How to Make an Inexpensive Backdrop for Your Fish Tank

You can buy a backdrop picture for your fish tank at the pet store, but it costs quite a bit. Here are two inexpensive ways to cover the back of the tank so the cords and tubes do not detract from the view.

Things You'll Need

  • Glass fish tank
  • Wrapping paper or color printer
  • Scissors
  • Tape
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Instructions

    • 1

      The first one is the easiest. Find a roll of gift wrapping paper that has a design you like. You can use holiday paper to go along with the seasons of the year, or any image that is pleasing to you and compliments your decor.

    • 2

      Measure the back panel of the tank and cut a piece of wrapping paper the exact size top to bottom, and at least one inch wider than the width of the tank.

    • 3

      Place the paper, image side toward the glass, on the outside of the back panel (between any cords and the glass). Carefully wrap the edges over the two sides, adhering it with clear plastic tape.

    • 4

      The second backdrop takes a bit more work, but can be just as pleasing when finished. Find an image of coral or any underwater scene online. Google Images is a good place to start. Just type in keywords like 'coral' 'under water' or 'tropical fish' and you will have hundreds of images to peruse.

    • 5

      Once you have found the image you like, copy and paste it into your computer program (I used PowerPoint, but Word works as well). Stretch the image so it covers the whole page.

    • 6

      Print out as many pages as it will take to cover the entire back panel of the fish tank. Keep in mind when measuring that each page will have a 'border' that will be cut off so the images can be taped together.

    • 7

      Trim each page so there is no white border, tape all the images together to create a repeated pattern that is the same size as the back of the tank. Adhere it to the back of the tank, on the outside, with the image facing the glass. Don't forget to put the cords on the outside!