How long should silicon last?

[tyler1503]

As the title says :)
How long should a tube of silicon last in a caulking gun?
Should I wrap it up somehow to use it over the next few days?

 

[redfishbluefish]

You could probably get away with a couple months, but I haven't had luck storing it long term. If you don't have any anticipated tank use of the silicone within the next couple months, walk around your house and use it on windows or doors to seal them up.

 

[Reefing Madness]

In the tube, as long as you put a stopper in the end, that will air seal it off, and it will be good for months.

 

[tyler1503]

Thanks for the tips guys.
I forgot how messy this stuff was!

 

[Reefing Madness]

 

[tyler1503]

Another silicon question.
It says on the tube that the silicon will fully cure after 72hrs, but it has to stay dry for 7 days before I stock the tank.
I'm assuming they say 7 days because it could harm livestock, not because it's not dry or water tight yet.
If it's fully cured after 3 days, can I leak test it before that 7 day period is up if I don't add livestock?
I'm a bit confused on this one....

 

[rob7777]

Silicon is similar to polyurethane it takes 7 to 10 days for the chems to evaporate

 

[Mjpisanti]

I work at lowe's home improvement, (actually at work now lol) i sell silicone and caulk along with flooring supplies. The silicone can last for a long time if u plug it from any air like someone mentioned but if its not sealed up properly the silicone can get harder to work with without fully hardening which is not fun as you could imagine so just make sure its really plugged off if you want to save it, dont try to use it again if it begins to cure in the bottle you wont get the seal you're looking for. and yeah the tube will tell you details based on what brand and such you purchase but i would wait the entire ten days at least in the aquarium hobby before addiing water or anything to tank with freshly applied silicone, its also not a bad idea to just give it a quick rinse before setting up your tank you can never be too careful