Aquarium background: Tips for the aquarium background

aquarium background or background objects select: Today's guide is about the rear wall of the aquarium. This is very often decisive for what the aquarium really looks like and what effect it has on the viewer. Aquarium backgrounds are very different materials and shapes. Of the very simple pasted photo foil on the outside of the glass, right down to the rear walls natural substances (3D relief) inside the aquarium. Of course, there are also backgrounds that only consist of one color. Here you can find out what options there are and what advantages and disadvantages there are for each form. We also take a look at the price, because this is also crucial.

 

Why do I need an aquarium background at all?

First, we answer the question why you have one at all aquarium background needed. Basically, you could also omit this. But this would have some disadvantages in terms of optics. Especially if the background is a white wall, for example. The view would not be particularly nice and you would basically look through the aquarium. Therefore, a background is used to beautify the viewer's view. For the ornamental fish it usually has little meaning, unless you use a 3D wall. There could be some Algae accumulate, which in turn by some fish species gladly be taken. But more on that in a later chapter.

Aquarium backgrounds made of foil, adhesive foil, poster or paint

Let's start with what is probably the most common type, the various slides. Foil backgrounds has been around since the beginning of aquaristics. A foil on the back of the aquarium has several advantages. On the one hand, the price should be mentioned here, because you don't have to dig deep into your pocket, but get the films very cheaply. On the other hand, you have a lot of variants and choices. Be it just a specific color such as black or blue, or you rely on motif foils, which are available in heaps in stores. Also the Assembly and installation is quite easy. The foil is quickly glued on and the whole thing is finished. Depending on the location, you may even have the option of exchanging them again in order to get a new effect in the pool.

Perhaps a word about the motif slides. There you can often find motifs which basically represent aquariums. Blue background with many plants on it. Furnishings such as stones and roots are also printed. If you want something a little more colorful or wild, you will also find motif foils, which look quite bizarre. Be it with a skull on it or with a shipwreck. As always, there are no limits to the imagination. Basically, you could even do without the foil completely and apply color directly to the back wall.

However, we recommend the back wall like this lifelike only possible to select. This is the only way to create a very good replica of the natural habitat of the ornamental fish, and that should be the most important thing. Nonetheless, there are plenty of options.

With the nano aquariums, you usually go a different way. There you stick a black film on the back to show off the little animals. But other colors such as blue or green can also be considered.

Again and again one sees today in Aquascaping Area also foil which are permeable, i.e. transparent, but have a blurred and milky structure. This also creates a special view of the aquarium.

 

 

Glue the foil to the rear wall of the aquarium

Here, too, there are a few things to consider, because especially if you want to stick the film directly and over a large area, you have to be careful that there aren't any bubbles and there are bumps or folds. This should be avoided at all costs, otherwise the whole thing doesn't look really nice. There are a number of ways in which this can best be done. On the one hand, the foil, usually with motif foils, cannot be glued flat, but only fixed at the edges. A normal adhesive strip is suitable for this. There are no problems with wrinkles or air pockets. However, the optics can suffer a bit because the film is not completely in place. Nevertheless, this also works quite well.

There are a few options for complete bonding. Be it with a special adhesive, as is also known from the field of tinting car windows, or with special aquarium adhesive. In addition, there are now commercially available self-adhesive foils for the aquarium.

No matter which method you use, you should first clean the aquarium thoroughly. The exact cutting of the film should also be done before gluing. With many foils, however, it can also make sense to cut off the protruding edges with a sharp knife or razor blade only after bonding.

First, the aquarium is usually sprayed with a soap-water mixture in order to apply the foil without bubbles. Even moving is still easily possible with a self-adhesive film. With a scraper, as you know it from the kitchen area, only the air bubbles are pressed and pushed outwards. We have also posted a corresponding video here as instructions for gluing the rear wall of the aquarium.

 

 

In conclusion, one should always use the exact Instructions of the respective manufacturer read carefully. Not all foils are applied in the same way, but require different assembly steps.

 

Aquarium backgrounds as a relief and 3D fabrics (stone look, cork look, bark look, root look...)

3D or relief backgrounds are becoming more and more fashionable. These are usually glued into the aquarium. The motifs here are quite varied, with the main focus being on replicating roots and stones. Plants are not shown in this way. This would certainly not look real. With the roots and also with the stones, it makes a lot, since it is not just a smooth surface, but represents a relief and imitates a real structure. It's also great if you like your technical devices Filter piping and hoses or the Heating can still hide behind such a back wall. Of course, this brings a decisive advantage in terms of optics. Also the Depth effect can be crucial.

Unfortunately, in our opinion, there are a few disadvantages with this optically very beautiful aquarium background. On the one hand, the usually very small living space for the fish is reduced even further, since the rear wall, depending on its size and thickness, can take up quite a bit of space. On the other hand, there are always problems with algae with these backgrounds. Thread algae or brush algae like to spread on the usually rather rough surfaces. Removing these is not easy. This is quite easy to do on a smooth glass surface, such as you have with a foil. Nevertheless, they seem to inspire a lot of aquarists today.

 

 

For fish, however, this enrichment with algae can be beneficial. You can find additional food there. As always, you should just be careful that there is no algae plague.

In terms of costs, you can of course say right away that this type is more expensive than a simple foil.

The installation is basically not difficult. After the adjustment and cutting, the parts, if there are several with aquarium silicone glued to the rear window. Of course, the side panes can also be used, depending on the size of the back wall. However, you should make sure that there are no slits or cracks where young fish could possibly get behind the back wall. They would never find their way forward again. It is therefore also important to seal the grooves accordingly.

Here, too, we have a corresponding video on how to do one aquarium background assembled and installed linked.

 

Aquarium background with 3D optics outside the aquarium

If you are a bit skilled yourself, you can also install the aquarium background with a great depth effect outside of the aquarium. For this purpose, a kind of wooden box is built, which is mounted behind the aquarium. The optics may not be quite as optimal as with the version glued on the inside, but this has the advantage that on the one hand there is no space for the fish and on the other hand cleaning is not a problem. The optical elements such as roots and stones are then placed in this wooden box. Bark can also be glued.

 

 

Build your own aquarium background

Of course you can also build an aquarium background yourself. As already described in the previous chapter, the rear wall as a box outside the aquarium is also suitable for this. Always assuming you have enough space for it in your room. We have also added a video for this. Of course you can also build a rear wall inside yourself from different materials. But this requires quite a bit of skill, because you have to shape and cut them accordingly.

 

 

Aquarium backgrounds with plants

If you want to rely entirely on nature and want to do without the aquarium foil or the Back to Nature background, you should grow a background made of nature. However, this does not seem to be easy in practice, but there are some aquarists who manage to enrich their back wall with plants in such a way that they cover the entire rear part of the tank and thus form a wall of plants. A rear wall would therefore no longer be necessary.

No matter which type you choose, you should, as always, be well informed and weigh up the various options. Be it in terms of price but also in terms of cleaning and appearance. A later change is as good as impossible.