Painting in a room with an aquarium?

[BigJohnny]

Can I safely paint in a room with an aquarium? I am not talking full walls but touch up. Specifically I am wanting to add another coat to the underside of my stand for a new build, the only issue is that 15 feet away on the other side of the room is my temp frag tank.

Is zero voc paint actually zero voc? I have some Behr Premium Plus Interior Stain Blocking Primer and Sealer No. 75. It says it is 100% styrene acrylic and zero voc.

Here is the info sheet:

It still has warnings about vapors and having adequate ventilation when applying, but I'm not sure how much of that is required by law for all paints, regardless. Anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks!

BTW here is the actual pdf if you can't read the text:
http://cloud.tapatalk.com/s/57ed9fd29c6ae/75 PS R513.pdf

 

[clownfish chris]

I have done this with the stand. If my experience is not the exception, you will be fine.

 

[BigJohnny]

I have done this with the stand. If my experience is not the exception, you will be fine.

Great, thanks! What paint did you use?

 

[clownfish chris]

Exactly the same one you have in the picture.

 

[Frosty Latte]

Can I safely paint in a room with an aquarium? I am not talking full walls but touch up. Specifically I am wanting to add another coat to the underside of my stand for a new build, the only issue is that 15 feet away on the other side of the room is my temp frag tank.

Is zero voc paint actually zero voc? I have some Behr Premium Plus Interior Stain Blocking Primer and Sealer No. 75. It says it is 100% styrene acrylic and zero voc.

Here is the info sheet:

It still has warnings about vapors and having adequate ventilation when applying, but I'm not sure how much of that is required by law for all paints, regardless. Anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks!

BTW here is the actual pdf if you can't read the text:
http://cloud.tapatalk.com/s/57ed9fd29c6ae/75 PS R513.pdf

Did you compare this label to normal paint label? They could be the same. Venting as the paint dries is important, but the vapor in the air should not cause problems with your fish tank. Just remember, the solution to pollution is dilution.

 

[BigJohnny]

Did you compare this label to normal paint label? They could be the same. Venting as the paint dries is important, but the vapor in the air should not cause problems with your fish tank. Just remember, the solution to pollution is dilution.

I did, the warnings are a lot more intense and talk about toxic voc during curing etc. This just says adequate ventilation and do not breath vapor etc. I only have to paint a little bit so hopefully ok!

 

[WilRams]

I'm about to paint a room adjacent to where my tank is. My plan is to shut the skimmer off and cover the tank. Hopefully I can ventilate the room well enough to help too.

 

[Frosty Latte]

I'm about to paint a room adjacent to where my tank is. My plan is to shut the skimmer off and cover the tank. Hopefully I can ventilate the room well enough to help too.

You don't need to cover your tank unless you will be potentially dropping liquid paint onto the water surface. Shutting off the skimmer is a good idea as the skimmer will force air into the system.

 

[BigJohnny]

I'm about to paint a room adjacent to where my tank is. My plan is to shut the skimmer off and cover the tank. Hopefully I can ventilate the room well enough to help too.

Just make sure you use zero voc paint! Running a little carbon might be a good idea just in case as well.

 

[BigJohnny]

You don't need to cover your tank unless you will be potentially dropping liquid paint onto the water surface. Shutting off the skimmer is a good idea as the skimmer will force air into the system.

Vapor can settle on the water or be absorbed into the tank through air exchange or the venturi of a skimmer. I think the most important thing is that the paint is zero voc though.

 

[scchase]

Painted nearly the entire interior of my old house with the tanks running and didn't have a single problem

 

[BigJohnny]

Painted nearly the entire interior of my old house with the tanks running and didn't have a single problem

Always nice to hear. What paint did you use?

 

[scchase]

What ever I could get for free from the free paint section at the landfill

 

[BigJohnny]

What ever I could get for free from the free paint section at the landfill

Haha wow. Ok. I definitely don't recommend that for anyone else because that is not always the case but I'm glad you didn't have any issues.

 

[scchase]

In general only low to 0 VOC paint is even allowed to be sold these days so unless you are using a specialty paint just about anything you can get would be ok

 

[BigJohnny]

In general only low to 0 VOC paint is even allowed to be sold these days so unless you are using a specialty paint just about anything you can get would be ok

Definitely not, you can readily buy a plethora of oil based paints and even water based at any box store that are not low to zero voc. In fact I originally bought 2 that were high on the scale and one that was max allowed without even knowing it. There definitely are a ton of low to zero voc option's now though.

 

[scchase]

Definitely not, you can readily buy a plethora of oil based paints and even water based at any box store that are not low to zero voc. In fact I originally bought 2 that were high on the scale and one that was max allowed without even knowing it. There definitely are a ton of low to zero voc option's now though.

Hmm may depend on local and state laws then, don't think I have seen non low voc latex paint in years here, hard to find oil paint, and the most common exception would be the various epoxys

 

[kashman100]

All of the new paint since the law change in 2010 are low VOC'S (Low VOC'S by law not health standards)....I own a painting business and the product we use for nursing homes, hospitals and child care centers (And I would recommend in any fish room) is called "Harmony" from Sherwin Williams. This paint actually absorbs VOC'S from the surrounding area. Also I know Sherwin Williams has transitioned all of there tints to zero VOC also. Some paint stores have zero VOC paints and then add there tint which still has VOC'S.

 

[BigJohnny]

Hmm may depend on local and state laws then, don't think I have seen non low voc latex paint in years here, hard to find oil paint, and the most common exception would be the various epoxys

You are correct there are varying regulations based on national, state, and regional restrictions.

 

[BigJohnny]

All of the new paint since the law change in 2010 are low VOC'S (Low VOC'S by law not health standards)....I own a painting business and the product we use for nursing homes, hospitals and child care centers (And I would recommend in any fish room) is called "Harmony" from Sherwin Williams. This paint actually absorbs VOC'S from the surrounding area. Also I know Sherwin Williams has transitioned all of there tints to zero VOC also. Some paint stores have zero VOC paints and then add there tint which still has VOC'S.

What law change? A federal law? There are different state, regional, and national regulations for vocs in paint. Like you said, low voc by law does not mean low enough voc for health (or in our case use near aquariums). There is also a wide range within the caps so one low voc paint could be near zero vocs and safe while another labeled low voc could be at the high end of any given regulation but still be considered low vs old products and the law.

I can go to the store right now and buy a standard oil based paint that would make me pass out and puke in 30 mins with a headache for 24 hrs after if I don't use a respirator. A paint like that should not be used near an aquarium obviously. Zero voc paint is definitely the best option and yes I have heard harmony is good for the reasons mentioned.


I also found out the voc regulations are only related to the compounds currently in the paint/manufacturing process, and that some low voc paints off-gas 3x as much as labeled while curing due to reactions within the paint and the surrounding air.

Like you said, tinting also adds vocs.

For my purposes, I wanted a zero voc acrylic paint that would seal my wood stand and provide a water resistant finish. For me, that was behr premium plus interior primer and sealer no. 75. It was also very easy to apply and I do recommend it.