Is acetone safe to use around our tanks?

Flameback Pair · Feb 2, 2021

I want to clean off purple PVC cement primer with it by soaking a Q-tip in it and dabbing the primer marks. Don't even know if this will work. Then use a pet-safe citrus-based solvent to remove the acetone?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Feb 2, 2021

I don't know if you can remove the purple color that way, but it is safe to use if you are not adding the liquid to the tank water.
Acetone will evaporate. No need to do anything to remove it.

mfollen · May 7, 2023

Hello @Randy Holmes-Farley

Could the fumes of acetone evaporating above running display water have a negative impact on coral?

There’s a good bit of superglue dried on top of the eurobrace of a 4’x5’ tank that I am preparing to remove with acetone.

Assuming that no liquid acetone gets in the water, could a lot of acetone evaporation have any negative effect?
If so, should I run fans, carbon/purigen or do anything else to prevent any issues?

thank you

SteveMM62Reef · May 7, 2023

Acetone readily bonds with water, this includes the vapors, and forms compounds used it the manufacture of plastics. Fish with Complex and small structures in their gills could be effected and killed. Tangs are among these fish. I would put an Air Pump Outside run airlines to your Aquarium and sump, and securely cover both with plastic wrap. Have you tried an abrasive, such as fine Sandpaper?

mfollen · May 7, 2023

Thank you very much as I want to keep animals safe most importantly.

I have not looked into sanding glue off of glass. Will look into it.

Reefering1 · May 7, 2023

A razor blade should get it off

SteveMM62Reef · May 7, 2023

I thought you were trying to dress-up PVC Piping. On Glass, just use a Razor Blade. I was taught this trick, put the Razor Blade in a holder. Lightly drag the Corners across a Fine File setting on a rag, knocking the corners off. This will make it harder to Scratch the Glass.

Randy Holmes-Farley · May 7, 2023

I do not think small amounts of acetone vapor in the air above a tank are a concern. I don't agree with the doom and gloom assessments above. lol

Randy Holmes-Farley · May 7, 2023

SteveMM62Reef said:
Acetone readily bonds with water, this includes the vapors, and forms compounds used it the manufacture of plastics. Fish with Complex and small structures in their gills could be effected and killed. Tangs are among these fish. I would put an Air Pump Outside run airlines to your Aquarium and sump, and securely cover both with plastic wrap. Have you tried an abrasive, such as fine Sandpaper?

Have you ever seen a report of a tang killed by acetone vapor above a reef tnak, or even any use of acetone?

SteveMM62Reef · May 7, 2023

My Yellow Tang got Stressed when the Tile Setters used a Primer on my Concrete Basement Floor. I was able to save it by Pumping massive amounts of outside air into the Aquarium. I asked them, to tell me if they needed to use the Primer again. They didn’t’ and it died. The only fish I lost that day, some other fish did get mildly stressed. The Primer had a Myriad of Chemicals, one was Acetone. I researched why the Tang died, found out they have a finer gill structure. Recently I got another Yellow Tang, I’m very careful about Oil Based Paint, Bug Sprays, Etc.

Randy Holmes-Farley · May 8, 2023

I'm skeptical the effect was acetone directly, but I cannot say with certainty that it wasn't the case if there were huge amounts being drawn in via your skimmer. Reduced oxygen may be more of a concern than the actual solvent, as it is with other organic materials intentionally added by reefkeepers (such as vinegar, ethanol, sugar, etc.).

This paper suggests acetone limits similar to the limits for ethanol (both about 80 mg/L or 30 grams per 100 gallon tank) , which people add in large amounts when organic carbon dosing. Those values are far higher than needed to totally deplete the O2 in a reef tank if consumed instantly.

Acute and chronic effects of carrier solvents in aquatic organisms: a critical review - PubMed

Recognising the scientific and regulatory need for testing relatively hydrophobic or 'difficult substances', the OECD currently recommends that selected organic solvents may be used in aquatic toxicity testing in order to help achieve more effective dispersion of the toxicant. The OECD...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov