Diy Material Safety

[bluesmartie]

ive been looking into adding various diy bits and bobs to my tank but the internet being the wonderful place that it iis, is full of conflicting opinions many from people claiming "expert status" i was wondering if people with experiance (i.e you lot ) could help me out... i have the artistic talent, i have the impotus but the knowledge is lacking!

Concrete: is this safe for all types of fish (tropical) one site i read mentioned the alkaline pH of concrete. the pH alters the water chemistry making it safe for only alkali loving fish. true?

Paints: are there any paints in the UK that are safe? i use acrylic for all my other paintings and it says on some that they arent toxic but i doubt they mean to fish!

topcoating: to seal styro and the paint what do i use? ive read about epoxy but do they mean the stuff thats used in GRP fibreglass (but without the matting?) could glass fibre be used as the sculpture medium for rocks ect?

yacht varnish: is it safe?

wood types: i live right by the sea and theres always loads of beautiful wood just lying around could this be incorporated? would carving the wood affect anything (such as if there were undried resins still left in the wood?

sorry for the essay but ive been going around in circles on the web tonight!

many thanks

leonie

 

[onemisterchristian]

If you live right by the ocean, then it's likely that the wood will be pretty full of salt. Probably not the best to put in a freshwater tank. Where would the yacht varnish be used?

 

[SkiFletch]

Concrete can be safe for freshwater environments after it has been fully cured. During the curing process it releases a LOT of alkaline substances and can drastically raise the pH of your water (above 10). Once cured (3-6 weeks) it will very very slowly leech calcium and other alkaline salts that will keep your pH around 8.0. If that pH resembles your tap water that you use for water changes (most tap water is in the 7.8-8.2 range) then that's not a problem whatsoever. If you plan on keeping discuss, concrete in the tank is a no-no. Anything else and you should be fine. If you're making your own concrete sculptures, here's a hint: leave them in your toilet cistern to cure so that every time you flush you give it new water

as for sealers, 2-part epoxies are what you want to use... liberally. I know here in the states you can go to any hardware store and find a "countertop" epoxy designed for sealing surfaces that take a hard beating... No clue if somethin like that is available in the UK though

 

[The-Wolf]

paint that is safe for inside the aquarium
is Two-part epoxy paint for potable water tanks
(NSF 61/USDA/ANSI/AWWA and FDA certified and
approved, or UK equivalent)
you should find this in any paint specialist like Wicks

 

[promithius]

If you want to use the wood from the beach, boil it for a few hours, then soak it for a few weeks, changing the water every couple of days. this should get rid of the salt with any luck