Many fish keepers like myself like to find different ways to bring innovation to the appearance of our fish tank. Different types of material are used by the fish keepers while refining their tank’s appearance. PVC pipes are among the commonly used material inside an aquarium tank, due to their different applications. But, are PVC pipes safe for your fish tank? Have you ever give it a thought?
Yes, PVC pipes are safe for your fish tank and pets. You can without a doubt use these pipes inside your aquarium only if it is a potable pipe. Being potable means the pipes will not exert any toxins that harm your fish.
In this article, I will be further explaining PVC pipes and various things related to them which I hope will be very informative and helpful for you. So, stick around!!
Are PVC Pipes Safe For Your Fish Tank?
PVC pipes are made up of polyvinyl chloride which is a type of synthetic plastic polymer. These pipes are widely used for purposed ranging from plumbing to construction.
As for aquariums, the main requirement for the PVC pipe to be tank-friendly is that it should be potable. Potable simply means safe to drink for humans and non-toxic for the fish.
Moreover, many fish keepers use PVC pipes in various fish tank-related work. PVC is a great material for building caves, tank pipe tunnels, and homemade filters. Similarly, some aquarium filter manufacturers use PVC material while making their filters.
Hence, PVC pipes are totally safe for the fish tank as long as they check the requirement of being potable. So, feel free to use them as per your requirement.
Benefits Of Using PVC Pipes In Fish Tank
In this segment of the article, I have highlighted the benefits the PVC pipes provide you with as a fishkeeper.
Lightweight
PVC pipes are very lightweight. You will not have to worry about any stress to your tank from the pipe like the stress from rocks and shells.
Due to their lightweight, they are very easy and convenient to install. A single person can easily handle the installation of the pipes without any help.
Flexible
PVC pipes are flexible in nature. Their flexibility is best proven through their resistance to fracturing.
Furthermore, they also have good resistance to temperature changes. Due to this, the temperature of the tank poses no threat or problem to the pipes.
Moreover, the pipe themselves are sufficient in size for the fish to rest or move inside them. In addition, These pipes last very even when used continuously for a long time inside the water.
Safe Material
As I have already mentioned in the above segments, PVC pipes are usually potable and nontoxic.
Penn-Plax Hideaway Pipes would be a great one for your aquarium.
Unlike ABS pipes PVC pipes are made purely of plastic material. Hence, you will not have to worry about any chemical imbalance or toxicity inside the tank or tank water environment while using the potable PVC pipes.
Here is an article on How to Adjust pH in Fish Tank – Fishkeeping Guide
Versatile Uses
The sky is the limit to the fishkeepers for putting the PVC pipes to use inside their beloved fish tank.
The most common uses of the PVC pipes are for fish tunnels, filtration purposes, and caves. I will be explaining the mentioned and other uses of PVC pipes in the below segment. So, stay tuned.
Fast Algae Growth
Algae seem to grow inside of the PVC pipes at a faster rate. The growth of algae is beneficial for the fish tanks because it provides an extra layer of filtration nitrates, ammonia, and potentially toxic by-products.
You might like to know more about How To Get Rid Of Algae In Fish Tank Naturally?
How Can PVC Pipes Be Used For Fish Tanks?
Till now I hope you now know PVC pipes are safe for use inside the fish tank. Now, let me tell you of different ways you can use PVC pipes inside the tank.
Here is an article on Aquarium Decorations: What To and What Not To Add – Beginners Guide
Pipe Cave
PVC pipes are great materials to create caves in your fish tank. If you are not highly creative, you can just place the pipe in the tank and the fish will easily hide inside it.
I, for one, have placed the PVC in a submerged state in the gravel. The fish not only hide inside it, but it also looks good in the background.
PVC Fish Tunnel
There are lots of ideas on creating PVC fish tunnels on the internet. Fish tunnels are easy to make with PVC pipes. You can easily join two pipes with a 90 degree PVC elbow.
Many fish keepers have been able to create a small maze for the fish to play inside their tank.
Fish tunnels are very enjoyable to watch, as fish travel inside them. If you are able enough you can even join tanks with the help of PVC pipes fish tunnels.
Aquarium Filter Material
As I have already mentioned many filter companies already use PVC pipe as material in making their filter.
For the fish keepers that like to build their own filtration system like a sponge filter, PVC pipes are great material to get the job down.
You might like to know more about Aquarium Filtration Methods
Due to their durability and safety, you will find working with them easily and conveniently.
How To Properly Clean and maintain PVC Pipes?
Cleaning PVC pipes is really easy but vitally important. When placed inside a fish tank without any proper cleaning and sanitization, the result can be fatal for your fish.
A lot of dirt and debris can be sticking onto the surface as well as the insides of the pipes. Moreover, the dirt and debris can cause nasty pollution in the tank water and even cause illness to the fish.
Here is an article you might be interested in Why Do Fish Tanks Get Dirty So Fast – How To Clean And Maintain Tanks
Following are the different steps to clean the PVC pipes:
- Firstly, rinse the pipes with clean water.
- Flush the water out of the pipes to take out any debris inside the water.
- Clog one side of the pipe oath a cloth or a towel.
- Put three ounces of peroxide in the open end of the pipe and keep it for about 10 minutes.
- Drain the peroxide out of the pipe.
- Repeat the process up to 2 or 3 times.
- Lastly, rinse the pipe with clean water.
Similarly, it is very important for the fish keeper to properly blunt the edges of the pipes. As the pipes are intended to be kept inside the water, contact between the tank inhabitants and the pipe is inevitable.
Frequently Asked Questions
You might have more questions related to PVC pipe in the aquarium. So, I tried to answer a few frequently asked questions for you.
Which PVC Pipe Is Most Suitable For Aquariums?
The Flex PVC pipes are the most suitable PVC pipes for use in aquariums. These PVC pipes have flexibility on their side. Furthermore, its flexibility is affected by temperature so it is easier to work when warm. Flex PVC is preferable for especially making fish tunnels and also can be used for filtering purposes.
Are PVC Pipes Better Than ABS Pipes For Fish Tanks?
PVC pipes are definitely the winner when you compare them with the ABS pipes. PVC pipes are used for purposes related to drinking water, whereas the ABS pipes are used for both underground and above-the-ground purposes.
The fact that the PVC pipes are used for purposes relating to drinking water alone tells a lot about its safety. On the other hand, ABS pipes usually contain chemicals.
Another major factor proving PVC’s superiority is the durability of the pipe and its corrosion resistance. Whereas ABS are weak to corrosion. Hence, if you want to place the pipe in your tank for a long period of time, Abs is probably not the right choice.
Conclusion
As of now, you probably have known that PVC pipes are safe to be used inside the fish tanks as long as they are potable.
Due to this, various fish keepers prefer to use PVC pipes for various purposes in their respective fish tanks. The pipes can be used in various dynamic ways from building filtration systems to simply creating caves for the fish.
By putting some extra effort into cleaning and maintaining the pipes, you can gain maximum benefit from it.
If you have any queries or comments, feel free to write them down in the comment box below.
