Acrylic paint Milky water

[Saguaro]

Hi guys, I need a bit of help.

I bought some acrylic spray paint because there is a lot of info online saying that its aquarium safe. I painted my spray bar, 2 bulkheads and some silicone seals white, to match the background, left everything to dry for a few hours, filled it up with water, putthe heaters in and everything was fine. Then the next morning the water was all milky, I tested it with my ppm meter and there was 3-5ppm difference so not much, but to be on the safe side I scrubbed the aquarium which got rid of the paint on the seals (didnt stick well to silicone) and a bit of the glass, but the pvc parts were ok. Then I filled it up again and the next day the same thing, then i put a 100%/day drip sistem in and some activated carbon and today its still the same thing. Do you guys think it will clear out with water changes and wacuming the bottom for the loose bits of paint or is the colored pvc leaking some toxic paint or something? What should I do? Its supposed to be a 120g split into 3 parts breeding tank because I have 3 pairs in my main tank that are literally killing my other fish while fighting for territory so a quick solution would be nice

[Shan_Evolved]

My personal experience with paint is using Krylon from Lowes on some filter plastic tubing inlet/outlet. I sprayed and left it outside for 3 days until I put it in my tank. I had flaking of pieces occasionally fall off but never any water milkiness.

Me personally, I would not consider my aquarium safe if I had a milky substance coming as a result of the paint. I would remove the painted pieces and see if it makes a difference, and if the paint is causing the issue for sure, I would sand it down and use Krylon instead as well as leave it to dry for 48 hrs

[jeep]

Did you spray the inside of the tank?

[seanyuki]

While Krylon Fusion may dry in as little as 15 minutes, it takes an entire week for it to properly cure and become chip-resistant.

[Iminit]

Well I guessing it’s a new tank. So could it just be a bio-bloom? Give it a few days and see if it goes away. As to the painting I would have waited about 72 hrs for it to cure. How long was recommended before putting into water?

[Saguaro]

Hi guys, thanks for the replies

today I cleaned the rest of the paint as much as I could, but its stuck to the spray bar and bulkhead so I dont think thats the problem. I cleaned the glass, siphoned out all the small parts and drained the tank. Tomorrow I will try to use a papaer towel to get the rest of the white paint bits out. Then fill it up and try again, its just frustrating because this problem was not planned.

My personal experience with paint is using Krylon from Lowes on some filter plastic tubing inlet/outlet. I sprayed and left it outside for 3 days until I put it in my tank. I had flaking of pieces occasionally fall off but never any water milkiness.

Me personally, I would not consider my aquarium safe if I had a milky substance coming as a result of the paint. I would remove the painted pieces and see if it makes a difference, and if the paint is causing the issue for sure, I would sand it down and use Krylon instead as well as leave it to dry for 48 hrs

Thats the thing that botters me, I dont really care if it flaked and chipped, but I didnt expect the water to change. The whole reason I went with acrylic spray paint is that its supposed to be neutral and safe. Its not completely milky, its more hazy/unclear, like looking at the sky through fog/smoke. Thats the thing that worries me, and the fact that it barely shows on the ppm test is even more bizare. Im hopping its just small inert paint chips, that would explain why it doesnt show on the ppm meter and not cleaned up by carbon

As for the questions, the paint is some generic white acrylic spray paint not Krylon (its almost impossible to get in europe). Yes I sprayed the inside ot the tank. I didnt really care about chips because I need to move my fish asap, but nobody had troubles with the paint dissolving or something, thats what troubles me. And it cant be a bacteria bloom because its just an empty tank with warm water and an empty sump. There was no recommendation to put in in water in the first place, the instructions just say dry to the touch in 15min, completely dry in 2hours or something. And my plan was to get everything ready, heat the water overnight and move the pairs the next day to stop them from attacking the other fish, but that plan went down the drain.

[Sturiosoma]

Hi guys, thanks for the replies

today I cleaned the rest of the paint as much as I could, but its stuck to the spray bar and bulkhead so I dont think thats the problem. I cleaned the glass, siphoned out all the small parts and drained the tank. Tomorrow I will try to use a papaer towel to get the rest of the white paint bits out. Then fill it up and try again, its just frustrating because this problem was not planned.



Thats the thing that botters me, I dont really care if it flaked and chipped, but I didnt expect the water to change. The whole reason I went with acrylic spray paint is that its supposed to be neutral and safe. Its not completely milky, its more hazy/unclear, like looking at the sky through fog/smoke. Thats the thing that worries me, and the fact that it barely shows on the ppm test is even more bizare. Im hopping its just small inert paint chips, that would explain why it doesnt show on the ppm meter and not cleaned up by carbon

As for the questions, the paint is some generic white acrylic spray paint not Krylon (its almost impossible to get in europe). Yes I sprayed the inside ot the tank. I didnt really care about chips because I need to move my fish asap, but nobody had troubles with the paint dissolving or something, thats what troubles me. And it cant be a bacteria bloom because its just an empty tank with warm water and an empty sump. There was no recommendation to put in in water in the first place, the instructions just say dry to the touch in 15min, completely dry in 2hours or something. And my plan was to get everything ready, heat the water overnight and move the pairs the next day to stop them from attacking the other fish, but that plan went down the drain.

Inhaling paint fumes can also make things look hazy or unclear when looking at the sky through fog or smoke is your water turning the same color as the paint you used on the Inside of your tank and was the room well ventilated when you applied it

[Shan_Evolved]

Painting the inside of the tank is a big nono. But maybe it's salvageable.

Do you have pictures?

[seanyuki]

Hi guys, I need a bit of help.

I bought some acrylic spray paint because there is a lot of info online saying that its aquarium safe. I painted my spray bar, 2 bulkheads and some silicone seals white, to match the background, left everything to dry for a few hours, filled it up with water, putthe heaters in and everything was fine. Then the next morning the water was all milky, I tested it with my ppm meter and there was 3-5ppm difference so not much, but to be on the safe side I scrubbed the aquarium which got rid of the paint on the seals (didnt stick well to silicone) and a bit of the glass, but the pvc parts were ok. Then I filled it up again and the next day the same thing, then i put a 100%/day drip sistem in and some activated carbon and today its still the same thing. Do you guys think it will clear out with water changes and wacuming the bottom for the loose bits of paint or is the colored pvc leaking some toxic paint or something? What should I do? Its supposed to be a 120g split into 3 parts breeding tank because I have 3 pairs in my main tank that are literally killing my other fish while fighting for territory so a quick solution would be nice

As a result, no company is going to declare that their paint is safe for aquariums.
But that doesn’t mean the paint is unsafe…
It just means that these companies don’t want to make these claims and leave themselves open to lawsuits.

[Saguaro]

Inhaling paint fumes can also make things look hazy or unclear when looking at the sky through fog or smoke is your water turning the same color as the paint you used on the Inside of your tank and was the room well ventilated when you applied it

Thanks but its not like when you get high on paint fumes And like I said it was hazy the next day, when the water heated up. Which in turn I think caused the paint so dissolve a bit

Painting the inside of the tank is a big nono. But maybe it's salvageable.

Do you have pictures?

Nah painting the inside is fine with the right paint, there a plenty of people who have done it, myself included. It is a common practice to paint diy backrounds or even whole aquariums (mostly plywood builds because its a source of water retention). And no sadly I dont have pictures, my phone wont pick up the differences

As a result, no company is going to declare that their paint is safe for aquariums.
But that doesn’t mean the paint is unsafe…
It just means that these companies don’t want to make these claims and leave themselves open to lawsuits.

Of course not, or we would have to pay a premium for it. One of the other spray paint cans even says dangerous to fish. But yeah, I never had this problem before and thats why I came here to see if somebody had it or has some advice.


Anyway today I cleaned the tanks again, wiped the glass with a paper towel, vacuumed the bottom of the tanks, filled it back up, put the heaters in and am hopping for the best for tomorrow

[Iminit]

Bacterial bloom usually happens to a new tank. With something moving the water. Like a pump. Makes the water hazy and whitish. You really think water dissolved acrylic paint? Was the paint water based? Do you own a water polisher? It will clean it up quickly.

[Saguaro]

Bacterial bloom can not happen overnight in an empty tank with just water. There is almost no bacteria present and no food for it. Its the only logical solution, it explains the slightly higher ppm and flakes. I dont know, I think so. What od you mean by a water polisher? Filter floss?

[Iminit]

Filter floss will work. But there are filters just for polishing your water. They’ll take everything out. Years ago we had the vortex that used diatom-us earth. Now they use a woven fiber that removes everything. Marineland has one called the magnum. These filter will remove an algae bloom clean ick out of a tank. They would remove whatever your milky substance was so you wouldn’t have had to redo the tank. They really are a nice tool to have for aquariums.

[Saguaro]

Thanks for the info, I didnt know they adapted house filters to work with aquariums. Still a bad idea to use them to remove chemical contaminants because over time they can and will leach back into the water, a DI unit from a RO might be a better choice, but I could be wrong because I did not read the specs on those filters. And they provide the same effect than a 100% water change, which coincidently worked today I still have some new flakes which suggests the paint in the silicone is still being torn but the water is crystal clear. Will do a ppm test later but I think im in the clear

[Iminit]

They’re not house filters they’re aquarium filters. They’re not used all the time. You put them in to remove whatever you want removed. Than take them out and rinse the filter. If real dirty you rinse in bleach. They’re a tool not an everyday filter. Though they can be used as a regular filter in a pinch. A760B817-1B37-4537-80F4-B42E5C3C8222.jpg