# Changing the background color



## JAyliffe (Feb 29, 2012)

I need some advice on changing my background color from its current blue to black. Originally I spray painted the back of the tank when it was empty but now of course it's full. So my first question is can I repaint it without having to remove everyone? If so, are there any suggestions/recommendations for the easiest/safest way to do this?


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

The main question would seem to be if the back of the tank is accessible. If this is a 250G, as your signature indicates, I doubt you have a chance of moving the weight of the tank around with enough water in there to sustain the fish. If you can get to the back of the tank, I'd just cover the tank with some foil from the hardware store that people use as painters cloth, and spray away. If you are uncomfortable using a spray can so close to the fish, you can roll the paint on. I've done it myself, and it works just as well as spraying. If you need to move the tank, get cheap plastic totes from one of the big chain stores. The fish will be fine in there with airstones and heaters. I would never use that stuff in my tanks, but when I temporarily store fish in plastic totes, I have had very good success using API Ammo Lock or a similar ammonia binding product. Keeping them in totes for 3-4 days should be no problem, but don't feed and keep the totes as dark as possible to keep the fish calm.


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## JAyliffe (Feb 29, 2012)

Thanks for the input  Thankfully the 250 is in a closet area the other side of the wall that it's viewed in so its like a picture frame in the study wall. The back of the tank is fully accessible so I can take the approach of covering for the re-spray or roll-on (I'm thinking I prefer the roll-on option at this point). Obviously I need to clean off the old paint, which was a spray can enamel, does anyone know if scraping is the easiest/best option or should I consider a paint remover? Again since the fish are staying in place, that might be a poor choice so I'm interested in anyone's experience.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Razor blade with holder would be my choice for removal.


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

GTZ said:


> Razor blade with holder would be my choice for removal.


I second that, although I have no personal experience with removing a painted background. Paint stripper sounds messy though, and the stench in an area that might not be too well ventilated could be unbearable. I wonder how a single metal blade algae scraper would fare for this job


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I actually used a hard plastic windshield scraper. I also rolled on the paint.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

DJRansome said:


> I actually used a hard plastic windshield scraper. I also rolled on the paint.


  Inventive, never thought of that.
I have a Kent metal algae scraper, I don't think it's sharp or rigid enough to scrape paint, it's flexible aluminum if I'm not mistaken.
I think Frank was joking anyway...


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

I have the same scraper shown in the photo, and it does a great job with my algae. In my neck of the woods we have stubborn algae, and I doubt paint sticks to glass any firmer than those things. If I had to scrape the paint off the back of one of my tanks, that's the first tool I would try. If it didn't work, then I'd pretend I had been joking


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## BrendanMc (May 30, 2012)

When I repainted my tank, I filled a spray bottle with vinegar, sprayed the painted side and let it soak for about 10 minutes. The paint came right off with a scraper.


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## JAyliffe (Feb 29, 2012)

Thanks to everyone for the helpful suggestions. I do have an algae scraper (looks suspiciously like the one pictured) but I doubt it's up to the task. I have a razorblade scraper and a pack of blades so I'll be going that route, maybe with a spot of vinegar to ease my efforts. I'm definitely going with the roller application to re-paint it and hopefully get a solid coat on there first time. I'll post a picture or two once I am done


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

Your algae scraper should be plenty rigid for the job, a credit card would work in a pinch, glass is a very poor surface for paint adhesion. The only worry with razor blades is if you happen to tilt the blade at all you can easily scratch glass with the edges. The car windshield scraper would be my choice.


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## littleolme (Nov 1, 2011)

JAyliffe said:


> Thanks to everyone for the helpful suggestions. I do have an algae scraper (looks suspiciously like the one pictured) but I doubt it's up to the task. I have a razorblade scraper and a pack of blades so I'll be going that route, maybe with a spot of vinegar to ease my efforts. I'm definitely going with the roller application to re-paint it and hopefully get a solid coat on there first time. I'll post a picture or two once I am done


We've painted a few tanks that were in use and removed old paint. Absolutely recommend using a razor blade (will probably need to change it a few times) to scrape off the old stuff and rolling on paint in multiple light coats to get an even spread.


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