Plumbing & pipework

[steveg]

Hi there, as a new arrival in canada I have been reading some of the tank builds with great interest, it would seem quite different from England in that over there, it is heavily suggested that food grade plastics and tubing must be used in the plumbing of returns etc.

Apparently, according to UK fish stores, normal pvc is not good for marine tanks as it can cause ill effects.

It would seem here in Canada that most tanks are plumbed using standard pvc from a plumbing shop or hardware shop and from some of the tanks I have seen there certainly do not seem to be any ill effects.

I assume therefore that reefers in the UK are just victims of commercial marketing (food grade is more expensive than standard PVC)

If anyone has any thoughts or comments I would be most interested.

Thanks

Steve

[sphelps]

Interesting, as far as I know all PVC here is food grade. It's the same stuff people use for water lines in many residential and commercial buildings. We don't really use copper anymore because of the expense, it's usually either pex or pvc. I've only ever seen the one grade of PVC plumbing available.

[whatcaneyedo]

I've been warned against using ABS plumbing as it contains certain chemicals that are suppose to inhibit bacteria growth. Maybe someone with more knowledge can elaborate.

[Skimmin]

Yep. Cross linked polyethylene is probably the most commonly used residential waterline tubing and the thermal fusion type is becoming more common for commercial. As for the piping? Schedule 40, and 80 standard (white, or grey) are commonly used for potable water distribution systems so I don't believe it should pose any kind of threat to the health of an aquarium. Something like that wouldn't be the only marketing scheme I've seen in the aquarium business so not really that much of a surprise. Are you planning on setting up a tank anytime soon?

[AndyL]

European vs north american differences... yes there are different grades over there... As they have completely different plumbing systems. What we get at the hardware store is their food grade PVC, which is different from the PVC they use for grey water systems (untreated/less treated water for flushing toilets etc).

ABS is just fine for aquariums as well - your bulkheads are made of it, your powerheads are made of it - it is an inert plastic. No reason you can't use it for plumbing (I've got numerous tanks that use it with no ill effects)

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by whatcaneyedo

I've been warned against using ABS plumbing as it contains certain chemicals that are suppose to inhibit bacteria growth. Maybe someone with more knowledge can elaborate.

A very common myth but completely false, but that doesn't stop if from being spread around through aquarium forums like crazy. ABS is non-toxic and perfectly safe it is used in waste lines because it is unaffected by common household chemicals such as drain cleaners, ammonia, bowl cleaners, and cleansers.

[Zoaelite]

Originally Posted by sphelps

A very common myth but completely false, but that doesn't stop if from being spread around through aquarium forums like crazy. ABS is non-toxic and perfectly safe it is used in waste lines because it is unaffected by common household chemicals such as drain cleaners, ammonia, bowl cleaners, and cleansers.

+1, wouldn't make sense to start adding bacteria inhibiting agents for piping that is designated to transport wastes to a system that uses bacteria to break it down. Any other interesting differences between North American reefing and your native style?
Levi

[steveg]

Very interesting, I look forward to going to a plumbing store and getting my pipes, etc. It will be a new experience. Having seen the tanks on Canreef I will certainly not be scared of using the same piping as there are some absolutely awesome ones.

I am planning an in wall tank in my basement that can be viewed from both sides, rough dimensions 84 x 18 x 22 with 4 x 15 x 15 sump. Thinking about a etss900xr skimmer and a closed loop with om4 and reeflo pump. Any comments on closed loops would be welcom as this is another idea I had not seen until I went on Canreef.

Thanks for everyones comments.

[mark]

I'm a fan of the CL (have Dart and 4way) and no complaints.

Check out Dez's build (with CL) and Oceans Motions waterpix forum for CL ideas.