Ge 100% Silicone II (black)

[Icewing726]

So I messed up... Not sure how as I knew about this but I got 2 not 1. I used it to install acrylic pieces behind my overflow teeth to raise water level in the display tank.

Luckily, I couldnt fit the pump header back in due to space and water hasn't been flowing over it.

Unluckily, I was wiping with a paper towel last night and im sure water contact was made.

I just mixed the water and no live anything is in the tank.

Questions:
1) is my water screwed?
2) is there a way to test for the issue, aside from the obvious?
3) Comments?

[bertoni]

Some of the GE silicone products have mold inhibitors in them. If this product is free of them, the will tank be fine. I don't know enough about the sealers to know whether the bond might be a bit weaker, but I tend to doubt it. The people in the DIY forum might be able to help. I can move this thread there, if you are interested.

[mcgyvr]

Originally Posted by bertoni

Some of the GE silicone products have mold inhibitors in them. If this product is free of them, the will tank be fine. I don't know enough about the sealers to know whether the bond might be a bit weaker, but I tend to doubt it. The people in the DIY forum might be able to help. I can move this thread there, if you are interested.

Correction:
The Type II product is a neutral cure silicone. Its just naturally more mold resistant.. And they use that in their marketing/product labeling as a benefit or reason to choose one over the other.. It doesn't include anything "extra" intended for mold inhibition..
It also takes longer to cure and releases a more toxic chemical (toxic to marine life)

Type I is a acetoxy cure silicone.

In genearal
Type II releases an alcohol during curing (ammonia like smell).. All the "myths" in this hobby I believe are based on people not allowing sufficient curing time and exposing their tank to that toxic alcoxy and not some mysterious mold inhibitor..

Type I releases acetic acid (vinegar basically) during curing that is not really toxic...

Both are totally fine to use provided that the product has fully cured before being put into the water..
That curing may be as little as a day or 2 for the Type I and up to 7 days or even longer depending on bead thickness for the Type II..

I personally have used Type II or other similar neutral cure silicones on more than one occasion and have NEVER had any problems with them as I allow them to cure fully..

Your water is totally fine and there is no need to do anything.. By the time the tank is cycled there will be nothing to worry about..

[bertoni]

Interesting. I had never tracked down the difference between the types of silicone products. So the exposure time seems to be very minimal in this case. I probably wouldn't worry much.

[Icewing726]

Been very busy lately, thank you for all the replies. You've helped reduce a lot of worrying on my part. I cleaned what I could and I'm moving forward reserving this silicone as an excuse to hide a future screwup on my part.

Thanks again