Used the wrong silicone

[CringeTankDaddy]

Started to put together the sump, and realized after I adhered the filter sock attachment I'm using the wrong silicone. How deadly is this and how hard is this to get out of my tank?

 

[Peace River]

While we wait for others to chime in, can you tell us what silicone you used?

 

[CringeTankDaddy]

Idk why it posts it twice, one with a photo and one without

 

[MoshJosh]

The consensus when it comes to unknowns and reef keeping. . . better safe than sorry. So I would remove it. Should be fairly easy to remove, especially if the sock holder is acrylic. Just use a razorblade and rubbing alcohol.

That said, how is the sock holder mounted? I mean if it's mounted super high and will never touch the water it might be OK. . .

 

[vetteguy53081]

Idk why it posts it twice, one with a photo and one without

This one has I believe fungicide as well as like mildew resisters and mold inhibitors which could eventually leach into the aquarium, causing issues. You want GE silicone 1 as below
I always use aqueon or Marineland aquarium sealant

 

[Panicked Reefer]

This one has I believe fungicide as well as like mildew resisters and mold inhibitors which could eventually leach into the aquarium, causing issues. You want GE silicone 1 as below
I always use aqueon or Marineland aquarium sealant

Is the Aqueon silicone stronger than the GE in your opinion? I have settled on using the aqueoun but would truly prefer black silicone. Do you have a recommendation for black silicone that would be strong enough for rebuilding a 120g?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Is the Aqueon silicone stronger than the GE in your opinion? I have settled on using the aqueoun but would truly prefer black silicone. Do you have a recommendation for black silicone that would be strong enough for rebuilding a 120g?

Yes and is used for aquarium construction

 

[The_Paradox]

For a program a few years back we tested several silicon caulks and adhesives. Batches were all cured 30 days and several batches were subjected to accelerated wear, I believe UV and saltwater before being instrom and fiddlefaddle tested. Of the big brands they all preformed similar. From an aquarium standpoint the only real take away I remember is that the pigmented silicones all had a lower ultimate failure strength and lower modulus of elasticity. I do not remember exact numbers (I believe it was 10-15%) being huge difference only that they were statistically relevant.

 

[cilyjr]

Here is my take on this back in 2017 and it still stands today

GE Silicone II

For anyone concerned about it, I used this product for my tropical fish tank repair and all my fish survived. Just give silicone 24 hours to cure.

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Asm481]

The fungicide is the problem. You aren't going to need much strength in the sump but I would want to get rid of that fungicide.

 

[cilyjr]

Nothing that states 100% silicone has any fungicide added. I don't know if they are doing anything different these days but pretty much nothing has an actual fungicidal additive.
Silicones are mold and mildew resistant by nature.
silicone 2 is made up of different polymers, all are silanes. The one in particular (pdms) is used in weed killers to make the herbicide more easily taken up by the plant. It is important to note it is NOT the herbicide. It is silicone. You will find this in most conditioners and cooking sprays as well and listed as class b. Non hazardous.

 

[cilyjr]

GE I is an acetoxy cure and GE II is a neutral cure. They will be very similar in strength. Both are meant to be sealants rather than adhesives.
The main difference is acetoxy cure silicones are less practical when being applied to materials that may be corrosive to acids. Neutral cure silicone will not cause corrosion but take a much longer time to fully cure. Should anyone shoes to use a neutral cure silicone it would be practical to wait a good three or four days minimum before adding water and livestock.

Momentive (the company that makes GE silicone) makes a line of silicones that are more for adhesive purposes. They are commonly sold under the names rvt 103 - 108.