The purple works the same. They basically made it so that a plumbing inspector can look at the pipe and know that primer was used. If it's for your fish tank, you know if you used it or not, so it's no big thing.
For your setup, just think about how you want the pipe to run nd go to the hardware store and think of it like a puzzle....just piece together what you need on the floor and then go buy it. Aside from fittings, get the primer, glue, and a way to cut it. A hack saw works fine if you have one.