Plexiglass and silicone sealant question???

[gypsana]

I applied an aquarium safe silicone to my newly built plexiglass aquarium yesterday. The container says that it will dry in 24 hrs but a 7 to 14 day cure time depending on thickness of application. My question is can I do a leak check before it is totally cured?

 

[joncat24]

silicone will not bond plexiglass. I would venture to say that it will never pass a leak test. sorry

 

[bonita69]

gypsana is correct it will never seal, oh it will dry but never bond it will pull apart at the seams once filled . Works well for sump baffles in glass tanks however.
you need to pick up speacial bond glue that melts it together. You can get at Lowes or Home Depot. Found in the section they sell plexiglass in.

 

[jrthomas40]

Originally Posted by bonita69
http:///forum/post/2500173
gypsana is correct it will never seal, oh it will dry but never bond it will pull apart at the seams once filled . Works well for sump baffles in glass tanks however.
you need to pick up speacial bond glue that melts it together. You can get at Lowes or Home Depot. Found in the section they sell plexiglass in.
my lowes carries the Weld-on in the paint section

 

[gypsana]

I already glued it together with weld on. I just used the silicone for corner/seam strength. It does not adhere great but does stick well enough. Weld on is a very thin product and does not help in a leak situation very well. Any other suggestion are welcome. Thanks for the help above.

 

[dvskin21]

I think what they are getting at is, if you are depending on the silicone to make the tank not leak, then sooner or later it's gonna fail on you. You shoulda ran a thin bead of the WELD ON in the corner using a needle applicator. Like the ones your can get in hobby stores. Sooner or later, that silicone will leak.. Good luck
Chad

 

[sk8shorty01]

The OP said that he/she already used WELD-ON to set the pieces together and the silicone is just for a little added protection. This is not really any different then what AGA does on the corners so I would assume you would be fine.

 

[gypsana]

Yea I forgot to state that from the begining that I did use weld on. I did a leak check and I had a small one. I applied more weld on th that area and then when dry I added the silicone for extra strength. Weld on tends to get brittle and I noticed crackling sounds when moving the tank. After I applied the silicone this seems to have helped. My main question is if I can do a leak check before it is totally cured.