Painting the back of a tank

EricTheRed

EricTheRed

No, I'm not a communist..
Anyone recommend a good brand of paint to paint the back of a tank? I've heard of folks using Rustoleum....

P.S. I picked up my new (used) 75 the other day. I started out looking for something in the 30G range for my office. Next thing I new, I was looking at 125's, LOL. Had to scale it back and go with a 75. I'm in the process of refinishing the stand and will get some pic's up once I've made a bit more progress.
 
I just use the cheap $0.97 cans of flat black from walmart. Haven't had any issues so far with flaking or scratches. I do like 2-3 light coats followed by a heavy coat, topped off with a dusted coat on top of that. Leaves a textured feel on the outside and blocks the light 100%.
 
Spray, after a really good cleaning with ammonia free glass cleaner and wipe down with clean microfiber cloth.
 
In both options you will need to clean your glass/acrylic surface first so the paint can properly adhere.

Spray paint will give you a more even coat but requires masking off the rest of the tank and a garage or somewhere you don't care if the overspray goes everywhere.

If you decide to buy a can of paint, use latex paint and a throw away roller. They make fine rollers for glass surfaces (It looks more like a sponge than a traditional paint roller)
 
EricTheRed said:
Thanks, guys. That Krylon is expensive stuff!
Click to expand...

The cheap crap works just as well. You are paying for the name, whatever you use, you are putting it on a non-porous surface, no one paint will ahere any better than another. It's all in how you apply it. Thin coats to build a base for the rest of the coats to stick to. It's going to be rough around this time a year to paint it outside thou...
 
Hey Eric, I've always used the Rustoleum and I've had no problems. I've had water on it and it won't come off either. Just be careful not to scratch the paint. It doesn't matter what paint you use. You will see the scratch even if you paint over it. Just give it a good cleaning and put tape on the edges so you won't get it on there and you should be good.
 
i went with a roller on my 120gallon and my 220 gallon with the cheap flat black paint from the hardware store and it worked perfect 3 coats though to make sure of good coverage and i put a desk lamp in the tank to see if there was any light getting through at all.
 
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