Using Furniture Grade PVC in Aquariums

We receive numerous requests on whether our color Furniture Grade PVC is safe or recommended in aquarium and pond/irrigation settings, and the answer is an absolute yes.

We've helped many of our aquarium consumers trick out their unique aquatic formations with custom colors that fit the theme of their reef or pond. While much of the construction is behind-the-scenes plumbing in the form of routes through their filtration equipment, most aquarium enthusiasts still strive to make their reef tank beautiful, even though many will never really see it.

Since we offer all our products in multiple colors and clear, you can easily create a combination or color system for your build. For example, you can color the pipes to meet your desired theme, use our clear PVC pipe segments as a sight tube or use colors to identify the in-and-out elements in the filtration path to act as a quick reference for troubleshooting.

Doesn't your site say Furniture Grade PVC is not for plumbing?

You'll see that we don't recommend using Furniture Grade PVC for commercial or residential plumbing. We state this because plumbing installations typically require permits, and permits require inspections. 

Since aquariums are not commercial or residential plumbing, they don't apply to this classification. And since aquatic builds typically don't have high-pressure flow rates, there is no area of concern for aquarium, irrigation, or hydroponics users. Regardless, FORMUFIT pipe and fittings meet or exceed the exact regulatory burst requirements for pressurized systems but are not NSF rated or marked as such, so they'll still work without a hitch.

Furniture Grade PVC is entirely safe for your reef

Furniture Grade PVC pipe and fittings are entirely safe for aquarium use; they do not contain heavy metals, phthalates, or other harmful substances found in off-brand PVC fittings and pipes. In addition, the colorant of the PVC is impregnated into the resin and will not leach color or other chemicals into the water. Finally, since our products have close tolerance levels, you won't need primer to prep the pipe and fittings, only cement. These tight tolerances lower the number of chemicals used in construction.

FORMUFIT Furniture Grade PVC pipe and fittings are resistant to UV light, which black lamps and fluorescent lights used throughout the aquarium community produce in large quantities. This UV resistance adds a level of security that protects much better than standard plumbing PVC, which has very little to no UV protection. Additionally, ultraviolet resistance adds a sustainability and durability factor. Thanks to this extra level of UV security, the likelihood of FORMUFIT products breaking down, cracking, or becoming brittle is next to zero.

All FORMUFIT external fittings are flow-through, and the inside cavities of the fittings are fully open to allow the maximum fluid transfer, which helps keep flow GPH at its peak.

Furniture Grade PVC is compatible with popular filtration equipment

All FORMUFIT pipe products meet ASTM D1785 size requirements, the exact interconnection measurements that all Schedule 40 plumbing-grade PVC products must meet. Following this standard means that you can mix our products with standard off-the-shelf PVC pipe and fittings as well as reefing and tank manufacturer equipment, and there will be no compatibility issues.

Since most filtration equipment follows the Schedule 40 and Schedule 80 outside diameters, our products will work with practically all filtration manufacturer's equipment labeled as such. Need to connect to a Schedule 80s spec manifold or ball valve? Since the outer diameter of our Schedule 40 pipe and fittings is the same as schedule 80, you can connect to FORMUFIT external-fit products without a problem.