Fish safe liquid paint

[Beau Burkhalter]

So I am wondering what paint is fish safe. Not spray paint, but I need paint that you can get in a can that you would apply with a brush. Not looking for a pond sealer either. I am finding so much conflicting info on the internet. I need it to paint on to this hardy board that goes around the top of my koi pond I’m building. It shouldn’t be submerged unless it rained so much and it overflowed. But rain will hit it and go into the pond. So I am just looking for a non toxic outdoor paint

Edited March 13, 2022 by Beau Burkhalter

[AndreaW]

I have *heard* but not done extensive research myself -- that either latex or oil based paint will be non-toxic as long as it was given time to fully cure, and it was recommended to let it cure double the time suggested and make sure there was no smell to it. Like I said, I haven't tried it out myself so it might be worth researching.

[Flumpweesel]

A lot of outdoor wood paints and treatments are labelled as pet safe so if your dog or cat ingested it (from splashes on the grass or washing themselves of they got it on their fur while it dries). I would imagine they would be ok to use as long as you did it before you filled and it has chance to dry.

No outdoor treatment should be water soluble once dry so I wouldn't think rain run off shouldn't pose a threat.

[Brandon p]

Few ?'s. what color are you wanting. I does matter because some things are safe in the white colors but not safe when color is added or if the color is made at the company. at county clubs there is often fish or koi ponds. The number ! thing that these maintenance companies used was Krylon Fusion , its safe even for the big reef tanks you may see at bass pro. IN FT. Myers Bass pro has a pond in the floor that has tarpon, snook and some other fish. They used only Krylon Fusion  by the way unless told not to. I know you said no spray paint and most people don't want that dont in a small area in side. the next thing the used was epoxy paints. What i would is call one of this companies that sell,build, and hold your koi over winter and ask them. I know there is a huge one in or around Chicago,   https://www.aquascapeinc.com/  I don't remember what i saw the doing but i was in Chicago about month or 6 weeks ago. i sure there are places close to you. I just ran the name on youtube and the have a video on ehtere with a young fish you tuber. maybe you say i saw you on you tube

[Guppy Guy]

So I know I am all over the board here, so try to stay with me.

For your application, I would think that pond armor is a safe bet. I know you want to stay away from epoxy’s, but it has been proven time and time again by popular people on the internet(Joey Mullen, aka The King Of DIY; Tanner Serpa, aka Serpa Design; and more).

If you are like me and try to avoid epoxy at all costs, I use krylon fusion. But a note on that: KRYLON FUSION IS NOT AQUARIUM SAFE IMMEDIATELY! While everyone says that it is “aquarium safe”, that is only partially true. It is aquarium safe, but only after you soak it in water for a few weeks the same way you would soak driftwood. This get rid of leaching chemicals that would be in your tank otherwise. After a few weeks, though, it’s done leaching and is perfectly safe. While I have no knowledge about paint-on aquarium-safe paints, I have a pretty big hunch that most brush-applied paints will do something similar, so I would soak it anyways. Also, generally speaking, more coats of paint is better, as it provides a better seal. There is no such thing as a waterproof paint! It is just how long they are water resistant! This is an opinion, but one I strongly support nonetheless. Some paints will only last a few years in water, if any, but others will stay sealed for many years. I have found krylon fusion to stay sealed for 3-5 years before it starts flaking off, but the flakes won’t hurt the fish. Epoxy on the other hand, such as pond armor, will stay sealed for a really long time, quite possibly for decades.

My point here is that paint that is “aquarium safe” may or may not be at first, or in the long run. 

If you skipped all that for an answer, here it is: I would use krylon fusion. Just soak your board in water for a few weeks(if its not submersible, find something else to paint) after applying it, and you are good to go. I would expect at least 5 years out of it before it has to be repainted since it isn’t submerged all the time. Another pro to krylon fusion is its easy to find at any lowes, and some other hardware stores(not home depot for some reason), and is really cheap at $5 a bottle.

Good luck!

[Dwayne Brown]

I know some paints such as acrylic are "aquarium safe" after soaking for a week. One important thing to note about non toxic paint is that there is less of an issue with the "paint" being toxic, (although it differently will leach in the beginning) and more of an issue with it flaking and the fish ingesting it. I don't really have a paint to recommend but thought i'd give you my $.02

[Guppy Guy]

This is purely coincidental, but I got this articulated in the pond armor newsletter today. Thought you might appreciate it.

https://www.pondarmor.com/fish-safe-epoxy-choosing-a-fish-safe-coating-for-your-pond/?awt_a=Adu9&awt_l=99vBu&awt_m=3vNHYbUeWimr0u9&utm_source=aweber&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=emal-drip&utm_content=Fish-Safe-Epoxy