melev

The newer version of the Marineland 400g came with a lowered water line than previously. The black plastic trim didn't hide it this time, and my preference is to keep that invisible. A few months ago, in anticipation of this situation, I ordered some flat black vinyl strips to apply to the tank once it was setup and running.

I didn't want to ruin the vinyl during the process of adding sand, rock and livestock, but now that everything is in the tank, it was high time to get it done. I ordered enough vinyl for the two long sides and the end panel, to adhere at the top as well as to the bottom to hide the wavy silicone line visible at the base of the sandbed.

This product is very similar to pin-striping that is glued to a vehicle. It handles the weather all year long, and takes the brunt of car wash machinery perfectly. With this affixed to my tank, I can still use the cleaning magnet as usual without damaging the product.

Here are a couple of pictures of the gap created by the lowered water line. With woodwork in place, this gap would be a source of light-leak into the room - basically a distraction. It also looks a little messy even if you keep the glass clean along the perimeter.

I cut away one strip of vinyl from the full sheet, and peeled off the masking tape with the black strip. The tank was cleaned first with windex, then I sprayed the area of glass with soapy water, and then sprayed the sticky side of the vinyl with soapy water as well. (This is quite similar in principle to the Zagg screen protectors we stick to our smart phones.)

Once both halves were wet with soapy water, I pressed the black vinyl where I wanted it, right under the black trim.

Using a rubber squeegee-like tool, I smoothed the vinyl to the glass. This forces out the excess liquid and presses out trapped air bubbles.

I removed the masking tape cover, sprayed the black vinyl again with soapy water and squeegeed it once more to make sure it was positioned exactly where I wanted it. Here's the final look after I was done with the two viewing panes. I didn't do the bottom half yet, nor the back panel on the fishroom side.

It already looks more complete to me now; so much nicer.

Unrelated: This is the view from the top of the tank looking toward the return plumbing.

The strips were ordered oversized. 3/4" tall and a little longer than necessary so that I could cut off the excess for a nice clean look. Within a few days these will be fully cured and on the tank for life, but if I ever had to remove it, I could do so easily.

You can order the vinyl from a shop like Fast Signs, or buy the aquarium background offered by Blue Life USA and cut strips yourself. I opted to get these professionally done so the bottom edge was 100% straight and perfect. Flat black is best, instead of glossy black. The idea is to hide the water line, not make it obvious what you did.