How to black out a tank

I have A tank I am going to put my new bp in, was wondering how I should "black out" 3 sides of the tank to keep him/her feeling more secure? Any ideas please :)

Thank You

You can paint the OUTSIDE of the tank sides, or tape construction paper in place. I normally use taped dark construction paper, but I've also spray painted the outside of a few tanks and it's pretty convenient to not have to worry about paper tearing or getting wet. Just paint the outside or tape the outside, not the inside. Allow time to air out if you paint too.

Ok thanks so just use black paper to tape outside? do you have to do 3 sides?

i blacked out my tank using the black foam board in the school supply section at wal-mart it also helps insulate the glass a little, i did both sides, 3/4 of the bottom and the top and used an aquarium background on the back. on the front glass i made a black curtain that has magnets to attach it to the screen top
it is not necessary but it helps keep them calm down while they settle into their new surroundings .

http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip
This is the only thing you should use to black out your tank. tape it off like ur using spary paint and then let it dry it's a spray on rubber coating and you can always peel it off later if u want to take it off.

Ok thanks ill look into the foam board and into the backgroung.. Was the foam board very expensive?

no its like 2.88 a sheet and if i remember right i think i used three or four sheets to do two 20 long tanks. the backgrounds vary on price i got mine for 6.99 on sale at petsmart.

OK lol thanks.. Def going to do that before i get him/her. Just trying to lower unwanted stress lol

I used aquarium background from a pet store just for the look but just about anything will work :)

I used scrapbooking 12x12 sheets (lots of choice) for background, then house insulation foam board over that to help with heat retention. Cheap and works very well.

Whatever you use, make sure you totally cover the back and both sides of the glass on the outside. Also look into foil treatment for the screen top to keep heat and humidity stable.

Personally, I would utilize black contact paper. Contact paper is relatively cheap and if applied correctly, it will look great and also act as a non-permanent solution. What I mean by this is you can remove it in the future if need be. I’m not sure if this is your first Ball Python or not but if it is, you may very well catch the “Bug” and eventually upgrade to a rack system. If that is the case, you may find another use for your enclosure which would not require three sides to be blacked out. It is always good to keep the future in mind. Even if you don't catch the "Bug" you still might find yourself wanting to reuse the enclosure for something else one day which would make a non-permanent solution the best option.

So, the summary of black contact paper would be:

1. It’s cheap
2. It’s esthetically pleasing
3. It’s non-permanent

Ok I sure will thank you

I used drawing paper and electrical tape. I Used electrical tape because I didn't want to see the tape through the glass. With the electrical tape I was able to tape the paper to the black plastic borders at the top and bottom and the tape just blends into the plastic. On the outside of course.

I wouldn't do anything permanent because you never know what you may want to use the tank for at a later date.

ok thank you all so much

Hope this helps. This pic is from when i was first setting up my tank. It's a static cling background from PETCO $15.00 or so. Nott too bad. Keep in mind i have a large (18x18x36) tank and still only needed 1 roll. i like it because it looks good and is made out of a rubber type material, just in case i peel it off one day to reuse. It goes on the outsde of the tank same as window tint.

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...0233_thumb.jpg[/URL]

figured id post this because im on my way to my thread to put it up.

Haha lol thank you.