It is to be deeply understood that silicone sealants are an important part of aquarium. This is because aquarium is simple five pieces of glass held together by silicone sealants. However, the importance of those silicone sealants for glass applications is clearly not perceived by many unless they encounter a problem of any kind, such as leaks. So, the importance of silicone sealants for working with glass and glass related applications cannot be emphasized enough.
Apart from bring the go-to adhesive when it comes to glass, silicone sealants can also be used for binding stones and other DIY decorative crafts. Since silicone sealants are transparent, they have a subtle advantage over many other glues, especially when it comes to crafts in which appearance play an important role. It is always handy to keep a tube silicone sealant always, especially if you’re someone who frequently works with glass or even a DIY enthusiast.
The Right Sealant for Aquarium
However, when it comes to aquariums, using the wrong type of silicone in your aquarium can kill your fish! Since adhesives are usually designed for specific application purposes, there is a wide change in the chemical composition and the working of them, when they transition into a different applicational perspective. Therefore, using the silicone sealant that is not intended to be used with glass, and therefore, aquariums, may kill the fish. Hence, one must read the instructions given by the manufacturers carefully and choose the best silicone sealant for glass.
Usually, when we talk about adhesives there are a wide variety of them out in the market. A few of those examples include epoxies, cyanoacrylate glues and even natural glues. But none of them are quite like silicone sealants.
Silicone sealant beings selectively used for glassworks has its reasons. Silicone sealants designed to work with glass are string, durable, flexible and highly resistant to weathering due to external environmental factors such as temperature, moisture etc. In addition to this, silicone sealants is one of the few additives that binds well with glass.
However, since aquarium features an environment that is usually wet, there is one more important factor regarding silicone sealants that one must consider.
Curing Time
Unlike cyanoacrylate glues, silicone sealants do not bind instantly. They require sufficient time to set, dry and bond strongly. This process is called curing. Usually curing of silicone sealants, for aquarium purposes, takes up to a week to cure completely. The silicone can be seen if it has cured by touching it. Cured silicone will be dry to touch and does not smell like vinegar. Silicone curing requires proper environmental conditions such as ambient temperature and humidity. However, silicone cannot be cured underwater. In fact, uncured silicone sealants are extremely fatal to the aquatic life. Therefore, extreme care must be taken to ensure that the silicone sealant has completely cured and dry before filling water and letting the aquatic life in.