What sealant can I use with PVC that is reef safe?

Ya, they are pricey, but I'll never plumb another tank without them. It's SO easy to clean your equipment with them. Otherwise pump maintenance is not easy if you can't stop the flow to disconnect them.

 

Ball valves and regular unions work just the same but take up a little more room is all. The cost is much less too.

 

I used a ball valve, and it works pretty well from my practice shut off last night. I did not use any primer, and I did not rotate the PVC when i put it in, I did put cement all the way around, and that seemed to work i think. It just needed to set up overnight to get rid of the one little leak that I had. I am going to get a continuious syphon overflow for christmas, I guess i will have to cut the PVC at the overflow i have now when that happens. I will probably put one of those unions on that so I dont have to cut again. Didnt think about that when i did it last night.

 

It comes with experience!
After you slap youself in the forehead enough times and say DUH, it finally catches on;D

 

Yup, but to buy a ball valve and a union costs about the same as it does for a tru union. Not to mention additional fittings lead to greater head loss.

 

Head loss is insignificant in full open straight fittings.

A 1" Union is about $2 and a 1" ball valve is about the same or less at HD and Lowes. A 1" tru union ball valve is well over $35 last I looked even online.

 

I'm not saying it's a bad idea.... many of my tanks have ball valves and unions on them. But the last tank I plumbed we used Tru Unions..... I won't be going back to both any time soon after my latest experience.

I bought my Tru Unions on ebay.

We ran into problem using both fittings in that there simply wasn't enough length of space to put them... that's why we went to the tru unions in the first place. We are pleased with our choice.

 

Me either, I love tru unions and being in the industry have access to them easier than most but for someone starting out $35 a pop for valves is hard to swallow.

 

I hear ya.... we spent something like $300 bucks on fittings for the last tank.