# DIY Glass Tank silicone safe?



## APCRandall (Feb 2, 2007)

My friend works with glass and he just made an aquarium.. He used silicone or something from his work... Is that safe for fish?


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## APCRandall (Feb 2, 2007)

so question is.. is all silicone the same? Im almost positive he used silicone.


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## yoink (Aug 31, 2005)

Some have a mildew resistent chemical in them that isn't fish friendly, but regular old silicone is fine for fish. All glass tanks are made with silicone


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## janger (Jan 31, 2007)

I'm confused about this myself.
Last week my parents had their house windows re-caulked by a glazier friend, and they now use silicone mostly. Joking around I asked him to make me a tank. He said when he was doing his apprenticeship a couple of years ago, they were told to use the anti-fungal stuff in tanks. I replied that would be a very bad thing to do as it could harm fish, inverts and good bacteria. Although he believed me, he insists that's what they were told to use by his teacher.

Also, I was looking for some silicone for just this purpose a few years ago. The local hardware store owner is pretty good about this sort of stuff and he pointed me to what everyone uses (non-toxic and neutral cure). The strange thing was the tube had written on it that it wasn't recommended for underwater applications. Go figure.


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## yoink (Aug 31, 2005)

Yeah, they are covering their arses there. They don't want someone to come after them for a leaking aquarium.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

There are apparently a few different grades of silicone. The good stuff will create a bond that is actually stronger than the glass it is bonded to. Check out Scolley's thread over at PT regarding the disaster of his "Big Kahuna" tank.


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## bharada (Apr 17, 2004)

You'll be best served by getting the good stuff from the start-GE RTV108. You can order it on Amazon.com if the local stores don't carry it.


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## SpaceBug (Jan 10, 2007)

I know I've seen tubes of silicon in the hardware store that specifically state that they can be used for aquariums. I'm sure I've seen it on tubes of GE silicon. If you can get one that says its safe, why get anything else? I don't think cost would be an issue.


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