Can Painted Decor Be Bad for a Tank?

Decorating an aquarium gives the tank personality and gives fish and other animals an interesting environment in which to live. Some decorations can be painted, but only a few types of paint are safe for use within the confines of an aquarium, whether it is an entirely wet habitat or a dry one, a terrarium.

  1. Aquarium-Safe Paint

    • Out of the many different types of paint, acrylic is one of the only kinds you can safely use in aquariums. Acrylic latex paint is an especially popular type. You can cover acrylic paint with an epoxy layer to create a seal, but doing so is not necessary. Though spray paints are not highly recommended, lacquer types that penetrate and bond into the surfaces they cover are adequate. Both types of paint need to dry completely before you inserting items coated with them into the aquarium.

    Decorations Considerations

    • Even when using an aquarium-safe paint, consider the item it coats. Use plastic, certain types of stone like Basalt and clear quartz, and petrified wood as decorations. With or without paint, these items make great additions to any tank. Avoid glass, shells, cloth or metallic materials. These pieces present danger to the animals within the aquarium, even though they may look nice. Though it is possible to create a theme within the aquarium, knowing exactly what goes into the environment can prevent mishaps down the road.

    Aquarium Paint Dangers

    • Using the wrong types of paint in underwater tanks introduces danger to every living thing within the environment. Dangerous paint types can release toxins into the water, which enter the outer cells of plants and animals and slowly make them sick. Fish and other animals sometimes ingest paint flakes, which may prove toxic no matter how small they are. One painted item many tank owners overlook is gravel, which makes up a large portion of your tank's aesthetic but may be the greatest danger.

    Dry Tank Risks

    • For tanks that do not have completely submerged decorations, paint flakes and toxins can still harm pets. Unlike fish, animals like salamanders, lizards, frogs and even snakes remain still for large portions of each day, and they often rest atop or within decorations. This causes their bodies to be in direct contact with potentially harmful painted surfaces for long periods of time. Choosing the proper paint types prevents this harmful contact and prolongs the lives of the animals living in the aquariums.