# Spray painting bottom and back of goldfish tank?



## yogosans14 (Jul 14, 2014)

I bought this spray paint at Walmart to use since I'm making my Goldie tank bare bottom. Will this be ok?or should I try something else. I'm obviously going to be paining the outside of the glass.


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## kjg1029 (Jun 14, 2014)

im betting thatll be fine, i just used 98 cent stuff, and it looked great. goodluck!


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## Nova betta (Dec 5, 2014)

I did it to my forty gallon for two of my goldies and it looks great!


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## MikeG14 (May 31, 2014)

Yes that paint is fine. Just make sure you do a thorough job of masking so you don't get any overspray inside the tank.

But before you spray the bottom black, read this...
http://www.fishyreview.com/fake_sand.html


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## yogosans14 (Jul 14, 2014)

Ok I need help!the glass tank I got from petco is tetra brand one and it has this thing in the middle of it and a sticker that I cannot physically remove. What can I do?The tank looks like crap!


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## MikeG14 (May 31, 2014)

I'm sorry but I think you are out of luck. You could scrape it off with a razor blade but it looks like some of the paint has seeped under the frame.

You are obliviously going for bare bottom because it is a goldfish tank so using gravel to hide it would be a drag. Painting the bottom from the inside is out of the question. But you can silicone some gravel to the bottom permanently so it's easy to clean like a bare bottom tank. Forum member Kim does this and her tanks look fantastic.


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## andakin (Aug 10, 2009)

I only wish I saw this thread earlier. I'm sorry about that sticker. I understand the purpose of that sticker, but I find them annoying.

Just for future reference, have you considered using a latex-based paint? That seems to be a popular choice for many people. It's supposed to scrape off easily.

I just place a black flexible craft styrofoam mat under the tank. Sorry I don't know what it's actually called. I use the same material on the back and applied silicon to the edges. Also, there are removable tints available.


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## Mousie (Feb 16, 2015)

For future reference (in case anyone else reads this thread wanting to know) you can use PlastiDip. If you don't like it or later want to change color, it peels right off (sort of like vinyl decals peel off).


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## MikeG14 (May 31, 2014)

The paint the OP used will scrape off with a razor or even a fingernail. It's not going to etch itself into glass. 

I use Valspar latex from Lowes & foam rollers. I always wanted to try PlastiDip but didn't have a appropriate place to spray it. It was too cold in my garage to spray paint at the time.


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## Strawberry12 (Mar 6, 2015)

Krylon FUSION is tank safe, you could paint the inside with that.


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## MikeG14 (May 31, 2014)

While I agree that Krylon Fusion is safe for use inside the tank, I don't think it will work on the glass in an aquarium filled with water. It's never going to adhere to glass the same way as it would a piece of PVC or a plastic component. Water is going to get under the paint eventually and cause it to raise and flake off. Especially if your water is even the slightest bit acidic. It's just not going to have the durability to withstand the repeated vacuumings that are required with Goldfish. If the glass could be sandblasted the paint would stand a better chance of sticking but I still wouldn't hold out much hope long term.

I think Aqua Aurora made a post about painting Lexan or Plexiglas backgrounds with Krylon Fusion for use inside the tank to cut down on reflection in the DYI thread. It's an older post made about a year ago but it might be worth searching out.


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