ok guys/gals i just went and got the tank today. so lets get this started pics will be up tomorrow... sorry i know no pics = lame i will make it up tomorrow

Very cool. I hope you enjoy your new set-up!

ok so while we wait for the pics i have some ???'s for you guys

1. what color sand would you go with black or white?

2. what color background should i do i? i wonder what it would look like with a purple background? lol i dont think i want to go with a black one any more

IMO

1 - White or Mix Sand
2 - Black Background

thank's
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so im going to let you guys help with this build a lil lets see what happens

Although I haven't used a background in years (I've had penninsula tanks viewable from 3 sides, and currently have a nano) I found the perfect color that looks great on a background........

Purple could work if its the right shade, and if you're going to let the back encrust with coraline anyway, that's non-intrusive enough.

If you're going to keep the back glass clean however, there's one color thats better than the others, but let's disguss the downsides of other colors first.

Black looks great when it's new, but very quickly starts looking pretty bad with only alil algae and encrustation, plus buying a fish that has any black coloration (common when you think about it) would just camoflage the fish.

White, such a poor choice we hardly need to disguss it.

Vibrant colors look great on their own, but quickly compete with the inhabitants and aquascaping for attention. A richly hued painted background is NOT the reason we're in this hobby.
Paint a background blue and your blue tang can play Now You See Me, Now You Don't. Go with the purple, and you'd be wasting your money on a purple file fish, etc.

The last background I painted on my tank was medium dark gray, it made the fish POP in color, the clowns looked oranger, the tang bluer. Fish lined in Black looked well defined and everything was highly visible. No body likes the idea of a grey back ground because it sounds so bland and no where, but it draws the eye back to the inhabitants.

If you're going with a back ground, consider gray to be your best choice, trust me, it sounds off the wall, but you'll like it!!!!


ok so while we wait for the pics i have some ???'s for you guys

1. what color sand would you go with black or white?

2. what color background should i do i? i wonder what it would look like with a purple background? lol i dont think i want to go with a black one any more

I am a fan of black sand.

I like white sand when it is new.

I put black sand in the 180.

If I could put any sand I wanted in a tank I would take sand from the beaches of Maui.

NO SAND!!!! lol. Next tank I'm going to do 50% gray background....I think the colors will pop off a lot more. I know I always view prints behind 50% gray to see true colors.

what do you mean 50% gray?

Explain sir.

The last background I painted on my tank was medium dark gray, it made the fish POP in color, the clowns looked oranger, the tang bluer. Fish lined in Black looked well defined and everything was highly visible. No body likes the idea of a grey back ground because it sounds so bland and no where, but it draws the eye back to the inhabitants.

If you're going with a back ground, consider gray to be your best choice, trust me, it sounds off the wall, but you'll like it!!!!

This makes so much sense and it's believable to me because my sand is actually dark gray (not black). When you think about it, that's your surface *background* and everything looks better on it, with the exception of crumblies from that stupid !#&$#$%&* homemade liverock.

Imagine this cardinal against black sand or a black background. Part of him would be *lost*. Part of his top fin cannot be seen against the black corner overflow behind him.

http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=10505&stc=1&d=1209344563

I'm going with black Hawaiin sand and already painted the back of my 90g black as well. I'm going to do a Hawaiin themed tank, so the black sand is my only choice. IMO, figure out what you want to put in the tank, or if you are going to recreate a specific reef environment and then choose sand and background color form there.

The reason I didn't go gray background is that my overflow is black and I didn't wanna try and paint inside the tank.

1-2 sand and black is in the lead
1-3 other color is in the lead

I mixed black and white sand in the 72 bow it was pretty cool salt and pepper look. Part it out as you see fit.