Epoxy, Super Glue, Silicone - Safe for aquarium use?

[CaptainHook]

Are any or all of these safe for aquarium use? Are there different kinds of silicone that is aquarium safe? I was at HD and the instruction on the silicone tube shown below said "Not for use below the water line, where FDA compliance is necessary, or in aquariums. Thanks.

-Peter

 

[Turbosnail]

Super glue gel yes the rest no.

 

[Turbosnail]

Your best bet for epoxy is aqua mend and jb water weld both can be bought at HD or Lowes. LFS carry a two part putty that has a purple color to it.

 

[CaptainHook]

Thanks Chris. I think I should clarify what I meant. I'm thinking of building a rock wall onto a piece of acrylic and put it into my tank after the epoxy, super glue, or silicone dries. I'm not going to use them under water. Is super glue still the only safe choice? Thanks.

 

[Turbosnail]

There are safe silicones but you have to be careful of what you get a lot of them come with anti mold additives and stuff that are bad for our tanks. I would stick with regular aquarium silicone you get at the LFS there are some RTV types that are ok to use that you can get at Grainger I am not sure which one it is though. I would not use the two part epoxy liquid but the two part putties I mentioned above are safe.

 

[danzig]

Chuck the gorilla glue if its not the gel, i hate that stuff it never ever works for me even for out of the water stuff. That loctite glue is amazing i Drove 3 miles to get some not 10 minutes ago. Almost all superglue is aquarium safe for the most part. Loc tite also makes a good aquarium safe silicone but i have noticed it turned yellow in my sump, but im not sure why. I love the silicone though. As for the epoxy i cannot say

 

[MrX]

From what I read during my research the GE Silicone II is not safe. Supposedly the 'II' version has the anti-bacterial stuff or whatever in it. The GE Silicone I is supposed to be safe. It also says "Not for aquarium use, yadda yadda" but my reading indicates that people suggest that is to cover GE's butt if someone tries to build a 1000g tank using it. Many people have reported using it in sumps with no issues. Heck, I started to use it to glue my bubble tower in before I changed directions.

 

[ffsteve]

super glue of any kind is ok due to it's compound make up. no ge silicone is aquarium safe, any silicone you can buy at any home store in a large tube is NOT safe.
lowes does sell aquarium safe silicone but it's in small tubes. also if your going to use a epoxy for acrylic tank, in or out of the water don't use BOND CORE epoxy it heats up to 175 degrees to cure (opps)

 

[CaptainHook]

I guess it will be a trip to the LFS tomorrow. Thanks.

 

[TurboVinny]

Ace Hardware's silicone is aquarium safe also

 

[delta]

It can be hard to find but you want 100% silicone. 99% of the silicone out there has anti mold agents to it.

I have from time to time found it at Lowes

 

[JohnK]

From what I read during my research the GE Silicone II is not safe. Supposedly the 'II' version has the anti-bacterial stuff or whatever in it. The GE Silicone I is supposed to be safe. It also says "Not for aquarium use, yadda yadda" but my reading indicates that people suggest that is to cover GE's butt if someone tries to build a 1000g tank using it. Many people have reported using it in sumps with no issues. Heck, I started to use it to glue my bubble tower in before I changed directions.

It gets confusing. Silicone type II can be used, but it requires a longer cure time and if not allowed to cure long enough it releases ammonia and other nasties hence the horror stories. Some Type II will have the antimildew thing (which there is also some controversy over, some say it's a marketing gimic and isn't actyally an addative at all....) but not all Type II will. The difference between Type I and Type II is the cure type, with type I being aceytl (I spelled that way wrong) cure, and type II being neutral cure. Aceytl cure releases vinegar as it cures, Neutral cure releasese ammonia and other nasties while it cures. Type II should be given 2-3 weeks of cure time to be safe. Neither Type I or Type II are structural adhesives, they are only sealants. Sealants are OK for installing baffles or other not so structural applications. Adhesives should be used for actual tank building.

SCS12000 and Momentive RTV 103/108 are both adhesives. Everything at HD is a sealant.

 

[JohnK]

It can be hard to find but you want 100% silicone. 99% of the silicone out there has anti mold agents to it.

I have from time to time found it at Lowes

But be warned, the stuff with the anti mold thing also DO say "100% silicone" on the tubes. Confusing, ey?

 

[CaptainHook]

I'm going to order some Momentive 108 instead. Thanks.

 

[Sokretys]

Ive used "Oatley Fix-it-Stick" HD without problems. i think it was like 5-6 bucks