GE silicone toxicity in reef tank ?

[Dan Rigle]

I have concerns about a rookie mistake I made installing baffles in a sump. I had used GE silicone to install the baffles. I had the proper silicone from BRS, but in haste I grabbed the wrong tube, and used it to install baffles. I let it cure for a couple days prior to filling sump, but believe it is causing issues now, a couple months down the road. The tank had a strange film that grows on the glass daily, somewhat reddish and the water has a noticeable tinted. Lps seem healthy, but acros are not happy at all. Possibly due to the tank being young but I have concerns it may be a toxic chemical possibly leaching from silicone. Params are alk 8.3dkh, cal 420, mg 1400, PO4. 01, and all stable. Any info would be appreciated. Sending out a Triton test Monday to see if it reveals anything I'm unable to test for. TIA

 

[declanisadog]

interested to hear what others with first hand experience have to say, but I've always heard the mold inhibitor in that stuff is bad news. what the actual symptoms are though, I have no idea...

 

[Swoody]

I would say since it plainly states "not for underwater/aquarium use" It is not anything that you would want in your system.

 

[andrewkw]

Given that you are having issues I would just replace the sump. You can try using a poly pad to remove whatever it's leaching but given that this is more of a long term issue then a quick crash you should be able to correct the problem.

Of course since you're already sending a triton test you can wait and see but I'd play it safe.

 

[JaimeAdams]

Not sure, but I certainly would not have used that silicon. In the past I've used GE 1, not 2 with the mold and mildew preventative additives.

 

[Dan Rigle]

Thanks for the replies
Yep, I know it was a mistake. I'm trying to gauge toxicity after curing to determine how drastically my fix will be.

 

[shred5]

How far are you?
You will have to drain all the water for sure.
Scrape all the glue out of the sump and clean it well.
May even have to clean the aquarium really well.
Do you have rock in the system?

Maybe Randy will know what chemicals are in it and how severe it is.

Hopefully a rinsing would be enough for the sump and tank after removing the glue..

Only issue I see with Triton is I do not think they test for everything. I beleive they only test for things commonly found in saltwater.

 

[Dan Rigle]

Drained sump, removed silicone, rinsed sump. baffles back in now.
It's a big tank, so I'm not sure I'm going any farther unless I find out something more then I know. Thanks

 

[cracker]

I have used Ge silicone I many times with no apparent issues. Don't use the silicon II it has the mold inhibitors in it & don't trust it !
one must wait a lot longer for cure time though. At least twice the time suggested. It will say "Not for aquarium use" . I think that come from the lawyers worrying about some liability .

 

[shred5]

Drained sump, removed silicone, rinsed sump. baffles back in now.
It's a big tank, so I'm not sure I'm going any farther unless I find out something more then I know. Thanks

Makes sure the silicone dries before putting water back in it. It is toxic while it cures.

I have used Ge silicone I many times with no apparent issues. Don't use the silicon II it has the mold inhibitors in it & don't trust it !
one must wait a lot longer for cure time though. At least twice the time suggested. It will say "Not for aquarium use" . I think that come from the lawyers worrying about some liability .

He did use II

 

[cracker]

OOH, big difference !

 

[Dan Rigle]

I'm still a rookie I guess
Lol

 

[Hitman]

GE silicone I is ok Silicone 2 has all kinds of mold inhibitors in it and are highly toxic. Remove it all wash tank with vinegar and use silicone I or the BRS aquarium silicone.

 

[WVNed]

There a have been a few "everything dies" threads that came down to mold resistant silicone in the tank somewhere.
Even after cleaning I would make sure of 100% coverage of the old with the new silicone. Whatever is in it is powerful stuff.

 

[rkpetersen]

I agree with everyone that this needed to be replaced, although your description sounds like possibly an ongoing bacterial or cyanobacterial bloom. I suppose it's possible they are feasting on some organic molecule leaching from the cured silicone, but if you're carbon dosing or anything similar, it could be that. ICP-OES testing checks for mostly metallic chemical elements, not complex organic molecules, so it probably won't tell you much unless that silicone was also contaminated with metal. You probably should probably be running some fresh carbon and maybe some purigen, if you aren't already.

 

[lapin]

We know it contains a biocide. Which one? They wont tell us . It can be a copper compound or one of many fungicides/pesticides. Thankfully no one uses Tributylin

 

[Dan Rigle]

Yep, running rox. Doing a 100 gallon water change tomorrow

 

[Dan Rigle]

Yea, I suspect cu. Acros hate this tank. Everything else is kinda thriving. I didn't have my eye glasses on when I ran to lowes to get this silicone. I was juggling a hundred things trying to get this tank wet, so I missed the info on the label. All I saw was 100% silicone. A few beers in me that day didn't help. Anyway, said and done I screwed up. Fixing it is going to happen. I'll put the sump back on line in 48 hours. Sending the old water in to Triton to see if they find anything