Anyone using a mirror for tank background?

[seancj]

Debating on painting the tank back black, light blue, white, or possibly putting a full size mirror on the outside back facing in so the tank's interior is reflected. The tank is fairly shallow and I think this would give the illusion of greater depth.
Anyone done this? Any thoughts as to why I shouldn't?
Thanks!
Sean

[zamboniMan]

A mirror might freak out the discus. The color background depends on the color of the fish (atleast for me). White is good for pigeon discus to reduce peppering and of course all colors look okay on white. Black makes everything pop but again may cause peppering.

Merry Christmas,
Josh

[Disgirl]

My Tetra tank has a mirrored back and it looks great, reflecting both fish and plants well. But I think it might be too much for timid or shy discus to handle. Could make them nervous. Others input??
Barb :)

[seancj]

I would like more input from experienced discus hobbyists. I have 21 3" to 4" discus and a small school of neon green tetras in my 240 cube tank (4'x4'x2')now but am planning a 525 gallon tank in the near future. This 525 will be 10 foot long but only 24" wide at its widest, narrowing down to 18" in the middle (concave front).
Here's a few picks. I'm still trying to work out a deal with the manufacturer.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y90/sonofgaladriel/10footer.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y90/sonofgaladriel/IMG_2714Medium.jpg
This is the 'style' I'm going to try and emulate with lots of onion plants and a few low growing plants in between:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y90/sonofgaladriel/111678851_G6piYuRF_Hillenbrand22040.jpg
Hence the desire to make it 'appear' deeper by placing a mirror on the back.
I just realized though, that with the mirror, I will be seeing my own reflection in the tank each time I get close to view it. I'm not sure if that will be a significant deterrant as most of my viewing will be from a relaxed seated position.
I would appreciate any input from experienced hobbyists in regards to how the discus will handle their own reflections or if they will simply think there 'school' has just gotten a bit bigger! ;)
The 21 are cohabitating very well right now in the 240.

[rickztahone]

"experienced discus hobbyists" huh?... Well let me be the one to tell you that that would be a very bad idea for a background. as mentioned prior, discus can be very timid and will scare easily. there have been few people that have done an all black tank that would be similar to a mirror back in that it creates a feeling of depth, it doesn't pan out because the discus need a sense of security which that style of background does not offer. there are tons of other possibilities/color to compliment such a nice tank, not sure why you would like to do the mirror background which IMO would actually bring it down a notch. this is all in my opinion of course :D

[seancj]

What other color background would you recommend? I wish I could set this up to be a see through tank, viewable from both sides, like the one pictured above, but it will have to go against the wall due to space requirements.
I'm certainly open to other ideas in terms of backgrounds.
Sean

[zamboniMan]

What other color background would you recommend? I wish I could set this up to be a see through tank, viewable from both sides, like the one pictured above, but it will have to go against the wall due to space requirements.
I'm certainly open to other ideas in terms of backgrounds.
Sean

Lots of people use lots of colors. I've used black and not had the discus be skittish. There's nothing that says you have to use certain colors. For instance:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?t=74066&highlight=watermelon

Pick a color you think will look good and give it a try. You can always change it later.

[exv152]

A mirrored background is a very bad idea for a couple of reasons:

1- Make any fish skiddish, let alone timid discus, and fish need a sense of security more than anything to reduce stress.

2- Algal growth would make the mirror a nightmare that will need to be scrubbed constantly, which in turn will stress the discus even more.

[DiscusFreakaZoid]

If you had some plants or Decor covering parts of the mirror background that may work. In a bare tank they may be skittish but a well decorated one shouldnt be a problem imo. How would u go about installing a mirrored background. would it be hanging from a walll or be against back of your glass. just curious. i was thinkin that idea too. i dont think a mirrored background would make fish that skittish seeing reflections of plants, driftwood and other discus. i have no background and sometimes the glass at certain light settings reflects like a mirror and doesnt seem to bother them. I think Lighting , decor , number of discus you have and hiding spots are more important factors than backdrop when it comes to them being skittish.jmo. . Its a good idea to play with it and maybe try it out but be prepared to change it if it doesnt work out. however it would be a expensive trial and error.id try a huge mirror hang it the back and seem how it affects them or maybe do the center mirrored and the sides painted you have to ask someone that has actually tried it to get a real answer. imo

[seancj]

Thanks all for the input.
I already have a 4'x8' mirror that I could use. This would fit perfectly since the space between the overflow boxes is 8 feet.
It would be placed on the outside of the tank, most likely hanging it on the wall, an inch or so from the tank.
My plan is to have several 'islands' of onion plant growing very tall along the back of the tank, so a large portion of the mirror would be somewhat hidden by the onion plants tall leaves. Very similar to what you see in the tank above but with more onion plant sections throughout the middle.
I may also consider hanging some driftwood from the top to further break up the background.
I hate to paint the back pane since there is a chance that later down the road I may be able to place this tank in such a way that it would be visible from both sides. Removing paint from acrylic doesn't sound too fun.
I think I'll try adding a mirror to my current tank and see how it goes.
Thanks again everyone for the input. I'll post some pics if/when I get this tank started.
Happy Holidays!
Sean

[rickztahone]

Thanks all for the input.
I already have a 4'x8' mirror that I could use. This would fit perfectly since the space between the overflow boxes is 8 feet.
It would be placed on the outside of the tank, most likely hanging it on the wall, an inch or so from the tank.
My plan is to have several 'islands' of onion plant growing very tall along the back of the tank, so a large portion of the mirror would be somewhat hidden by the onion plants tall leaves. Very similar to what you see in the tank above but with more onion plant sections throughout the middle.
I may also consider hanging some driftwood from the top to further break up the background.
I hate to paint the back pane since there is a chance that later down the road I may be able to place this tank in such a way that it would be visible from both sides. Removing paint from acrylic doesn't sound too fun.
I think I'll try adding a mirror to my current tank and see how it goes.
Thanks again everyone for the input. I'll post some pics if/when I get this tank started.
Happy Holidays!
Sean


there are many here who have not used paint but rather construction paper or something similar. also, there is an adhesive one that i heard peels off easily if you would like to change it down the road. you can always stop by your arts and crafts store and see what they have available. as far as the color goes i think any lighter color would look nice with such a nice looking tank. it really just depends what is aesthetically pleasing to your eye.

[zamboniMan]

there are many here who have not used paint but rather construction paper or something similar. also, there is an adhesive one that i heard peels off easily if you would like to change it down the road. you can always stop by your arts and crafts store and see what they have available. as far as the color goes i think any lighter color would look nice with such a nice looking tank. it really just depends what is aesthetically pleasing to your eye.

You can always scrape the paint off too... Though with 8 feet i'd be easier to buy a 12 pack and have some friends help you.

[Eddie]

Powder blue.....;)

[mmorris]

Many of your plants are dark and your substrate is dark. A black background would be, I think, too much dark. If you add a mirror background I think you would see a lot more of yourself than you like. Forget moving in for a good photo! A black background is awesome but you have to pick your fish carefully and I would recommend a light bottom.

[Justice]

If You already have the mirror why not try it out and see how it does or does not work out for you (Pics of it would be nice too) then let us all know what you like or dislike about it which ever the case may be.

I see it as a learning experience for us all.

[Randyoftheredwoods]

Old thread, but I wanted to add an update if people are reading these later like I do.

I recently had to isolate one of my discus fry for a bit. I thought he might get overly stressed being alone, so I taped a shaving mirror to the side of the tank. In about an hour, he swam up next to it and stayed there for the full quarantine.

Not sure this is a good practice, but it worked for me.

[Filip]

Old thread, but I wanted to add an update if people are reading these later like I do.

I recently had to isolate one of my discus fry for a bit. I thought he might get overly stressed being alone, so I taped a shaving mirror to the side of the tank. In about an hour, he swam up next to it and stayed there for the full quarantine.

Not sure this is a good practice, but it worked for me.

Hi Randy and welcome to Simply Discus .
I haven't try it ( yet :) ) with discus , but I have done it in the past with my Betta males and it sure made them more active and aggressive because they were really fooled by their imaginary friend in the mirror :) .

I just might give it a try on my Quarantine tank side glass first and see how discus will respond to it .

As for a mirror as a background of my display tank , I had a tank, long time ago placed in front of a mirror and the double looks of the tank and everything inside appeared confusing and non-appealing to me .
I didn't notice any additional skittishness or stress with my fish at that time and they were a begginer misch -masch combination of every cheap fish that pet shop sell at that time bunched up all together in a planted tank.

[Tres]

Sometimes good to revive an old thread! Personally I'm surprised that nobody had suggested using frosted mirror. That would provide some additional illusion of depth without the concerns that most people had raised.

[rickztahone]

Sometimes good to revive an old thread! Personally I'm surprised that nobody had suggested using frosted mirror. That would provide some additional illusion of depth without the concerns that most people had raised.

I've been using this for a few years now. I love the look of it and would recommend it.

[Phillydubs]

Any pics guys?

[Filip]

I've been using this for a few years now. I love the look of it and would recommend it.

I would like to see how this frosted mirror background looks like , Rick . So if you can dug up some old pics from your PC please do share them here .

[rickztahone]

I would like to see how this frosted mirror background looks like , Rick . So if you can dug up some old pics from your PC please do share them here .

Will do. Have you seen my 54g bowfront? It had it on there. I'll try to dig up the pics. My sw tank has this as well.

Edit: here you go. Found my old thread
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?113368-Rickztahone-s-Simple-Bowfront-Discus-Tank-(Journal)

Edit again: more here
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?114060-Welcome-to-the-Clean-House-Of-Turqs

[Filip]

Will do. Have you seen my 54g bowfront? It had it on there. I'll try to dig up the pics. My sw tank has this as well.

Edit: here you go. Found my old thread
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?113368-Rickztahone-s-Simple-Bowfront-Discus-Tank-(Journal)

Edit again: more here
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?114060-Welcome-to-the-Clean-House-Of-Turqs

Very interesting threads Rick . I havent stumbled upon them so far and didn't knew about your bowfront and your red turqs until now.
Now I also got to know the owner of the most popular wild discus tank pic on the internet :) .
And I didn't knew that you are such a Handyman .That stand and lights canopy looked better than the store bought products :).

I like the frosted look and the white light that comes from it.
Too bad that things didn't turned out as planned for you here Rick , but thanks for sharing this older thread .

[rickztahone]

Very interesting threads Rick . I havent stumbled upon them so far and didn't knew about your bowfront and your red turqs until now.
Now I also got to know the owner of the most popular wild discus tank pic on the internet :) .
And I didn't knew that you are such a Handyman .That stand and lights canopy looked better than the store bought products :).

I like the frosted look and the white light that comes from it.
Too bad that things didn't turned out as planned for you here Rick , but thanks for sharing this older thread .

My pleasure Filip. That stand was built like a tank! lol. It was a build I was proud of. Unfortunately, it was done with a smaller tank that should not have been used in the first place.