Question About Cilicone

[fishlover500]

I would like to cilicone some rocks together. Can I use normal cilicone or do I need special stuff?

 

[minxfishy]

Buy some aquarium silicone to be on the safe side - also make sure you leave it long enough before putting it in the tank - minimum 24hrs I believe.

 

[fishlover500]

I might try normal since I only have 1 fish in there to upkeep bacteria.

 

[Axleuk]

I might try normal since I only have 1 fish in there to upkeep bacteria.

So you ask for advice but are chosing to ignore it? Thats fine, your choice, but whether you have 1 fish or 10 fish its not worth the gamble on normal silicone. Your fishes comfort should be paramount, if not, take up knitting as a hobby.

 

[minxfishy]

Its not about the upkeep of the bacteria - its whether non aquarium silicone would leech nasties from the silicone into the tank.

 

[raptorrex]

I would like to cilicone some rocks together. Can I use normal cilicone or do I need special stuff?

no special stuff required, just check it has no mould inhibitors, but it will say if it is aquarium safe. i use caravan/boat gear, it costs £4 for a 310mm tube and is totally safe for an aquarium.

I might try normal since I only have 1 fish in there to upkeep bacteria.

So you ask for advice but are chosing to ignore it? Thats fine, your choice, but whether you have 1 fish or 10 fish its not worth the gamble on normal silicone. Your fishes comfort should be paramount, if not, take up knitting as a hobby.

humm your advice was not that correct, you do not need to use "special" aquarium silicone, indeed there is no manufacturer actually makes a "special" aquarium sealant. they simply pack some of their normal production, for the aquarium trade. if it is a high modulus sealant with no anti mould additions, its fine and quite safe. At £4 for 310mm vs £10 for 100mm, or so, it does not take much working out where to buy it!

 

[Scotty001]

Its not about the upkeep of the bacteria - its whether non aquarium silicone would leech nasties from the silicone into the tank.

as minxfishy has said that 1 fish may be fine when you put the rocks in & so may the other 10 15+ fish you have when fully stocked, but only for a short while as if the silicone does leech impurities into the water your gonna wipe out your entire stock, and slowly poison the fish at the same time.

when that happens your going to be looking at a full scrub down of the tank and filter, replacing all the filter media, re cycling and re stocking, all for trying to save a few £ / $

 

[celaeno]

if you don't want to pay too much for silicone, get GE silicone I for window and door. it's generally agreed in another forum that it is aquarium safe. just make sure it says 100% silicone and not mildew resistant.

 

[Axleuk]

I would like to cilicone some rocks together. Can I use normal cilicone or do I need special stuff?

no special stuff required, just check it has no mould inhibitors, but it will say if it is aquarium safe. i use caravan/boat gear, it costs £4 for a 310mm tube and is totally safe for an aquarium.

I might try normal since I only have 1 fish in there to upkeep bacteria.

So you ask for advice but are chosing to ignore it? Thats fine, your choice, but whether you have 1 fish or 10 fish its not worth the gamble on normal silicone. Your fishes comfort should be paramount, if not, take up knitting as a hobby.

humm your advice was not that correct, you do not need to use "special" aquarium silicone, indeed there is no manufacturer actually makes a "special" aquarium sealant. they simply pack some of their normal production, for the aquarium trade. if it is a high modulus sealant with no anti mould additions, its fine and quite safe. At £4 for 310mm vs £10 for 100mm, or so, it does not take much working out where to buy it!

Yes i agree that you CAN use normal sealant for aquariums, however the majority still contain toxic ingredients for fish and are not suitable for a fish tank. You used to be able to match up the British Standard Kite numbers in the past with sealants from well known DIY stores, but they dont have BS labels anymore so it is much harder to guage what is and what is not safe. You might pay a little more for aquarium sealant, but you can rest assured that it is the right product for the job.

The OP is clearly not experienced in keeping fish judging by a previous post and it would be foolish of them to 'try'and find a suitable sealant. 'Trying' brings with it an element of risk. Fine if you dont care about the welfare of your fish.

 

[tenohfive]

There are some (but not all) sealants that are aquarium safe.

But given that every LFS will sell sealant that explicitly states that its for use in aquaria, I use that - if you can't afford £2.50 to create a rock feature you're in the wrong hobby.

 

[raptorrex]

There are some (but not all) sealants that are aquarium safe.

But given that every LFS will sell sealant that explicitly states that its for use in aquaria, I use that - if you can't afford £2.50 to create a rock feature you're in the wrong hobby.

indeed you make a good point here! if it is aquarium safe, it will say so on the pack, wherever you buy it.

as for where you buy it. I'm sure i am not alone in feeling the is no point going to an LFS for a product, when an identical product, especially if it is branded from the same manufacturer, is avaliable, at a fraction of the cost from your local hardware/diy shop. I'm fairly sure that having a fish on the pack will not make it any safer, or better, than if it has a caravan or boat on it ( providing it states it aquarium safe)!

 

[Axleuk]

There are some (but not all) sealants that are aquarium safe.

But given that every LFS will sell sealant that explicitly states that its for use in aquaria, I use that - if you can't afford £2.50 to create a rock feature you're in the wrong hobby.

indeed you make a good point here! if it is aquarium safe, it will say so on the pack, wherever you buy it.

as for where you buy it. I'm sure i am not alone in feeling the is no point going to an LFS for a product, when an identical product, especially if it is branded from the same manufacturer, is avaliable, at a fraction of the cost from your local hardware/diy shop. I'm fairly sure that having a fish on the pack will not make it any safer, or better, than if it has a caravan or boat on it ( providing it states it aquarium safe)!

Exactely, providing it states it uses.

 

[raptorrex]

Exactely, providing it states it uses.

I would suggest, it does not need to state it is for aquarium use, it simply needs to say it is aquarium safe.

 

[Axleuk]

Exactely, providing it states it uses.

I would suggest, it does not need to state it is for aquarium use, it simply needs to say it is aquarium safe.

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