pendragon
Fish Crazy
On my 46 gallon tank I use the typical storebought vinyl background - solid black. Mine is a deep sky blue on the other side, which looks nice, but I think the black looks classier. Personal preference. 
Just today I've been getting a ten-gallon ready to be my betta condo.
I've heard a number of "old-timers" say they just paint the outside of the back tank glass. Different paints results in very different effects, and they supposedly look great. Deciding to experiment for myself, I bought a can of the textured "flecked stone" spray paint (beige/neutral-colored) at Wal-Mart, masked off the entire tank but the back with tape, and sprayed on a couple of coats. It's practically dry, but I won't take the tape off and see the final result until tomorrow. I might add a third coat first, just for the sake of being thorough. Just eyeballing it as-is, though, it looks *very* nice. 
A paint called "crackle paint" used to be very popular with aquarists. It had some crystalline material in it that caused the paint to dry and "crackle", looking something akin to brightly-colored rumpled foil. You can still find it if you really search. I know some folks who thought it was tacky, but also others who think it was the nicest-looking backgrounds ever (especially in deep blue and black).
pendragon
Just today I've been getting a ten-gallon ready to be my betta condo.
I've heard a number of "old-timers" say they just paint the outside of the back tank glass. Different paints results in very different effects, and they supposedly look great. Deciding to experiment for myself, I bought a can of the textured "flecked stone" spray paint (beige/neutral-colored) at Wal-Mart, masked off the entire tank but the back with tape, and sprayed on a couple of coats. It's practically dry, but I won't take the tape off and see the final result until tomorrow. I might add a third coat first, just for the sake of being thorough. Just eyeballing it as-is, though, it looks *very* nice. A paint called "crackle paint" used to be very popular with aquarists. It had some crystalline material in it that caused the paint to dry and "crackle", looking something akin to brightly-colored rumpled foil. You can still find it if you really search. I know some folks who thought it was tacky, but also others who think it was the nicest-looking backgrounds ever (especially in deep blue and black).
pendragon
