Using n-Butyl acetate based adhesive in aquarium?

[Nibs]

Hi, I have had an issue where I need to use a small amount of sealant that works underwater. I've found a n-Butyl acetate based sealant and wondered if this would be safe in an aquarium. If what I can see online is true it's derived from acetic acid and butanol. Would it be correct that these would not be harmful in the tank as they would work the same as if I were to carbon dose? Please note that there is no livestock in the aquarium. Thanks

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Hi, I have had an issue where I need to use a small amount of sealant that works underwater. I've found a n-Butyl acetate based sealant and wondered if this would be safe in an aquarium. If what I can see online is true it's derived from acetic acid and butanol. Would it be correct that these would not be harmful in the tank as they would work the same as if I were to carbon dose? Please note that there is no livestock in the aquarium. Thanks

If you have no livestock why do you need to do anything with water in it? You can empty what's in the tank into other containers and do the repairs with reef safe silicone

 

[Nibs]

If you have no livestock why do you need to do anything with water in it? You can empty what's in the tank into other containers and do the repairs with reef safe silicone

I have no way of storing over 1000 litres and I would hate to waste that much salt and water

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Do you have a link to the actual product?

 

[Nibs]

Do you have a link to the actual product?

Yep here it is https://www.crc.co.nz/ados-leak-stop-clear-300ml/ I suspect if I run carbon and the skimmer it should be within safe levels in the water in a week or two

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I cannot tell what the unlisted 60-70% of the ingredients are, but 40% is quite a lot of butyl acetate. It is probably ok but I’d load up on GAC.

 

[Nibs]

I cannot tell what the unlisted 60-70% of the ingredients are, but 40% is quite a lot of butyl acetate. It is probably ok but I’d load up on GAC.

Cool thanks for having a little look over, I'm expecting it to nuke any bacteria so will start the cycle after a couple of weeks the full cure time is listed at 48 hours so I'm hoping I can remove it as it cures. How often should I replace the GAC I've got about 500g in at the moment to try remove it as fast as possible

 

[Nibs]

Here is a little update if anyone ever stumbles upon this, I used a lot more than I expected so concentrations of the butyl acetate were very high. The water had a distinct smell of it for about 2 days, I ran a skimmer and a lot of GAC. Water was safe for coral and fish after 1 week with zero losses or signs of stress. Nitrifying bacteria and Coralline algae were not affected even at the highest concentrations. I dosed 2ppm of ammonia and it was removed within 12 hours and the nitrites were gone after another day. Wouldnt recommend using the product unless you need to and have no livestock in tank

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks for the update!

 

[Nibs]

Future me update. No negative effects to note, both short-term and long-term. Seal is holding well and doesn't appear to be deteriorating, so I would consider this product reef safe in its cured state. Although its use case is pretty limited, it worked perfectly in my situation. But as always, use at your own risk and DO NOT use with live stock in the tank