Dendroboard banner

Silicone Smell in Tank Days after applying

Tags
silicone
6K views 3 replies 2 participants last post by  kimcmich 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello,

Last week I made a custom background for my dart frog tank using spray foam and silicone. The silicone I used was GE II silicone. I noticed that there is still a silicone smell coming from the tank days after using it. I read that GE II silicone will always retain a smell and it is not harmful. I put some isopods in the tank out of curiosity and they seem to be doing just fine. The smell is a little funky and it does not smell like acetic acid like GE I silicone does. Is this silicone smell toxic and will it harm my frogs? Any replies will be appreciated.

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
@MJV,

Silicone II is a problem. It contains additives that can be harmful to both plants and animals - and amphibians are especially sensitive because of their moist skin.

Fully cured silicone will not have a smell - it only smells while curing. And if you applied it thickly while making your background, the silicone could take a while to fully cure.

You can want to use Silicone I or a silicone made specifically for aquaria. There is some debate about Silicone I - but the MSDS for it indicates the harmful additives that are the issue with Silicone II are not used in the Silicone I formulation.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for your reply.

Do you think/know if the smell will ever go away in the tank? I think I am going to give the silicone ii a try. I agree with you about it potentially being a problem however many people have claimed to have used it without any issues.

Thanks.
 
#4 ·
@MJV,

I am not a purist when it comes to silicones - but I stick with Silicone I. Many people have, apparently, used Silicone II without issue - but I know some of the more experienced breeders here recommend strongly against it.

The smell will definitely go away once the silicone is cured. Depending on the thickness of the application, though, that could take as long as a week or two - maybe longer if you used it especially thickly.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top