Tank looks ill

[new2saltyfish]

My tank looked absolutley perfect up until 2 days ago. Recently i built a sump for my 125. I made sure that i bought 100% silicone sealant for the plexiglass/acrylic walls as ive read anything else can contaminate the tank. Ive checked all param's and everything is perfect so that's why im bringing up the fact that i just did the sump. It was the day after that the sump was running that it started to decline. There isn't any fish in the tank but the coral looks like ********. I did a 40% water change earlier today and nothing has really changed. Anyone have any ideas of what to do, or if the sump silicone or something is/was the problem?

 

[Seask]

Is the Sump empty atm?

 

[sciknen]

The only thing i could really think of is to run some carbon

 

[new2saltyfish]

no sump is running. The sealant said to let cure for 24 hours but i only had it cured for about 8-10 hours before i used it and am wondering if it somehow let a toxin into the water???

 

[Seask]

As empty i mean, is there aljay in it? And Like sci said try running some carbon!

 

[pillowfish]

What type of silicone did you use? There is one that contains an anti-bacterial agent in it and from what I have read is NOT recommended for use in aquariums. IIRC, the reasoning behind it was that the agent would kill off the bacteria in the system(beneficial and unwanted alike).

What are your water parameters? Anything else new added/changed to the system? What are the corals doing/looking like? Ticked off? RTN/STN? Sliming, etc?

 

[new2saltyfish]

the corals look pist. Leathers had a black skin which i brushed off so it's not the whole coral, frogspawn looks like its spewing its guts and rbta is tiny and closed. No sps as i am waiting on a good skimmer next week and i have a phosphate problem. salinity is 1.024, nitrate 0ppm, nitrite 0ppm, ammonia 0ppm, ph 8.3
Thats why im thinking it's the silicone. I got it from homedepot and it's the 100% silicone #1. It does say prevents mold and mildew when cured but it doesn't say that there are additives to prevent it. I assume it means that it will cover the cracks so there is not place for it to grow. I am running carbon but it seems like everytime i try to better something i make it worse haha.

 

[Jennifer]

Eee sorry to hear your corals are not doing well.

I am sorry to say it but you used the BAD for your tank type of silicone.
The one you needed to use is called Silicone 1 for windows and doors, does not have a mold preventer in it.

You need to run some carbon now. And prob do a big water change.

 

[Jennifer]

Oh and do not use that sump until you can scrape all of that silicone out and redo with the right stuff.

 

[snowmaker]

Hmmm,..
If you used straight "GE Silicone #1" it should be OK. I would be concerned if it isn't and the fact that it says

prevents mold and mildew when cured

What I don't get:

The sealant said to let cure for 24 hours but i only had it cured for about 8-10 hours before i used it

Why, on earth would you do this? I know I'm impatient but .....
8 - 10 hrs. isn't long enough unless temperature was artificially elevated. I think this is what screwed you here. Usually directions will say "Let cure for 24 to 48 hours". I've always done 48 hr cure minimum. Cure time is very temperature dependent.

You might want to think about taking sump off line and starting over. Massive water change for display.

 

[penguinsix]

You used the wrong silicone. What you used contains an anti fungal ingredient that will kill off your corals and pretty much everything in your tank. You'll probably want to take the sump offline and remove all the silicone and redo the sump with the right silicone.

 

[new2saltyfish]

i used the silicone #1 not 2

 

[new2saltyfish]

what silicone should i be looking for then???

 

[Leroy]

I used this to seal my 75, 90 and 120 as well as 3 sumps and 2 refugiums, GE Silicone 1, clear, transparent, window and door. Does not contain the bio-seal mold inhibitor.

 

[cujo6984]

^ yup thats the stuff i use too no problems with it

 

[Doherty]

Does GE make a black silicone that is safe to use?

 

[NateHanson]

I've used GE Silicone I or Silicone II with no problems. But with either one, you have to get the "Windows and Doors" stuff, not the "Kitchen and Bath" stuff. Just because it says Silicone I doesn't mean it's ok. It has to be "Silicone (I or II) Windows and Doors"

Also, I've noticed that the Silicone II cures a little faster than the Silicone I. In my basement the Silicone I took a couple days to dry completely. Silicone II was done in less than a day.

I agree with everyone else you probably are seeing the effects of something that is leaching out of the silicone. It could be the anti-fungal additive in the Kitchen and Bath stuff, or it could just be that because it wasn't fully cured it was still releasing solvent.

Either way, I'd disconnect the sump, and run carbon in your display tank.

Sounds like a bummer. Sorry.

 

[SteveDola]

all glass sells silicone for aquarium use. i think the entire tube (chaulk gun style) was 11 at my LFS. If not then marine depot sells it. Ive used that GE silicone and never really cared for it.

heres a link to the perfecto stuff.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind...-4519-DE11-B0EA-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA

 

[new2saltyfish]

i just got finished about 2 minutes ago teraing apart the sump and re-doing it with the ge-1 thats shown up above. The silicone 1 i used was kitchen and bathroom....so im guessing thats what messed ******** up. Now i have the sump out and curing with the clear window and door stuff and it looks a lot better. Display has a carbon filter on it and sump looks a lot better with the clear vs the white stuff. Getting the old stuff out was a huge PITA. I had to sand the plexi columns forever to get everything off and the glass took a lot of scraping. Im going to wait 3 days for this one to cure and take no chances. Anyone have any idea how long it should take for the bad toxins to be out of the system??I know there are a lot of factors but should i be ok with a 40% water change up top and new water in sump plus a carbon sock on the inlet to sump as well as a carbon HOB filter?? Thanks for all the help

 

[coralcor]

id do another WC