Best kind of silicon to seal a tank

[BlackShark11k]

I've looked at how to seal a tank, now I just need to know what to seal it with. Basically I just need to know what to look for when I stop at home depot today, unless you guys think I am better off ordering some kind online.

GE II? Any kind with no anti-molding agents? ??

Thanks

 

[fishguy306]

You will most likely not be able to find what you need at HD. Everything they have are sealants, you want an adheasive.

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/1FBJ1?BaseItem=1FBH8

That is the best stuff to get. Or you can also get it in black. Dont forget, new silicon does not stick to old silicon. Hope that helps

 

[epond83]

I got this at home depot

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

The cross braces broke on my 125 while moving. I used this to glue two peices of glass that were 8" wide to the under side of the plastic frame front to back and evenly spaced. Tank would bow out .5-1" before but nothing afterwards

 

[piggy67]

Please do yourself a fav and get aquarium silicone. Most ppl will argue that geII is the best/cheapest but i will spend a few dollars more to be sure what i buy is safe for my fish. Most silicone is safe if cured properly but i dont take any chances just to save a few dollars. Meijer,walmart,hd,lowes,menards all carry AQUARIUM sealant, specifically for aquariums.

 

[BODYDUB]

Please do yourself a fav and get aquarium silicone. Most ppl will argue that geII is the best/cheapest but i will spend a few dollars more to be sure what i buy is safe for my fish. Most silicone is safe if cured properly but i dont take any chances just to save a few dollars. Meijer,walmart,hd,lowes,menards all carry AQUARIUM sealant, specifically for aquariums.

Best advice right there in this thread............

 

[jworth]

Its GE I 100% silicone. GE II is the one with the additives. It will say right on the bottle. TONS of people (including myself) have used GE I many times and have had fish living in those tanks for a long time. You can go a different and more expensive route if you want, but there is proof that GE works just fine. I just assembled an aquarium with it last week and held fine during a leak test for a week.

 

[packer43064]

Its GE I 100% silicone. GE II is the one with the additives. It will say right on the bottle. TONS of people (including myself) have used GE I many times and have had fish living in those tanks for a long time. You can go a different and more expensive route if you want, but there is proof that GE works just fine. I just assembled an aquarium with it last week and held fine during a leak test for a week.

Agreed. GE1 windows and doors is what I use ALL the time EVERY time. ALOT of others have used this silicone for larger tanks than mine and they have held the test of time. Do you want to spend extra money, then by all means go ahead.

 

[piggy67]

oops, i meant GE1 sorry. If your going to do a huge tank(200g or bigger), with all the panels top/bottom frame and need to save some cash then sure, why not go cheaper(GE1 will work if cured properly) but in a smaller situation i would just get aquarium sealant.

 

[BlackShark11k]

Thanks for the advice everyone! Will go get me some silicone now.

oops, i meant GE1 sorry. If your going to do a huge tank(200g or bigger), with all the panels top/bottom frame and need to save some cash then sure, why not go cheaper(GE1 will work if cured properly) but in a smaller situation i would just get aquarium sealant.

Well it is 130 gallons, and thick glass too.

 

[fishguy306]

In my opinion, some of you guys are crazy. I dont know what you are sealing, or how big the tank is, but it is not worth skimping out on. Take this guy for example-

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/27814-building-75g-all-glass-tank.html

He built a tank using half of the RVT108 (the good stuff), and half using GE I or II. Guess what happened to that seam? Take a look-

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/general-planted-tank-discussion/41844-death-big-clear-kahuna.html

In the end its up to you, but it is not wise if you use anything but the good stuff. If you need to skimp on the three bucks, you should rethink your hobby in my opinion.

Hope I dont get in trouble for send you to a different forum, however I'd rather get banned and have you see what could happen then keep quiet and you end up with a wet floor. Hope that helps a bit...