What silicone are yall using?

[SnakeBlitz33]

I am fixin' to buy some silicone at Home Depot and all I've found is window and door silicone made by GE. I see GE silicone I and GE silicone II

When I look at the labels, they don't say anything about being mold and mildew resistant. I figure if it was, they would put it on the label. Think it is safe to use?

Should I buy the silicone I or the silicone II?

 

[redfishbluefish]

Plain old GE Silicone I.

 

[hybridazn]

Ge I

 

[SnakeBlitz33]

GE1 it is then.

Anyone's opinion different?

Why GE1 and not GE2?

 

[redfishbluefish]

GE II does have inhibitors in there.

 

[SnakeBlitz33]

Ah!!!! Ok. Makes sense.

Is it possible to buy black silicone GE I? Would the black have inhibitors?

 

[Fin]

I use Momentive RTV 103 black (RTV 108 is clear). You won't find it at Lowe's or Home Depot. It can be obtained through Grainger's, if you have a local outlet. Or, Amazon has it.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004V40OF2/ref=biss_dp_t_asn

 

[JOKER]

Momentive also. Some good stuff

 

[davescrews]

Dow 795

 

[Zacco]

This is what my LFS use's on all their projects. Zoo Med Rubberized Silicone. Comes in clear and black.

 

[SnakeBlitz33]

Thanks guys.

I'm not hurting for black silicone. I'll just use the regular GE silicone 1.

 

[glassguy]

Dow 999. Its an acid cure, better than GE. just depends what you using It for.
Dow 795 is a structural silicone needs 21 days to cure fully. Works great on holding glass to the side of building though.

 

[glassguy]

Momentive also. Some good stuff

I have also heard this is used by Aquarium builders

 

[JOKER]

Yep that's why I use it. If thy trust it I do too. Don't trust any of the other stuff. Heard nightmare stories of other stuff especially the ge2. The mold inhibiter is bad for tank. I do know that no silicone company will tell you their silicone is for aquarium use even though the label reads the same.

 

[Fin]

If you have ever tried to cut apart a project put together with GE silicone and another one done with the Momentive RTV, you will know the difference. The Momentive is some tough stuff and it is hard to cut it apart. GE, not so much.

 

[hybridazn]

If you have ever tried to cut apart a project put together with GE silicone and another one done with the Momentive RTV, you will know the difference. The Momentive is some tough stuff and it is hard to cut it apart. GE, not so much.

True, which is why I always recommend using GE silicone on small tank builds (under 30 gallon) and baffles for sumps.

 

[slowngreen]

Be careful! Some ge1 will kill. I lost most of my coral after adding a new sump using ge2 but around the same time another guy I know used the red label ge1 and lost everything. Best way to know is to find the one you want on home depots website, if it has any mold killers They will say so in the specifications. With that said, the only ge silicone I've found recently that doesn't have a mold killer in it is the ge silicone for plastic which is sold with the acrylic sheets. All the ge1's list mold resistant in their specs now, at least the ones in stock at my local store.

 

[SnakeBlitz33]

Wow. This thread has been very informative. I guess I'll order the right stuff online then and have it shipped to me. I think the last tank I had crashed because of bad silicone and bad RO unit filters.

Thanks yall

 

[redfishbluefish]

OK, here's the bottom line on silicones. Some act more like a sealants while others act more like an adhesive. GE Silicone I is a better sealant than adhesive, while the RTV silicones are better adhesives than sealants. If you're installing baffles in a sump, I'd use a sealant type silicone. If I were building a tank, I'd use an RTV adhesive silicone. Hope that helps.


Regardless of the silicone used, you need to let it cure. I'm willing to bet the tank crashes from GE Silicone I was from the tank being put into service before the silicone cured. I like to let my tanks sit at least a week before I put a drop of water into them. You know it's not ready because it still stinks. That's my two cents.

 

[SnakeBlitz33]

But just for installing a drain box on the back of a tank for a bean animal overflow, you would use an adhesive rather than a sealant? I guess I might as well use RTV then.