I have 2 large canister filters running my 110. I may add a third. I want to take out the crappy stock tubing that comes with the canisters and custom fit some from plubing. Few questions,
- Is plumbing glue ok to use?
- What paint will work and last
- Epoxy vs paint?
I'm not really sure about those, but why don't you just build a sump? Probably would be about the same price as another canister filter but you would have so much more space for media and can hide your heaters.
PVC and PVC cement are 100% safe for fish once it has cured. As for paint, are you talking about painting the underwater portions of PVC pipe? If so, use Krylon Fusion spray paint. It's also safe for fish once cured.
PVC and ABS glues are fine, just let it dry until there is very little or no smell.
Paint is tricky. I have used Krylon Fusion on PVC fittings several times. I have had problems with tiny little blisters forming on the paint. It looks great at first, but after several months in the tank the blisters form. If you rub the surface with your hand (or a pleco sucks on it) it leaves little white spots where the blisters rub off. I have tried lightly sanding the fittings, but it doesn't seem to help. I would be interested to see if anyone else has had these problems.
ABS is black to begin with and sands to a nice matte finish, I really like using it for visible parts of the intakes. It can also be mixed with PVC for the parts you don't see (same diameter). The only downside is that it is only available down to 1.5"
Epoxy paint tends to be very durable, and I would think it would be tank-safe after a full cure and a good wash, but it would all depend on the particular product, I suppose.
Yes I think I will use the Black PVC as you said. Going to be doing it this weekend and I will post some pics. I moved and finaly got my tank moved over. What sucks is I wanted to paint the back black before putting it against the wall but my LMB started looking bad so I said screw it. They are all settled into it now.
