Silicone question

[Schad7]

Hi everyone, I am new to the hobby and thought I had been doing all the appropriate research before moving forward at each step. I picked up a "free" setup for a guy. The tank had a small leak so I stripped the silicone out and replaced it. All I saw on the initial research was not to use kitchen and bath silicone. I have already gone through and resealed a 75 gallon tank and a 30 gallon sump. After finding this out I went back and checked and saw the fine print that says "not recommended for use on aquariums". I have not filled the tank yet and i'm wondering if I need to strip this all off again and start over. I cant stand to think I am going to ruin my tank before its even off the ground. I used the Ace hardware brand 100% architectural grade. Thanks in advance.

 

[ghellin]

I think all of them say not for Aquariums due to liabilities. For sealing a tank GE silicon 1 100% silicone is what most use. Just don't use the Silicone that has mold inhibitors in it. Have not heard of the ACE product you used but, just make sure yours is 100% silicone and you should be good.

 

[pyithar]

people mostly use ge 1 in the states i think. i could not get ge 1 where i live, so i use other brands from japan. it doen't say "not recommended for use on aquariums" though. in my experience, they usually work well. but one of my tanks leaked after one year. it was a mess. i wasn't home as my father was hospitalized that time. so my brother drained half the water, siliconed over the leaking place, waited a few minutes, and put the water back in. i lost only a wall hammer in that incident. anyway, my point is i wouldn't take the risk if i were you. since ge1 is proven, i would start over with ge 1.

 

[Silvergryphon]

The ace brand is fine as long as it doesn't list any mold inhibitors.

 

[thegrun]

For a 75 gallon tank I would only use a good structural silicone like Momentive RTV,
RTV 103 is black silicone and 108 is clear silicone

 

[Shawn O]

Let it cure for a week, at least, before adding water.

 

[Dozer1one]

Personal experience ace brand is no good.... Read the specs it will say it has mold inhibitors it

 

[thegrun]

For structural silicone wait at least three weeks before adding water.