Silicone vs aquarium silicone

Kehaulani · Mar 14, 2015

What is the difference between regular waterproof silicone and aquarium silicone? Can one use regular silicone for holding baffles in place in the sump without it contaminating the water once the tank is up and running? If it cures for 24 hours should it be okay and coral, fish, and invert safe?

Thanks
Kehau

tyler1503 · Mar 14, 2015

Some regular silicones can have additives in them that prevent mould and stuff building up on them and some other nasty stuff we don't want in our tanks.
Go for the aquarium silicon and you won't have any issues

I would also leave it a little longer than the 24 hours the bottle says. I guess I'm just a bit paranoid though.

Kehaulani · Mar 14, 2015

Well just asking because the guy who build my sump used regular silicone and after running my new setup for 2 days I had a hammer die and all my other corals look horrible. Thought maybe the regular silicone may have put toxins in the tank or something because all my levels and parameters are perfect

redfishbluefish · Mar 14, 2015

I have built a number of sumps and used GE Silicone I....and never had an issue. I will also state that I've let the silicone cure for days....not hours. I've heard some having problems using GE Silicone II.....so I'd stay away from that.

Kehaulani · Mar 14, 2015

Well maybe that's my problem. What would you recommend I do? Water changes? I took all the corals out and placed them back in my old tank that was still set up. But the live sand and rock is still in the 75. Does that mean those are contaminated

saltyphish · Mar 14, 2015

I have read a few threads where the person had problem keeping corals in their tank and narrowed it down to the silicone used. If it was only used on the sump remove the sump and run lots of carbon with water changes

tyler1503 · Mar 14, 2015

saltyphish said:
I have read a few threads where the person had problem keeping corals in their tank and narrowed it down to the silicone used. If it was only used on the sump remove the sump and run lots of carbon with water changes

+1.
If possible, reseal the sump.
Good luck!

CarolinaReefs · Mar 14, 2015

+1 on GE Silicone I.
I have also used many times without incident.

Kehaulani · Mar 14, 2015

Ok that's what I'll do. How do I know when the tank is ready to put corals back in? Should I run the tank for more than a week after I fix the sump then start adding corals? Or run it longer than a week?

DFW · Mar 14, 2015

I personally would think that removing the poisonous silicone, and then running carbon for a couple of days would be suffricient. GE silicone 1 is fine, but any silicone that says it has mould inhibitors, like GE 2, is bad.

Kehaulani · Mar 14, 2015

Ok Thanks so much for your input. It helps alot! And I appreciate it. I will do everything that is advised and keep you all updated.

Kehaulani · Mar 14, 2015

Would the live sand/rocks have any effects on the tank? For example would they absorb the toxins from the silicone and release it into the water later on? I guess I'm just worried about that. The sump is undone and I will fix it tomorrow. Just curious is that was possible or if they carbon will take all the toxins out of the water, rocks, sand and all?

thejuggernaut · Mar 17, 2015

The RTV 100 series silicone is the way to go. It adheres to glass allot better than GE brand. I think RTV108 is clear, and 103 is black. You definitely need to cure it for atleast a few days. It will appear hard, but if you can smell anything it is still release chemicals. Once it dries it should be completely safe. I would take the sump offline. Use a dang bucket with a submersible pump for the moment if you have to and either get another sump or get the builder on the phone and get some specifics. If you don't know exactly what was used or don't feel completely comfortable with his answers, then you are taking a risk.

thejuggernaut · Mar 17, 2015

Also, from what I have read, the 24 cure time is for a given amount of silicone in a small ball. Usually much smaller than the amount used in constructing a tank. I've heard from some long time builders that for a tank made of 6mm (1/4") glass, they let it cure for atleast a week before it sees a drop of water. Longer as the glass thickness increases.