[PlantedRich]

I find it is not the paint but the user who makes it fish safe. Paint has fumes and those are the volatile things which may kill fish, so letting it dry totally is one way to be sure those fumes are gone or become solids. I've used lots of different cheap spray paints and let them dry until there was NO smell and never had trouble. Things that mix into the water cause trouble but the solid left is not, so "El cheapo" is good as any. Prepping things like plastic helps to keep it from scratching off so easy. A bit of rubdown with really fine emory cloth is one way to add "tooth" for the paint to grip.