Glass baffles and silicone

[w glint]

Hey guys. Long story short, I dropped some piping under my stand and it managed to crack two of my baffles and shatter the third.

I got new ones cut the correct sizes, all I need to do is drain the damn thing and silicone them in. How long SHOULD I wait for it to dry, the reason I ask is, without baffles my skimmer is useless so I want to get this going as fast as possible. I'll be home in two hours and then its go time. Recommendations?

 

[2quills]

You're probably not going to like my answer. But I would wait at least 1 week if you're using a neutral curing silicone or at least 2 weeks for a non neutral curing silicone. Anything less than that and you're gambling with your livestock.

 

[w glint]

I didnt even think about the effect it could have on the water... hmm... im thinking I might just get another 20g and start fresh with my sump, so that way I dont have to run my tank without a sump for a week.

 

[sweatervest13]

Quote:
Originally Posted by W Glint http:///t/395949/glass-baffles-and-silicone#post_3526657
I didnt even think about the effect it could have on the water... hmm... im thinking I might just get another 20g and start fresh with my sump, so that way I dont have to run my tank without a sump for a week
That is probably a good idea. That way you can make the new sump and let it cure for long enough. Then when its ready to go, just swap the two.
Stinks that you have to do all of this, but at least you can make any adjustments to the new sump. Were there any changes that you wanted to make??

 

[2quills]

Not a bad idea. You might be able to squeeze by a little sooner, maybe 3-4 days if you don't go too terribly heavy with the silicone. Typically, cure times are determined by the size of the bead of silicone that you apply. The common 1/8" bead is what manufacturers of silicone typically recommend which takes about 48 hours to cure. Hobbyists generally tend to use more then that though in an effort to make sure the baffles will hold. The more you use the longer it takes to cure.
Not concerned so much about will it hold, but on a live tank you really want to be sure that it's cured and that those acids don't leach into your tank. There's been many tank crashes in the past and typically you see this when folks try to rush the process.
HTH