# Aquarium Background



## Dan Crawford (2 Aug 2007)

Hi guys, here at work i have the ability/technology to create custom printed tank backgrounds and i was wondering if you guys had any thoughts on what might look nice.
At the mo i have a gradient from top to bottom going from ligt blue to black and back to light blue again. It's alright but it's not perfect.
As i say capabilities are limitless, images - gradients - logos - solid colours etc.
In the past i have used a pic of the tank with no fish in mounted to the back of the tank effectivley doubling the depth, that worked well.

Any thoughts or ideas would be great.

Cheers
Dan


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## Graeme Edwards (3 Aug 2007)

For me it would have to be either white OR imagine how a dusk sky looks............... light ( almost white ) at the bottom then grading into a blue to purple hue, nice, thats what ide like.


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## Dan Crawford (3 Aug 2007)

thanks mate, is this what you had in mind?


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## Ed Seeley (3 Aug 2007)

With an Iwagima scape it might look pretty cool to have an image of mountains as the backdrop, kinda mirroring what the scape is trying to represent?


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## Dan Crawford (3 Aug 2007)

do you have a picture in mind? if so maybe i could knock somthing up?


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## Dave Spencer (3 Aug 2007)

The one you did for Graeme would look pretty sweet in pale blue, but with a greater expanse of white at the bottom to allow for the depth of the substrate.

I would like to see what a white background, slowly graduating to a pale grey at the top would look like.

Dave.


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## Dan Crawford (3 Aug 2007)

Blue 





Grey





The one i have at the mo, i was going for extra depth but the gradients at the top and bottom are a bit lost by the lights and the substrate so i't just black really.





Good ideas guys, cheers.


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## Ed Seeley (3 Aug 2007)

I didn't have a picture in mind, just an idea of rolling hills behind an Iwagima that's meant to represent rolling hills, know what I mean?

Anyway did a quick search and found this picture of a part of the Cheviot Hills from this website, http://www.calwalkers.com/ReiversWay/RWDay8.html
Hope they don't mind me 'borrowing' the photo!




There are actually probably some better photos on their web page!  I suppose it would also depend on the tank!

I could just see this with a tank of rolling hills of HC in front - I don't have a tank like that though Danne so unless you, or someone else, wants to use it there isn't much point printing it up mate to be brutally honest!


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## Dan Crawford (3 Aug 2007)

i know what you meen eds, it's nice just to discuss these things though i think.

I'm sure someone has one and i'd happily do the background as an experiment and document it on the site somwhere?


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## Ed Seeley (3 Aug 2007)

I agree completely.  It's certainly given me some ideas about something I normally don't even consider!  My tanks have a range of things on the back from nothing to slate.  

I hope someone has a suitable Iwagima and would like to try the background, or another similar one.  It may look naff or it may look great and we won't really know until it's been tried!


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## Dan Crawford (3 Aug 2007)

couldn't agree more mate. Bring on the Iwagima project.


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## Dave Spencer (4 Aug 2007)

The blue and the grey you did in response to my post look great Dan.

Dave.


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## Graeme Edwards (4 Aug 2007)

I agree.

For me and possible judges in aquascaping compotions, having a background that is a picture of rolling hills or rocky out crops will do no favours for the scape. I think it would make the overall image to fussy,distracting and getting a perfect match for your design will be very hard.
I cant take to that idea.......ill stand corrected if someone does it very well, hay ill even eat my diffuser   

Love the blue - gray and black gradiants Dan, for me thats what i would go for on any scape design. Bit of class  8) 

Graeme.


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## George Farmer (4 Aug 2007)

I think the background should be chosen to suit the aquascape.  Landscapes etc. do nothing for me personally, for the reasons suggested.

Some 'scapes look better with no background at all, just a pale wall behind.  If one backlghts the wall this can work very well.  Amano does this a lot, also using blue light to backlight.  Depending on the position of the backlight depends on the effect.

Black is also effective if contrasting fish and plant colours are desired.

The graduated backgrounds, Dan, look very good and kind of replicate the backlit technique.  It will be interesting to see how they look realtime.


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## GreenNeedle (4 Aug 2007)

.............


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## oldwhitewood (31 Aug 2007)

For me the grey wins and I also like the blue.

I would however only use a background if I had a dodgy coloured wall behind the tank or some wallpaper or something. I prefer tanks with no backgrounds they look bigger somehow. Adding a backlight can make things looks really dramatic. I'm not keen on solid black backgrounds either. Just my two cents as the americans say.


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## Dave Spencer (1 Nov 2007)

Hey Dan, I noticed you mentioning backgrounds on another thread. Do you have any of these made up at all?

I am prepared to pay ADA prices.  

Dave.


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## Dan Crawford (1 Nov 2007)

Hiya Dave, I make them to order and i don't charge ADA either!
How big is your tank and what colour(s) were you after?


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## beeky (2 Nov 2007)

Could these backgrounds be something that UKAPS could sell, like the aquascaping kit? I reckon it would be a good way of getting some funds.

How much for a 36"x18" background?

I've got a very tasteful(!) planted scene on my tank. I set it up 8 years ago when I young and naive and now I can't get to the back of the tank to remove it!


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## Dan Crawford (2 Nov 2007)

I have to run this through my company and to add a "profit" on top so that UKaps coud gain then it would prolly make it a little expensive for the market. 
I'll PM you a price since i'm not into advertising on the site. (for everyones benifit)


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