Safe Paint

[Greg Curtis]

Hey guys, I've heard that the Fusion brand of paint from Krylon are safe for painting PVC pipe to put into an aquarium. Just looking for some answers here if anyone has used it without any problems. Its acrylic made for plastic so I'm guessing its okay.

[L number Banana]

Hi Greg,
I have no idea about the paint but I bought the three way PVC pipes (so I had a peep hole against the glass) and disguised them by covering the outside in silicone and rolling them in the same sand as what's used in the aquarium. The inside is still smooth but they look more like a hole in the sand.
Another idea is to net them and grow 'moss' on the outside.

[Greg Curtis]

Thanks L I had planned on coating them with sand and then growing some type of moss on them with a net. Like minds huh?

[pleco_breeder]

I don't know about safe in the tanks. I've used it to paint plastic tubs and it does flake a bit. However, I've read several articles about plywood tanks which recommend using marine epoxy paints inside the tank. A bit more expensive, and not readily available in small amounts, but recommended too often to think unsafe.

One of the downfalls of using spray paint is that it dries too rapidly and doesn't bond as readily to molded surfaces. I would consider something that has a bit more staying power for inside a tank.

Larry

[Bas Pels]

One reason for using epoxy coatings (I'm not using the word 'paint' for a reason) is that the coating protects the plywood from the water.

The coating is very hard, but does not scratch easily. However, it is a very lousy thing to apply, I'd much rather use paint. The problem is, the 2 componentsare highly toxic, nasty fumes result from the hardening process and in case of multiple layers, that is where you will be sticking your head into. I even had to walk over layers in order to apply new ones as I coated ponds

Further, the hardening starts after mixing the two components - which means you will have to measure small amounts in order to allpy them timely, and do this carefully not to leave much of 1 component unreacted - due to its toxicity

Still, it is the best stuff around, one correctly applied

[MatsP]

In this particular case, coating with silicone and rolling it in sand would seem like a good idea (make sure it's silicone intended for aquarium use!)

Epoxy coating is certainly a viable option (it's the same stuff as epoxy "glue", but with colour and a bit thinner consistency), but Bas points out several drawbacks. You may be able to find an "air drying boat paint" [and I'm using "paint" in a broad view here] based on for example polyurethane (note: some of these paints have extra additions to make them resistant to mold, algae and other living things - DO NOT USE THAT TYPE, if in doubt, ask the manufacturer if it contains anything like that).

Spray paint [at least as a general rule - there may be "boat" paint in spray bottles, but generally, I'd expect if it's sprayed on that it is done with a compressor and a spray-gun, rather than from a can] is not intended to be under water, so it is not sure to be safe (it MAY be).

--
Mats

[Greg Curtis]

Thanks for your replies guys. I'm reading on other forums that people are using the spray can Fusion Acrylic paint for plastics with no problems in the tank at all. It was developed for plastic kid's toys so I'm guessing it would be safe in aquarium as well.

[L number Banana]

Hey that's a good point! Check out Lee Valley tools online, don't have to order from there (two day delivery here ) but you'll see some product names. They have lots of goodies recommended for children's wooden toys. Things that get chewed should be very safe

[apistomaster]

I just heard from a friend who traveled about 1500 miles round trip to buy my 10 adult Heckel Discus.
He intended to place them in his 135 gal acrylic tank.
This tank was constructed originally with a blue acrylic back panel which he did not want to keep.
He used Krylon Fusion on the inside of the back panel to paint it black.
After allowing the freshly applied paint cure about one week he set up the tank and began the cycling process.
Within 48 hours of setting it up, the back panel gave way and the force of the rupture shoved the tank about 4 feet away from the wall, ripped his 300 gpd RO filter off the wall and just generally created a disaster zone.
I have never heard of such a thing happening but Ed is as reliable a source as I know and has no reason to fabricate this most inconvenient event. The Heckels were the intended inhabitants of this ruptured tank.

I have used standard Krylon spray paint to paint the back panel exterior of a plexiglas125 tank and it has worked for 25 years so I don't know why or how the Krylon Fusion might have caused this or if it was just a bizarre coincidence.
I don't know how much Krylon Fusion was applied and whether it was one thick coat or a couple of thin ones.
It occurs to me that an excessive amount applied on the inside may have penetrated and weakened the glued joints of the back panel.
Anyway, I thought others might find this incident food for thought.