Leaching chemicals

whetman

New member
Does anyone here have a beautiful, strong colored sps aquarium where most of the plumbing system is made from spa flex?
 
I have about 4-feet of flexible pvc in my system, I can't remember the brand...probably spa-flex. Most of my sps have pretty good colors. Have you heard anything about spa-flex leachng chemcials?
 
Cant find anything about it on any reef forum. I know not all flexpipe is US made. The only thing I have found is on flexpvc.com that all white flexpipe is not made for potable (drinking) water. If I can't drink water that has run through this type of pipe why would it be safe for my reef?

Their site also says that the pipe will allow a plastic taste to be present in drinking water but it doesn't specify whether or not it is leaching any chemical or not. I would assume if you can taste something in the water after it has been sitting in the pipe it is letting out some sort of chemical in the water.
 
Cant find anything about it on any reef forum. I know not all flexpipe is US made. The only thing I have found is on flexpvc.com that all white flexpipe is not made for potable (drinking) water. If I can't drink water that has run through this type of pipe why would it be safe for my reef?

Their site also says that the pipe will allow a plastic taste to be present in drinking water but it doesn't specify whether or not it is leaching any chemical or not. I would assume if you can taste something in the water after it has been sitting in the pipe it is letting out some sort of chemical in the water.

That site you mentioned, is where I got mine from. I just looked it up now and it does say "Made in USA"
When I bought the hard PVC from Home Depot for the rest of my plumbing, I got the standard stuff not potable. What did others use?
 
I bought my flexpipe (spaflex) from home depot. I have had my tank running for over a year now.

Every Friday when I do a water change I turn my return pump off for the five or so minutes it takes me to siphon out 5 gallons. Then I put in 5 gallons of fresh saltwater. When I turn my return pump back on (which is plumbed with 95 percent spa flex) the return spits out a white filmy substance. It almost looks like white flake fish food. The larger pieces of this stuff is about 1/2" square. My fish stay away from it and it all eventually gets picked up by my filter socks.

I don't know if is inert or what but my sps colors have suffered from the first piece I got. Maybe it is worth a shot to just redo it in hardline.
 
I have hundreds of feet of spaflex in my plumbing and have for years

no issues, but I dont get chunks coming off of it either

At first I thought it was just glue you were seeing but then I read closer and its been running a while you say, so unless you just slopped the glue on inside every joint you should be way past finding pieces fo it. I imagine what you are seeing is inert and nto to blame for your woes.........BUT, pieces coming off isnt normal and the stuff I use is the same as what home depot sells but their prices are insane for the stuff.
 
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