[Husker13]

Hi,
Just wanted share that I was able to take white PVC from home depot and dye it black using Rit DyeMore synthetic dye from walmart (~$4). You can get the dye from many craft stores also. I followed the instructions on the bottle, I let the parts boiling in the water for about 30 minutes. One thing I found is that if you want the PVC to be shinny you will need to polish it first. I have not found anything that saying that it is or isn't safe for fish, but since it is leaching into the pvc at 200 deg F, I do not think any of the dye will leach back out.

 

[NotThePainter]

Cool!

Krylon Fusion spray paint is fish safe, or so I've been told. The only bad part is that if you are in a rub zone it will rub off, and that can't be good.

 

[latchdan]

Cool!

Krylon Fusion spray paint is fish safe, or so I've been told. The only bad part is that if you are in a rub zone it will rub off, and that can't be good.

I've used krylon and it last about 2 years and rubs off. I've since covered my spray bars in moss/riccia and you can't even see it.

 

[Oughtsix]

Hi,
Just wanted share that I was able to take white PVC from home depot and dye it black using Rit DyeMore synthetic dye from walmart (~$4). You can get the dye from many craft stores also. I followed the instructions on the bottle, I let the parts boiling in the water for about 30 minutes. One thing I found is that if you want the PVC to be shinny you will need to polish it first. I have not found anything that saying that it is or isn't safe for fish, but since it is leaching into the pvc at 200 deg F, I do not think any of the dye will leach back out.

View attachment 1026188

Very cool! Please keep us posted on how well the black color holds up over time? (And if you notice any of your fish taking on a greyish hue... which I doubt will happen).

 

[minorhero]

Pretty spiffy, did you have to do anything with the pvc before dying at all? Or just straight into the water for the matte finish?

 

[FischAutoTechGarten]

thanks for sharing the idea with us. interesting as I always have places where I need to use the odd white fitting in my all black setup. not a big deal, but the ability to just boil it and dye it... well it removes an eyesore...

 

[Leeatl]

I've used krylon and it last about 2 years and rubs off. I've since covered my spray bars in moss/riccia and you can't even see it.

Hello latchdan , I didn't want to hijack the OP's thread , but I would like to know how you got the moss to grow on the spray bars ? I have white pvc bars too and don't really want to paint or dye . I would like to cover with something because they get covered in algae which looks terrible . They have a lot of flow as they are the returns from the sump at about 700gph each .

 

[latchdan]

Hello latchdan , I didn't want to hijack the OP's thread , but I would like to know how you got the moss to grow on the spray bars ? I have white pvc bars too and don't really want to paint or dye . I would like to cover with something because they get covered in algae which looks terrible . They have a lot of flow as they are the returns from the sump at about 700gph each .

I just wrapped some Christmas moss around it. This stuff sticks to glass and silicone seams in my tank already. Once that grabbed on I put some riccia between the spray bar and glass and the moss held it in place.

 

[Kubla]

I just cover mine with algae. Blends right in with the rest of the tank!

 

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I'm giving it a shot now. Will do it in two batches (the box represents everything, but they will be done in two batches). I have a number of pieces,some as large as 2" in diameter by 8" long, so I'm leaving in for 60 minutes... I'm dong the full bottle (directions say 3.5 ounces for 3 gallons of water, I'm doing the full 7 ounces).

The idea is to compare my results with those of Husker13.. see if a good number of pieces can be dyed.

Dying pieces to build my CO2 Reactor.. Also dying a few other miscellaneous adapters for the UV Filter and Flow Meter.

My wife made me do some kitchen prep by covering the counter top (granite) and back splash (which is kind of venetian plaster finish) with plastic... and I had to put newspaper on the floor in front of the stove (white ceramic tile -- came with the house... wouldn't have been our first choice)... Anyway, watched pot doesn't boil, so might as well post the prep pictures.

I'll update after I finish. Again, I will do it in two batches.

 

[FischAutoTechGarten]

Here is the first batch... you can see the colors range from Graphite Gray to Deep Purple to Almost Black.

This was 90 minutes of soaking...

I am considering hitting those 1" pipe sections with 1 coat of that semi-gloss black paint, as the lettering is still visible, who knows??. Regardless, my sense is that all of this will look better even if it isn't perfectly black... The CO2 Reactor will have clear PVC in the main 'reactor' part, so that should look pretty good against the black PVC. The idea is I don't want equipment standing out in my mini fish room... And I'd like the pieces I'm putting together to have a somewhat 'finished' look.... yeah I know... astethics are such a time killer and so subjective....

All in all, I think so far Husker13 had better success than I did. I watched a few YouTube vidoes and they did suggest adding the dye with a small amount of acetone to the cool water.... putting in all of the parts.. and then bring it up to temperature and soaking for 30 minutes. I decided against that... If the acetone deformed the fittings the slightest bit, I might have trouble getting it all together when done.

 

[FischAutoTechGarten]

I thought I would give an update so that folks can compare the success I had with that of Husker13.

My prolonged soaking times resulted in some deformation of a few pieces. I found the straight portions swelled a little bit... and then the fittings deformed (kind of ovaled). I was left with a tough decision when it came time to fit it all.... Here's what I had to do:

through away all of the 1" dyed straight pipe sections. They wouldn't even fit in new fittings. So, I was left with undyed 1" straight pipe for the bypass section of the CO2 reactor I was building. Not a big deal... I will just spray paint those...

for everything else... I found I needed to bring a pot of water to a boil and soak some of the fittings for about 10 minutes to make them just soft enough to be maleable so that I could fit things together. fussing with all of these pipes added an extra hour to the assembly... (not counting the time spend during the dye procedure).

I'm not sure I would ever try this again.... maybe fittings... but only for less than 30 minutes with a very strong dye. straight pipes.... no.... would definitely look to source them in black first....

Husker13 1
FischAutoTechGarten 0

 

[NotThePainter]

I hear your pain. I spend an hour recently sanding my white PVC to get the purple primer and UPCS codes off. Of course the project was a bust and I threw it all away. Version 2 has purple and UPC codes showing...

 

[crushalot]

If you just need fittings this site sells many schedule 40 black ones: Buy Black Schedule 40 PVC Fittings at Discount Prices
They also sell shorter lengths of the Schedule 80 gray pipe in many sizes.