Safe? Unsafe?
Safe Silicone?
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MrTeacherDude
Topic author - Posts: 283
- Joined: Thu Aug 04, 2016 4:04 pm
Safe Silicone?
Is this one safe to seal the sides and bottom of my 75G? The guy I got it from said if it were holding water it needed to be resealed. Kinda felt the same with the crab substrate...He gave me this tube when I picked up the tank, I just haven't had time to clean and reseal. He said he uses it for all of his aquariums, but I don't think that fish don't eat at the silicone like crabs...
Safe? Unsafe?
Safe? Unsafe?
Re: Safe Silicone?
What you want is an aquarium silicone like this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/DAP-2-8-oz-S ... /100128841
Even this "safe" type of silicone needs to cure for a few days before allowing any crabs into the tank. Since you're starting from ground zero with the 75g, think about adding corner guards while doing the caulking. You've probably seen these mentioned in other posts but, simply, they're L-shaped plastic strips that can be cut to the length desired and siliconed to the tanks walls just under the inner lip. Before affixing the strips, just drill holes about 1"-1.5" apart to accommodate zip-ties to hold up fish net, vines, hammocks, etc. Beats using suction cups hands down! You can see the corner guards in this pic of my 29g:
Corner guards are found in the Wallpaper section at HomeDepot/Lowe's:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Trimaco-1-1- ... /100118843
Even this "safe" type of silicone needs to cure for a few days before allowing any crabs into the tank. Since you're starting from ground zero with the 75g, think about adding corner guards while doing the caulking. You've probably seen these mentioned in other posts but, simply, they're L-shaped plastic strips that can be cut to the length desired and siliconed to the tanks walls just under the inner lip. Before affixing the strips, just drill holes about 1"-1.5" apart to accommodate zip-ties to hold up fish net, vines, hammocks, etc. Beats using suction cups hands down! You can see the corner guards in this pic of my 29g:
Corner guards are found in the Wallpaper section at HomeDepot/Lowe's:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Trimaco-1-1- ... /100118843
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Also Mom to Imogene the Syrian Hamster
Re: Safe Silicone?
I have used that silicone to reseal aquariums for fish and to build decor for my reptiles and as long as it says 100% silicone and doesn't have any mold inhibitors it is safe.
Re - sealing a tank is a lot if work (and mess). If it were me and I were only going to have substrate in it I wouldn't go through the trouble of re - sealing it. The top/bottom trim and the center brace are actually what holds it together and keeps it from bowing out under the water pressure.
Just my 2 cents
Re - sealing a tank is a lot if work (and mess). If it were me and I were only going to have substrate in it I wouldn't go through the trouble of re - sealing it. The top/bottom trim and the center brace are actually what holds it together and keeps it from bowing out under the water pressure.
Just my 2 cents
Katie
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12 PPs, Rosco the dog, Ziggy the Chinese Water Dragon and Shirley the pygmy chameleon
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MrTeacherDude
Topic author - Posts: 283
- Joined: Thu Aug 04, 2016 4:04 pm
Safe Silicone?
So do you think it would hold the weight substrate? I mean, we are talking 300 lbs or more...I also don't want to lose any moisture through any cracks in the sealant...
When I got it, he said that he noticed some wetness on the outside of the silicone and that he recommended it be resealed if it were used as an aquarium. He didn't know about crab substrate and just told me to err on the side of caution.
When I got it, he said that he noticed some wetness on the outside of the silicone and that he recommended it be resealed if it were used as an aquarium. He didn't know about crab substrate and just told me to err on the side of caution.
Re: Safe Silicone?
Since we can use leakers from aquarium shops I'm sure the same applies here. It's your choice, but it's not necessary. When choosing one you want the bottle to say 100 percent Silicone for fish or crabs, and like crabinski mentioned, make sure it cures and no longer smells like vinegar.
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