# artists paint that is fish safe???



## venustus19 (Aug 30, 2007)

i was thinking about having my wife(the artist) paint me a background(to look 3D) on a sheet of plexi, and then drilling holes/slots for my intake, water movement,etc...

does anyone know of a paint that is fish safe, and that is not spray paint... she can prolly do it with spray paint, but i think if she can use a brush(or whatever) it would come out much better...

anyone have any ideas???
thanks alot.


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## under_control (Jan 9, 2008)

Why not just paint it on acrylic (or any medium for that matter) and put it on the outside of the tank?

I wouldn't use acrlyic though... the pricing is not worth it. Glass would be cheaper...

Just get it cut to fit between the trip pieces. If you fasten it well, it will still show up great.


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

I've asked this question before too. I have a fake piece of driftwood that needs repainted. The only paint I've ever heard that's safe is a spray paint, forget the name(maybe krylon fusion?). I would think acrylic craft paint like toole paint would be safe but don't know how long it would hold up in water or if it's really safe. Hope you get an answer.


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## venustus19 (Aug 30, 2007)

under_control said:


> Why not just paint it on acrylic (or any medium for that matter) and put it on the outside of the tank?


i was hoping to keep the background inside the tank to hide the heater and filter intake...

i want the background as skinny as possible, so i do not waste any more tank space as needed... i figured a 3D backgound would take up at lest 4"(saying 2" space behind the BG, and 2" of BG itself)... with plexi, your oly looking at like 2" total... 2" is alot of space for a 30B tank that is only 18" deep...

we'll see... i haven't found an answer yet, but i haven't looked real hard yet either... not sure i will get an answer on here, so i may just have to try some experiments on my own.

thanks...


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

I would drill the holes first. You might also cut some slots for circulation. You will need good circulation behind the background to prevent a hot spot around the heater, or its melting the background closest to it. Pond paints that stick to plastic might be a good choice, if you can obtain a white base and add pigments to make small quantities of various colors.


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

Some dyes like RIT work but not that great. Other then that no paint is truly safe for the aquarium.

Even the Krylon, as it started to flake off I started to have some nasty slime like algae problems in all the spots it was coming off. It lasted about a year on the thick green foam from the craft stores.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

JWerner2 said:


> Some dyes like RIT work but not that great. Other then that no paint is truly safe for the aquarium.
> 
> Even the Krylon, as it started to flake off I started to have some nasty slime like algae problems in all the spots it was coming off. It lasted about a year on the thick green foam from the craft stores.


 Florist's block is going to chip off of any paint, not really the paint chipping off it. Unlike styrofoam which is closed cell, the green florists block is porous and fills with water. As it fills with water and expands, any coating is going to be peeled off. The florists block is made to keep flowers green and fresh, so no surprise it would facilitate some luxuriant algal growth.


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

It wasnt florist foam, it was the hard styrene :roll: . Not that funny textured stuff.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

JWerner2 said:


> It wasnt florist foam, it was the hard styrene :roll: . Not that funny textured stuff.


I haven't seen anything but florists foam, which is green, in the craft stores around here, except for the white shapes used to make stuff like tree ornaments. That is not quite closed cell either, and I'd avoid that too.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

> my wife(the artist) paint me a background(to look 3D) on a sheet of plexi


Man, but that would look awsome..even using a couple of sheets, only an inch apart, to really give the illusion of great depth. Even the swelling/warp of the plexi would add to the look.


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

Mcdaphnia said:


> JWerner2 said:
> 
> 
> > It wasnt florist foam, it was the hard styrene :roll: . Not that funny textured stuff.
> ...


Yes like the white stuff. Some stores sell the white and some sell the green.

I dont understand what the the structure of it would do. Im thinking that once the paint started to flake it exposed some kind of nutrients left behind by the paint. Most likely phosphates cause thats all I didnt test for. As I said it was a slime, more like a cyano not really common algae. Should have not used the word algae I guess. 

It did the same thing in my dart frog tank. In areas where the paint was coming off it started to grow some sort of cyano like slime. And this was terrestrial just constantly damp.

I'll use the foam again, I have used it plenty of times, it works great and is easy to work with! Just not paint, I'll switch to concrete with those also.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

Just a thought, it could happen...  
A compatible clear coat. Not even sure one exists, that would seal potentially toxic paint from the tank. While not affecting the paint. :-? 
If you work this out, it has awesome potential. Just like the backgrounds in the movies, your tank could look a mile wide. With a little imagination, add in allot of artistic talent, your background..well..my mind just spins with the possibilities.


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## venustus19 (Aug 30, 2007)

i wonder if i can not find a safe paint, or if i do, but am worried about it flaking off overtime, what about creating the background on one piece of plexi, then use another piece and "sandwich" the art between 2 sheets of plexi, then just silicone the perimeter of the 2 pieces of plexi, to trap the artwork inside, so nothing could leak???
just a thought... i am prolly far from this stage still, but i like to get a good idea of how to do something, before i dive into it...
thanks


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

> thixotropic epoxy paint to give a strong surface witch can be painted in every color you like (pigment goes into epoxy), is aquarium save after 2 weeks curing. can be brushed and don't dissolve chemicals to the water or mess up parameters. Works fine for me for over 2 years. I'm sure Kent does have a suitable epoxy.


http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=195116
Man, those dutch come up with some cool stuff. 
BTW: What ever came of that stepped, dual level wall tank??


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## Dutch Dude (Sep 14, 2006)

> Man, those dutch come up with some cool stuff


 :lol: Yeah sometimes we have good idea's :wink: Thixotropic epoxy doesn't become as hot as common epoxy during process. For that you can use it on styrofoam safely. You do need to "paint" it in the open air of well ventilated room. When it is still wet it is toxic. You can use cheap brushes and if you like you can make the painting / background in several stages. Use cheap brushes becouse they will become rock hard after 3 hours. The epoxy without pigment looks transparent to whitish with small bubbles in it so you need pigment. The pigment is availeble in several colors like red, ocker, blue, green, black and white. If you want an other color you need to mix several pigments. After painting I suggest to throw some sand in the paint. If you don't do that your background will shimmer in the lights. I used a epoxy from a Dutch company who is expert in repairing boats. The stuff is used for repairs on boats but also on water containers in large ships. I got the GT600 epoxy and I expect it is from a known brand but the company replaced the label with their own brand name. I'm sure Kent does have a suitable epoxy. The stuff I used is cured after 5 to 7 day's but to be save I waited 2 weeks before I glued it in the tank. I don't have had issues with water qualety or anything. I did rinsed the background firmly before I glued it in the tank.

If you cut out the 3D stuff your wife can paint it with shades so the 3D effect will be twice as strong.


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