electrical tape.

 

[darksheep]

so would the best way be to try to seal in the water by putting tape all around it, i dont woanna permettly stick it there incase i change my mind

 

[ChriX]

I don't see why you would want it bright like when the water goes down there all the time, looks un-natural imo. Putting water all over it and taping it on will not work because it will evaporate within a couple of days. You could try some water based adhesive, paste it all over the back and stick it on, it would be best to try it on a separate piece of glass first, as this too might deteriorate with time.

I prefer my backgrounds to actually be a background and not part of the tank, only there to stop me from seeing the wall and wires behind.

 

[panther1505]

I used a thin layer of Vaseline on the side of my background that I wanted showing in my tank. Then I squeegied the whole thing onto the outside of my tank. I don't know why, but using the Vaseline actually makes the background (in my case coral) stay bright and brilliant, and also makes it seem like it's coming right into the tank.

 

[The-Wolf]

I have seen in my lfs a background that sticks to the inside of the tank,
so it shows up brilliantly under lighting.
I can check out the price etc next time i go there if anyones interested.