how can i paint the bottom of glass tank

[csarkar001]

I'm replacing one of my quarantine tanks. this time, would like to paint the outside bottom but worried the paint will not stick to the glass. Three questions:

1) does anyone know what kind of paint to use?

2) if paint will not work, plan B is to use contact paper; does someone have a better suggestion?

3) what color would be best? i'm leaning towards black so that the leftover food particles will show. if i ever use the tank to raise fry, will a black bottom be a problem?

thanks,
Chandan

[rickztahone]

i wouldnt do black personally. if you go to home depot they have glass spray cans. its what i used for the back. for the bottom i used textured paint and its light and that makes it easy to see the particles of leftover food. i might have a pic in my gallery. i am on my phone right now so i cant attach a pic

[Elite Aquaria]

I just used regular latex paint and rolled it on with a sponge roller...no problems with it sticking. I did do 2 thin coats. Light blue all around...I would not use black

[DiscusOnly]

I wouldn't call it a better suggestion but another option is to use insulation foam. I did this with one of my tank on the 3 sides and bottom. I've painted my other tanks before with spray and will never do it again.

[poconogal]

I used stryofoam board with very light blue paper glued to one side. I would not use anything dark, your Discus will darken, some very unattractively.

[Eddie]

I use krylon spray paint on all my tanks, always have. Super fast and clean if you tape good. All kinds of colors to choose from too. It scrapes off easy too with a razor blade.

I use all pastel colors


Eddie

[Disgirl]

Well, I sure am glad I checked out this thread! Now I know why my assorted colors of 3" discus, who are completely healthy, are dark during the day. At night they get their colors. I have painted the outside bottom of my tank black. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I see I was wrong. I checked and the paint scrapes off easily from underneath, thank goodness the tank is on a topless cabinet with a door. Now I do not know what color to redo it. I have some very real looking artificial driftwood in the tank with lots of green plastic:confused plants attached to them. They really do look nice. The tank is in our dining room so I want a color that will look good. Please advise me. Thank you!
Barbara

[poconogal]

Barbara, it doesn't really matter what color you put on the bottom, you won't see it unless you peer straight down into the tank. You can just use white or very pale blue and your piece with the plants on it is fine. I experimented with a very pale blue on the bottom and a dark blue background. I did get some slight peppering on my PB, but not much, compared to when I had a black bottom and background. From this it seems to me that the bottom color has much more effect on their coloration than the background color does.

Edit: Oops, I meant if you place something on the outside bottom you won't see the color, but if you paint you will.

[Eddie]

Barbara, it doesn't really matter what color you put on the bottom, you won't see it unless you peer straight down into the tank. You can just use white or very pale blue and your piece with the plants on it is fine. I experimented with a very pale blue on the bottom and a dark blue background. I did get some slight peppering on my PB, but not much, compared to when I had a black bottom and background. From this it seems to me that the bottom color has much more effect on their coloration than the background color does.

Actually, I find the bottom to be most important. If you paint the bottom a light color, paint I say, not put a light color underneath, like from paper, the difference is UNREAL. Trust me and you'll see. Sometimes I leave the back unpainted with only the bottom a bright color and your fish will change colors, 10 fold.

Eddie

[Disgirl]

Thanks Connie and Eddie. What do you think of a sand color? Since so many people with planted tanks have light sand for substrate I am thinking this might be the right one. Eddie, do you mean that just painting the bottom and not the back/sides is the best? My tank is right next to a wall with wallpaper that is of a stone wall with ivy growing on it. Looks good behind the tank and the fish seem fine with it. Should I get the spray paint that has a rough texture, like it is sandy? Thanks again!
Barbara

[Eddie]

Thanks Connie and Eddie. What do you think of a sand color? Since so many people with planted tanks have light sand for substrate I am thinking this might be the right one. Eddie, do you mean that just painting the bottom and not the back/sides is the best? My tank is right next to a wall with wallpaper that is of a stone wall with ivy growing on it. Looks good behind the tank and the fish seem fine with it. Should I get the spray paint that has a rough texture, like it is sandy? Thanks again!
Barbara

Hey Barbara, that exactly right. I painted the bottom of mine beige and left the back clear. The wall paper in my house is white and is fine. Bet yours will look fantastic. You can get away with just painting it with regular spray paint. Some fleckstone spray paint does look good so it is entirely up to you.

Here is a quick picture of the tank with the bottom painted beige, it makes a huge difference.



Eddie

[mmorris]

This tank was sprayed with a paint called sandstone.

[Eddie]

Here are few with the flash so you can really see the color of the paint.

[Eddie]

This tank was sprayed with a paint called sandstone.

Looks nice Martha

Eddie

[Disgirl]

Thanks Eddie and Martha! That is exactly what I will do. Both your tanks and fish are beautiful. I just finished scraping black paint off the bottom of my tank, lying on my back inside the cabinet. It was a hard, dirty job. The fish were terrified but calmed down when I turned off their light. New paint tomorrow! And I expect to see very colorful fish!
Barbara