Painting Glass

[moe_1]

So im going to be setting up my 30 gal as a display tank, and im most probably going to be painting the back, and side panels black.
here are some of my questions....

1. Do you need special paint for glass?

2. How many coats do you have to apply?

3. Do you get best affect from painting the exterior or interior of the tank?
(if i do interior i will obviously need a paint that wont leak chemicals like pool paint)

4. Is black the best colour effect for a planted tank?



Please, do share...

 

[copeina]

I asked this question on another board, and was overwhelmed with replies. It was a local board, and a lot of us have fish rooms, not just aquariums, so it is done quite regularly.

All tanks should be painted ON THE OUTSIDE ONLY, and there are a few options and all work very well.

1) The cheapest spraypaint you can find. May require 5+ coats for full coverage.

2) Tremclad or another thick all-pirpose paint. Mine are done this way. 3 coats is perfect!

3) Window 'black-out' tinting. This is a bit more $$, but will not scratch or flake, ever.

Clean the tank well before using any of these methods. I would lean towards #2 or #3 to avoid overspray... but do whatever sounds best to you with full confidence.

There is 'glass paint' that requires cleaning, priming, then painting. I have seen it and I honestly think the Tremclad looks nicer.

As for color, flat black is by far the most popular, but a lot of folks use aqua blue, and some do whatever color matches their room. There are no rules for that!

Hope that helps,
/Kris