GE silicone 2 for tanks?

My understanding is that ge2 has mold and mildew inhibitors that will leech into your tank water over time and possibly kill your fish and/or your beneficial bacteria or both. I use ge1, and although on the tube it says not for aquarium use or for use below the waterline, I've not had any issues. Ge1 is also recommended online as a cheaper alternative to the actual aquarium silicones by a lot of people on a lot of forums. Use at your own discretion though.

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No it's the ge1 window, door, attic, trim, and flashing.

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There are other brands/types you can use also but I couldn't tell you which ones. I know non paintable silicones are a good start as long as they don't have any mold or mildew inhibitors or any other additives. I'd say most food safe silicones would be sufficient also.

If you used the wrong silicone you wouldn't have to tear the whole tank apart. Just cut the exposed silicone from inside the tank and clean it up and reseal it again with a safe silicone.

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I have used GE1 and never had a problem. I have Tanks with GE1 that are approaching 10 years and still holding strong.
I have used GE2 in the past and the tank started leaking after a few weeks.

Both GE I and II are garbage. They are sealants, not adhesives.

That said, if you like risk and want to attempt keeping a tank together with these, it doesn't matter what you use. Silicone is inert once fully cured, whether GE I or II. As long as you give it enough time you will be fine, at least fish wise. No promises it will hold long term.

fishguy306 said:

Both GE I and II are garbage. They are sealants, not adhesives.

That said, if you like risk and want to attempt keeping a tank together with these, it doesn't matter what you use. Silicone is inert once fully cured, whether GE I or II. As long as you give it enough time you will be fine, at least fish wise. No promises it will hold long term.

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Does a sealant not have to "adhere" to its bonding surface in order to seal it? I'm genuinely interested. I tore one of my tanks apart that I've used ge1 on and it was just as much a pain as the factory silicone.

As far as being inert once fully cured, I don't see how. There must be some sort of chemical reaction going on in order for silicones that are mold and mildew resistant to resist mold and mildew growing on them.

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GE I and II do have some holding strength, so it will adhere some what to the glass, however the strength is so low that GE does not publish the PSI that it can tolerate. Stronger, industrial silicones are designed to hold under much more pressure. Depending on whether you are looking up the shear or tensile strength you will find it is between 200 and 450 psi.

So yes, GE I and II can adhere to the glass, however at the end of the day the strength of the silicone is no where near that of higher quality industrial stuff. I'd rather spend a bit more and know my tank is going to hold.

As for being inert, you should check the MSDS for each. If I recall correctly GE II does not have anything additional that GE I does not. I suspect the people who get fish deaths after using it are a little too quick and don't let it cure long enough. I've seen people on both sides of the fence, some saying GE I, others saying GE II will kill the fish. If you don't give it close to two weeks for a 1/4" bead it could kill them no matter the product.

fishguy306 said:

Both GE I and II are garbage. They are sealants, not adhesives.

That said, if you like risk and want to attempt keeping a tank together with these, it doesn't matter what you use. Silicone is inert once fully cured, whether GE I or II. As long as you give it enough time you will be fine, at least fish wise. No promises it will hold long term.

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Garbage? There are probably thousands of aquariums resealed with GE silicone I.