Aquarium Backgrounds

Don't forget to use an aquarium background when you decorate your fish tank. A background will give your tank a finished look by covering up all the plumbing and electrical cords that are on the back side of the tank.

An aquarium background will also give you another opportunity to customize your fish tank. You can match it to the decor of your room, whether that's a traditional-style family room, a dungeon of video games and medieval warfare, or a post modern style. While you can go wild with an aquarium background, usually it looks best to use an understanded, simple picture that matches the look inside your aquarium. Typically, that means a picture of plants, with natural gravel and probably some pieces of wood.

Most aquarium backgrounds cost about $6 for a ten gallon to twenty gallon sized tank. Some of the nicer backgrounds have images on both sides, which means if you decide you're bored with one image, you can flip it over for a new look.

You can also get 3D aquarium backgrounds that are not images, but actual materials, like stone or plastic made to look like wood or plant matter. These cost a bit more, starting and $30 for a "mini crevice" and going all the way up to $350 for a large tank. But for the right aquarium - like a pale stone background for a cichid aquarium - a 3D background will make anything else look second rate. Do note that 3D backgrounds take up a few inches of the back of your tank, so if you already have a tank that's not that deep (like only 12 inches from front to back), your tight space is going to be a bit tighter.

DIY Aquarium Background

You can make an aquarium background yourself. All you need is a printed image, or even just a pattern, that can cover the back of your fish tank. If you want a pattern, go to a scrapbooking or craft supplies store and buy about 6 of the 12 inch paper squares sold. They'll cost about a quarter each. Then use double sided tape to hold the sheets on the back of your tank. You may also want to apply a layer of saranwrap, or plastic, on the back of the printed pattern. Otherwise it will get wet and the colors will run. In fact, even with the layer of plastic, the paper will probably still get wet. This is why a lot of people either get their backgrounds laminated (costs about $20) or they buy professionally made backgrounds.

An alternative is if you have some stock photos, a photo editing program, and a printer. Then you can choose whatever image you want, size it so it fits the back of your tank and print it out fll size. You may need to tile the image on your printer, so your image will print out on about 6 different 8.5 x 11 sized pieces of paper. Then you will need to tape or seal the parts of the image together. Finally, if you really want your background to last, you can get it laminated at an office supply store like Office Depot.

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