# Plasti-Dip



## Cromak

Not sure how many of you guys are aware of this stuff but it's fantastic..

It's my new favorite thing to use for painting intakes, or any tubes inside my tank.. Comes in various colors.. I've always used the paint designed for plastics but over time I've found that eventually they chip and bubble even when prepped properly.

This plasti-dip stuff creates a waterproof rubber like surface and if you ever want to go back to the original color for whatever reason, you simply peel it right off.

It can also be used for the back of your tank.. If you decide to change your mind, peel it off :thumb:

I get mine from Home Depot

http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip

Although not related to aquariums, here is a cool video showing exactly how it works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE7NQB06 ... dded#at=97


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## Aulonocara_Freak

WOW! Cool stuff. How did you find this stuff? Do you have a sport car and found the vid and had the idea?


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## Cromak

Actually, yes :lol:


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## Aulonocara_Freak

What all have you used it on, aquarium use?


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## Cromak

Eheim tubes, from green to black.. ill post some pics tomorrow


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## car0linab0y

Thinking about using it on my SS wheels, never thought to use it in an aquarium though. Has a lot of potential there.


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## Cromak

It does, *** heard of people using it to waterproof things in the marine world. Like electrical connections exposed to water etc.. you can use this stuff on so many different things in the aquarium. Id almost always choose it over regular paint now.. also what's great is you can experiment with it then just peel it off... lot of choices


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## newforestrob

how does it work when dealing with intake strainers?will it cover the slots on the intake tubes,
I ask because I want to do something about my 110s


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## PfunMo

I've used their Liquid Tape for a number of years and find it is great for coatings connections. The tape form leaves a bit of bumpy surface but the paint type seems like it would be great for coatings. For intake strainers I would guess that they would be filled too much and flow cut down. Two ways to go might be to cover them or face the job of cutting the coating back from the slots. The cutting back sounds pretty tedious to me. Interesting thought to be able to blend colors. I did not see a price in my quick look. Is it in a range we can use?


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## Aulonocara_Freak

I can get the spray for $6 a can.


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## xxbenjamminxx

Awesome idea! Do you have any pics of what it looks like on the back of a tank? I used to use this stuff all the time to water proof servos on my Nitro powered RC Trucks so i could use them in the snow without worrying about shorting anything out. Always worked great for that application.


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## heyzeusbrains

Thanks for this... I am going to paint the back of my tank with it.


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## Cromak

xxbenjamminxx said:


> Awesome idea! Do you have any pics of what it looks like on the back of a tank? I used to use this stuff all the time to water proof servos on my Nitro powered RC Trucks so i could use them in the snow without worrying about shorting anything out. Always worked great for that application.


I dont, i actually found this stuff after my tanks were already painted.. Only thing i have are the Eheim Spray bar and intakes.


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## Cromak

Here is my intake tube on my 2217.. The stuff is so cool and literally feels like you are squeezing a rubber ball.. I usually do 1 light coat to gently cover it, let it dry for about 30 minutes then do 3 solid coats. Puts a nice dense rubber coating on it.. Let it dry for about 3hrs before putting it in the water.

Here is a long shot










Here is an up close shot, you can see how it even looks like rubber.. It's crazy :lol: Hard to believe something that looks like spray paint literally turns into full blown rubber.


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## PfunMo

That looks like there was no problem with clogging the strainer. Being a spray it puts out a thinner coat each trip? Maybe it is the same as the "super-dooper waterproofing spray" I see on TV? Sold on TV only of course!


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## Cromak

It's no different than spraypaint.. It comes out the same exact way. It just drys like rubber :lol:

I sprayed my spray bar in the little holes and it did not clog anything.


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## Shifty

Maybe this is a stupid question, but is this substance safe for aquarium use?

I bought some and I'm about to start doing some PVC caves with this and smells just like spray paint, so just curious.


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## Cromak

Yes 100% safe consider it like submerging rubber in water...


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## Shifty

That's what I was thinking but after the smell wanted to be sure.


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## Cromak

Wait until the smell is gone before putting in the tank.. I think I waited about 3hrs never had a problem


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## Shifty

I am spraying a 4" PVC tee right now, so hopefully I have the last coat on it soon.


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## mdog

Well I really dragged up an old topic but this is very interesting, as I'm wanting to paint my intake pipes and spray bars. I don't like the idea of paint that will eventually chip when submersed for a long time so this stuff sounds great. Question is, has anyone used this and had it under water long term, without coming off or harming fish? Thanks!


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## Aulonocara_Freak

mdog said:


> Well I really dragged up an old topic but this is very interesting, as I'm wanting to paint my intake pipes and spray bars. I don't like the idea of paint that will eventually chip when submersed for a long time so this stuff sounds great. Question is, has anyone used this and had it under water long term, without coming off or harming fish? Thanks!


Yes I've used this in my tanks for 3 years and it still holds strong and no harm to the fish and no chipping


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## Bd79

Me too. I've got it on intakes and spray bars.


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## GTZ

Likewise although there are a few small patches missing here and there. This is over 3-4 years and the fish are no worse for wear.
It's also a great product for spraying on the back of a tank as it's peelable should you wish to remove it.


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## mdog

Glad to hear it! I went out and bought it yesterday and have the intake and spray bar all coated. It looks and feels great. Wish I knew about it last week when I painted the glass with spray paint. I'll feel much better putting these tubes in the tank now that you all have answered! Thanks. Still amazed at all the info out there.


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## iridextr

Plasti dip is amazing stuff. I use it on my cars, wheels, my friends cars, anything really. I've been using it for the black background for tanks for a year or so. Much easier than painting it. I also use it to black out the oak trim on some of the tanks I have. 
Just a reminder to anyone planning to use this stuff: you NEED to put on at least 4 coats of this stuff. it's not like spray paint where you're generally done when it's covered. If you ever want to be able to peel this off easily you need to put at least 4 coats on. You can still get it off if you don't have enough coats though, I use degreaser or wd-40 to remove overspray that won't peel.


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## Jayse

That's some interesting stuff right there. Just looked at all the colors available and they have some tan, browns, etc.

Considering using this to paint some carved up Styrofoam instead of using Drylock for background stuff. Drylock tends to take away details in the Styrofoam. This stuff looks like it would do a better job and you don't have to mix colors with the Drylock.

Heck, might even consider applying this stuff to a vehicle like in the videos!

Thanks to whoever resurfaced this ancient thread.


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## Filet O Fish

I want to make my aquarium blue now. :drooling:


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