Equipment & Supplies • WRONG SILICONE!?!?!?!?!!!

[teqvet]

OK, but once again, does it really matter if i waited 1 day, or 1 week? if the ingredients in the product is toxic, it won't matter at all right? i mean are you saying if I waited for 1 week, the toxic stuff would come off?

No they are not saying that at all. You are misunderstanding. 1 day is not long enough for the tank to CURE. That means for the silicone to adhere to the surfaces properly and give you a proper seal. They are saying it's good to wait at least a week after applying the silicone to let this bond form.

If it's toxic, you could wait a year and it would likely still kill the fish.

Just pick up the silicone we have suggested or find something that specifically states it is aquarium safe and you should be good to go.

[BillD]

The mildewcide is there for the long haul.

[savage]

OK, but once again, does it really matter if i waited 1 day, or 1 week? if the ingredients in the product is toxic, it won't matter at all right? i mean are you saying if I waited for 1 week, the toxic stuff would come off?

Bingo. If the stuff is mildew resistant at all then you'll have problems. They make it mildew resistant by adding toxic chemicals that mold/mildew can't live on... so when you submerge the stuff in water, bam all your fishys suck it in and go bottoms up.

But as the other posters stated, when you do reseal your tank again with an aquarium safe product make sure you let it cure for a good long time. Rule of thumb is once you can't smell the silicone at ALL anymore, you're good to go.

Sorry to hear about your fish dying

[Spewn]

OK, but once again, does it really matter if i waited 1 day, or 1 week? if the ingredients in the product is toxic, it won't matter at all right? i mean are you saying if I waited for 1 week, the toxic stuff would come off?

My tube of aquarium safe silicone recommends I let it cure for 2-5 days, but it only recommends this cure time for aquariums(aka; the only instance where trace toxins might result in death). Draw your own conclusions, but wait longer next time no matter what kind of silicone you use.

[TONY5177]

Loes and Home depot around me both sell aquarium safe silicone. Also all fish stores especially the large chain stores sell it as well. I think after 1 disaster it only makes sense to use only aquarium safe (as per package) and follow time instructions on package

[dwschacht]

I don't use GE silicon 1 and I have never had problems, but I read the label carefully and found a silicon that was "safe for food contact when cured" and used that stuff. No fish casualties.

Other brands work, but you should read the labels. Also, I wait 3 days for mine to cure.

[tomfoolery]

i got a gnarly crack in my 55 gallon. and my dad had some kinda silicon in the garage. so i used it and everything works perfect...no fish dieing...but i left it filled up with nothing in it for like 2 weeks to make sure it didnt leak. i put gold fish in for a bit to test the water for another 2 weeks then i put in chiclids and they are fine...

[BillD]

The whole point of the mildewcides is that they have a residual effect which lasts a long time. So, if it was mildewcide that caused the problem, waiting a week wouldn't have helped.