Backlighting

[magnosis]

I'm trying to come up with an easily replaceable background for two of my tanks, because I cannot make up my mind between black, and a bazillion different shades of blue.

For black I used a commercial background film, stuck it there with some sort of oil that came with it.  I was pretty happy with the result which turned out much darker than without using the oil.  But that oil made a hell of a mess, as much during installation than afterwards (kept dripping over time).

For blue, one very simple thing I tried was 3m insulation. The color was perfect until I filled up the tank, at which point it turned out a lot grayer than it was without water. Refraction is playing some funky tricks on me...

What do you guys use for your background ? (other than paint or off-the-shelf background films)
Are you happy with it ?  What are the pros and cons ?

Also, has anyone here built a backlit background ?

I saw a few contest entries where the guys had apparently put a light behind their tank to replicate a sunset effect.  Looked pretty nice, even though I do not want a sunset.. but I'd be curious to see the result of an fully illuminated background.

[magnosis]

This is one way to do backlighting, should be very easy to DIY:

http://www.aquascaping-shop.de/epages/61694718.sf/de_DE/?ObjectPath=/Shops/61694718/Products/995/SubProducts/995-0001

[Greatwhite]

That's kind of cool... I think you should load up a lightbox in the back with color changing LED christmas lights that go from blue to red, though.  I bought a bunch a few years back with plans of building a CRAZY AWESOME bar in my basement -- then my daughter was born, and that's now her play area (aka - toy dump)

So I stuck them outside on a tree...

[magnosis]

LOL that would be pretty funky 

Couple more examples of what I'd like to achieve:

http://aac.acuavida.com/gallery/AAC_2010/grandes_acuarios/G0003/
-> definitely looks like it's backlit

http://aac.acuavida.com/gallery/AAC_2010/grandes_acuarios/G0029/G0029.jpg.html
-> I like the color. This one doesn't seem to have backlight; if you look carefully at the edges it almost looks like either fake (photoshop?) or one big backdrop that was inserted in the tank just for pictures (can't see waterline on this background... leading me to think it's not the 'real' background)

http://aac.acuavida.com/gallery/AAC_2010/acuario_medio2_001/M0018/M0018.jpg.html
-> just a plain white background ?

http://aac.acuavida.com/gallery/AAC_2010/mini_acuarios/P0005/P0005.jpg.html
-> white bg with backlight ?

http://aac.acuavida.com/gallery/AAC_2010/mini_acuarios/P0076/P0076.jpg.html
-> blue bg with backlight ?  Love this one !!

You get the idea...
I think a frosted plexy with a cheap fluorescent tube at the bottom might do the trick, for 10-20$ this would be the easiest thing to try first.  If I'm not happy with this I'll try a lightbox (see the link in my 2nd post)

[wolfiewill]

I use two types of back drops: One is flat black counter top veneer from Home Depot. It's very black, doesn't shine and creates a dark, mysterious 'not-sure-where-the-tank-stops' look. I think it creates more depth in a heavily planted tank. The second type I use is white opaque fluorescent light diffuser. I found that at Home Depot originally but now only at Rona. The opaque light diffuser is my attempt to recreate the 'Amano' look. I am going to find some cheap fluorescent lights and theatre lighting gells to light from behind - a dark colour from below, and a lighter, complementary colour above (possibly white). I think that's how the magazines do it.

[magnosis]

Aha excellent !  Last week I was browsing the isles at Rona, and found an opaque white fluorescent light diffuser, I though this could work and I bought it (9.99$ for 24"x48").  Then yesterday night I came here and read @wolfiewill's post

I think I'll keep the black background on my bigger tank.  I do like this appearance of "not-sure-where-the-tank-stops" as you put it. Besides, with a white background, I would need to keep the glass very clean because algae would show immediately.  With the black bg, I can hardly tell if there is a little algae, I eventually forget about it and let it grow, so far I haven't found it to be an eye sore.

I also bought a 7w fluorescent strip, but oh my was this expensive (44$) ! It's one of those chainable strips that are typically used to light up countertops.  I think it's expensive because a) it's chainable and b) it has a protective plastic on it (which is good, because it is likely to receive a fair amount of water splashes over time...

Where could I find a small (10-15") fluorescent that is more or less waterproof, for less than 44$ ?  I was surprised I couldn't find one for cheaper at Rona.

PS: I took a few shots of the new backlit background yesterday, too lazy to upload them - aha ! in my defense, it was late..  I'll update this post later with the pics.  I'm very happy with the results !

[magnosis]

Here's my new background:

Dawn / lights out:



Day / lights on:

[Brine]

really nice

[charlie]

Fantastic job, love the scape & background.

[magnosis]

Thanks guys !

If anything, I would keep it as-is for dawn, and increase the backlight output a bit during the day.  I think I would like it a little less white, a little more yellow.  Then again, these pictures look very different on my home monitor & office monitors, even a bigger gap between reality and pictures.  I guess I'll make up my mind once the tank is filled in

[wolfiewill]

Aha excellent !  Last week I was browsing the isles at Rona, and found an opaque white fluorescent light diffuser, I though this could work and I bought it (9.99$ for 24"x48").  Then yesterday night I came here and read @wolfiewill's post

I think I'll keep the black background on my bigger tank.  I do like this appearance of "not-sure-where-the-tank-stops" as you put it. Besides, with a white background, I would need to keep the glass very clean because algae would show immediately.  With the black bg, I can hardly tell if there is a little algae, I eventually forget about it and let it grow, so far I haven't found it to be an eye sore.

I also bought a 7w fluorescent strip, but oh my was this expensive (44$) ! It's one of those chainable strips that are typically used to light up countertops.  I think it's expensive because a) it's chainable and b) it has a protective plastic on it (which is good, because it is likely to receive a fair amount of water splashes over time...

Where could I find a small (10-15") fluorescent that is more or less waterproof, for less than 44$ ?  I was surprised I couldn't find one for cheaper at Rona.

PS: I took a few shots of the new backlit background yesterday, too lazy to upload them - aha ! in my defense, it was late..  I'll update this post later with the pics.  I'm very happy with the results !
[Try Canadian Tire for the cheap fluorescent light strip. If my memory serves (and no, it's not what it used to be, but) they were half that price.]