Safe Adhesives Mk2 !

[Rooster]

Ok, the stock reply to "what glue/adhesive can I use in my tank" always seems to get the same reply:

ONLY USE SILICON...


Now, working on the assumption that this is born of ignorance, I decided to conduct an experiment...

2 Small tanks, 4 gallon, internal canister filter...... and........2 mollies


Tank one = SUPERGLUE
Tank two = HOT MELT GLUE GUN (general purpose clear/white sticks)

Results:

Both tanks were allowed to cycle on ammonia for about a month each.
Glue was made into a pure "puddle" on some flexable plastic, so could be removed when set - this way only glue was added to the tank... each was about the same size and weight as a digestive biscuit, more than you would probably add to any tank !

When both had cycled, the glues were added - water tests for ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte were done every 2 days for a month.... no obvious worries or "spikes"

After a month, a 50% water change was done (with Tetra water conditioner) , and the fish were added.

This was 5 weeks ago, and the fish are healthy and happy (well, they are strongly coloured and having sex !)

So, my conclusions are that as well as silicon, superglue and hot melt glue are perfectly safe to use, and now that that the living room is ready for the main tank, I will not hesitate to use the hot glue to make decorations !

 

[SkiFletch]

Well Rooster, you're right, they are safe to use for the fish, but I would NOT trust my tank to hot glue for structural reasons, ESPECIALLY if its over 10gal. Hotglue doesnt adhere well to non porous surfaces like glass and over time may fail and leak. I can't comment on superglue's strength since I dont have experience gluing glass with it, but it does work well on acryllic/plexiglass. There are a hoard of options when it comes to adhesives, and almoast every one of them is safe for fish after it has been allowed to cure. The tradeoffs with them all are strength, aesthetics, and price. Sillicone is great because its cheap, clear, and bonds both glass and acryllic very well.

Just be cautious of that hotglued tank man, it may leak a few months, or a couple years down the road.

 

[Rooster]

OOOO, crikey Dont want anyone to try to build a tank with hot melt ! Not sure if I gave that impression... Only intend to stick bits of slate, and rock etc...

 

[SkiFletch]

Oh, nice, well that makes perfect sense Yeah, hotglue is totally the easy way to go for that app. I didnt even think about that

 

[Aquascaper]

Superglue gel is fine for use in aquariums and can even be administered underwater as the water speeds up the curing process. This is used quite a lot in reef aquariums to attach corals to rock, however it is not recommended for sticking rock to rock. Instead use an aquarium safe epoxy resin as this will give a much better hold.

As with anything you put in your tank be sure you know what's in it before adding to the tank. Chemicals such as epoxy resin, glue and paint can all leach unwanted chemicals into your aqaurium over time which can kill your fish and/or 'eat' away at the silicone seals. 'Aquarium Safe' products usually cost more - that's for a reason, don't try and do something on the cheap as its your fish that will suffer in the end.