Is GE Silicone II safe for my aquarium??

[MarifCA]

I am using GE Silicon II for glass and window (black and grey 30 min setting time) in my 90 gallon aquarium as sealant for over a year without any issue. My fishes are doing very good. There are a lot many parameters of maintaining a healthy aquarium. Many newbies don't know that and blame the silicon they used. I'll put a link to my aquarium video which was sealed with GE Silicon II at the end of this post. The few other points to consider before blaming GE II silicon are as follows:

1. The new tank has to be cured for at least a week or two to let adequate time to settle the silicon down
2. The new tank should be properly cycled for a month before dropping new fish
3. Some 3D background made of portland cement make the water very acidic. they should be cured for at least two weeks with frequent water changes and measuring water pH frequently before dropping any fish in them
4. After a through research, I found, GE Silicon II for kitchen and sink (red) contains anti mildew chemical added to make them for more mildew resistant but the GE Silicon II for Window and glass does not actively contain any added anti mildew chemical although the label anti mildew. They actually by formulation more mildew resistant than Silicon I but no 'extra' anti mildew chemical added. This is just to keep up with the 'anti mildew' slogan to make keep the sale higher.
5. Before dropping your fish in the newly cured and new aquarium setup, check all the water parameters like pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Kh etc. to be safe.

To me GE silicon II worked pretty well and not causing any problem. All the above negative comments are speculative and guess works and not from personal experience or from not considering the points I mentioned above. Here is my tank https://www_youtube_com/watch?v=eu7MFrhVFeM

Change the _ with dots to watch

 

[sawdonkey]

Well, I did a little research on silicon before putting my baffles in my sump. I basically read that as long as it says 100% silicon, I’m good. So....I bought and used 100% silicon from HD and now I realize it’s Silicon II (windows and doors). It says mold resistant, but does mention mold inhibitors. I also says not FDA approved and it for aquarium use. It says it produces methy-something-or-other and ammonia during cure period.

My tank won’t see water for about 1.5 weeks or more. I’ve read that silicon II is ok as long as it is fully cured and I’ve read DO NOT USE THIS PRODUCT period!

Do I rip my baffles out and start over? I don’t care as much about the $ as I do about the work involved. Thoughts?

 

[ca1ore]

I looked into this years ago .....

GE Silicone I is an acetoxy cure silicone; which means it smells of vinegar as it cures. It is preferred for use on glass. GE Silicone II is a neutral cure silicone; which means it smells more like ammonia as it cures. It is preferred for use on plastics. I have never been able to reliably determine that there are any additives in type II; the mold resistance apparently is inherent to a neutral cure silicone. Either work fine as long as an adequate cure time is given. 24 hours is NOT adequate. For the bead sizes most folks use on sump baffles, a week is the minimum. Personally, I use GE I because I am always working with glass. For something more than baffles, a better quality silicone is called for.

 

[dieselkeeper]

I used GE 1 silicone and had corals dying. MSDS showed it had fungicide in it. If you don't use aquarium silicone, check MSDS for the silicone you are using.

 

[ca1ore]

Interesting, when I had checked the data sheets a few years back, I didn't see any fungicides. I think the next time I need any I wil spend a few extra bucks andchetbthe aquarium branded stuff.

 

[jon2465]

Any updates on GEII windows and doors as safe as long as you let cure fully the reason I ask is I just went through a tank crash with the siliconeII only let it cure 2 days and I had to pull apart some of my stand to get the sump in and would rather not go through that again involed braces and bottle jacks. Would just like to hear from some people who have used it and are doing good with it after some time with it. By the way I looked up the ingredients and it does not contain any mold killing agents that i could see but im no expert https://www.whatsinproducts.com/typ...Window & Door Caulk, GE5000, Clear/13-039-032

 

[KiloReefer]

I am sure glad I read this, I am currently modifying a cheap media reactor and used GE II. As soon as I found this tread I tore it apart again and purchased some aqueon aquarium grade silicone. Not worth risking my fish and corals to save a few bucks!!!!!

 

[Malifry97]

GE sillicone 1 is safe, 2 has mold inhibitors

 

[KiloReefer]

GE sillicone 1 is safe, 2 has mold inhibitors

I see that now, I had GE II laying around, it states 100% silicone on the container but also states a 10 year mold free guarantee. I saw this thread and immediately ripped apart my reactor modification and used fishy safe stuff. I'm glad I saw this before using my reactor!

 

[ca1ore]

Seems to me the prudent path is to use a silicone that is specifically meant for aquariums. You may be paying a few extra dollars for just peace of mind, but that is worth it to me. I will say that despite folks predictably peddling the 'mold inhibitors' thing, when I looked at the MSDS sheet, I did not see anything there. As a neutral cure silicone, GEII will take longer to cure and offgas methyl ethyl ketoxime, so my guess is that the GEII problem is principally insufficient cure time.

 

[Malifry97]

I see that now, I had GE II laying around, it states 100% silicone on the container but also states a 10 year mold free guarantee. I saw this thread and immediately ripped apart my reactor modification and used fishy safe stuff. I'm glad I saw this before using my reactor!

yeah for sure!

 

[kcschwabe]

What brand of tank did y

all done, here's the finished product Now I'm just waiting for my LED's

pardon all of the dirt, i still haven't cleaned the underside of the tank after i drilled it

ou use if you don’t mind my curiousity

 

[kcschwabe]

all done, here's the finished product Now I'm just waiting for my LED's

pardon all of the dirt, i still haven't cleaned the underside of the tank after i drilled it

Nvm