Help! Silicone for sump ?

[isomorphic85]

I picked up DAP 100% Silicone all purpose adhesive sealant. It says aquarium safe on it.

However, it says allow 24 hrs to cure... this is where my problem is.

I'm trying to seal/adhere a plastic cover piece in my sump area that holds the filter socks in place and allows the water to flow over into the filter socks.

If I turn off the main pump which causes the water to overflow into the sump area I can lower the water level in the sump enough to properly clean and reseal the plastic piece with this silicone... what i'm worried about is leaving this off for more then a few hours to cure.

If the silicone needs 24 hrs to cure it's essentially releasing acetic acid during this process no? Will this harm the fish?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[heathlindner25]

Plastic and glass don't adhere well with silicone

 

[isomorphic85]

Yeah it's not really under any pressure at all... it just needs to prevent water from flowing around the sides of the plastic and under it , so that the water is forced into the filter socks.

All of the seals in the sump area are black in color... trying to figure out what they originally use..

tank is a redsea max s 650

 

[isomorphic85]

I'm more concerned with any harmful chemicals (acetic acid) being released during the curing process, i'm not sure how that affects the fish

 

[Ejazzle]

Yes it will release a lot of amonia as the silicone is curing. Could you post a picture of the bottle?

 

[isomorphic85]

Here is a link to the product

http://www.homedepot.com/p/DAP-2-8-oz-Silicone-Aquarium-Sealant-00688/100128841

 

[CStrickland]

I wouldn't take any chances, I'd give it the full cure time plus a little extra.
Probs less risky to go sump less for a day or two. Might need an extra powerhead in the tank to keep the water fresh

 

[isomorphic85]

yeah thinking sumpless is the way to go for 24 hrs.

what do I need to consider if i do this?

ATO won't be working (not a big deal)

will need to move heater to DT

UV will be off

Protein skimmer will be down

Will have to shut down GFO and carbon reactors
there's 4 power heads in the DT

anything i'm missing that I should be planning for this?

 

[isomorphic85]

anyone have any experience with 100% silicone allowing to dry for 3-4 hrs and then running water over it in a sump? such as sealing baffles with it etc wondering if this had
any negative affects on fish etc during it's 24 hr curing time period when it's releasing acetic acid

 

[davocean]

Much safer to shut off sump for the 24 hours, it's really no big deal as long as you have water moving and temp stable

 

[isomorphic85]

just an update on this... after speaking with someone regarding the silicone I was told that a few hours would suffice for the curing as far as the acetic acid being released during curing. Once the silicone "films over " from curing it is safe to have water pass across it. I followed this and after a couple hours there was no vinegar smell from the curing process any longer. I waiting an additional couple hours for good measure and then ran water across it. I did not have any negative effects at all. Again my silicone application did not have any heavy water load forces that could result in water leaking outside of the sump area. Figured I would update the post in case it could be of benefit to anyone else.