Suitable Silicone For Making Tank Decorations?

[craigybaby37]

had an idea of making some kind of pipe contraption where the fish can swim thorough and hide in if they want to and then covering it in small stones afterwards. ime a carpenter by trade so can get hold of clear silicone from work real easy and also the non toxic/smelly stuff used when sealing conservatories and windows etc so it doesnt burn the plastic will there be alrite in the tank or shall i get a tank safe silicone to be safe???

 

[faithless1294]

It would be best to get the aquarium safe stuff.
Good Luck.

 

[GoldLenny]

Many, if not most, construction silicones have algaecides and mildewcides, etc. in them. These poisons are advisable in your aquarium. Spend the extra couple of dollars for an aquarium safe silicone. You may find information on construction silicones used in aquariums in various forum posts but there is always a chance that the company reformulated the product from how it was a few years ago.

Here is a snip from one page I have in my favorites folder but remember... the formula could have been changed. The thing to look for would be the FDA approval for food contact. This snip is from a forum post dated 2003 on re-siliconing a tank.

Although aquarium sealant purchased from a pet or fish store is guaranteed safe, a more cost effective solution is to buy silicone from a home improvement store. It must, however, be 100% silicone, FDA approved for food contact surfaces and it must not contain any additives or fungicides, as these may be toxic to your fish. "GE Silicone I" is a brand known to be aquarium safe. If you are using these tubes, you will need a caulking gun in order to apply a uniform bead of sealant. Aquaria larger than 30 gallons may require multiple tubes of silicone. You will need scissors and a skewer or pencil to cut the tip and break the seal on the tube of silicone.

 

[yvez9]

The above post is correct
if you buy 100% pure silicone, you won't have any problems

It is perfectly safe even if it isn't marked aquarium safe.

 

[craigybaby37]

ok thanks people as long as its not loads more money ill buy the propper aquarium stuff i think just in case...last thing i want is to kill al my fish off by trying to save a little bit of money...i can get the pipe from work for free so ill be saving money there anyways.