aquarium safe tape

[robert nellson]

i built a skimmer out of coke bottles are they safe for my reef tank? i used duct tape on the prototype and am testing that in my waste water from a water change. are there any tapes that would be safe for my tank? or do i need to use silicone?

 

[melosu58]

I`ve heard of duct tape being used for alot of things but I dont know about that. I dont have any experience with that but I would imagine that silicone would be better.

 

[robert nellson]

well if nobody can tell me it is safe i wont risk it and i will use silicone

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

And even if someone here said it was safe, would you trust the life in your tank to some anonymous person on the internet? My gut feel is that it's not safe because of the chemicals involved in adhesives, but have nothing to back that feeling up.

 

[robert nellson]

no i would not trust them entirely but if they gave me a very sound explanation as to why it is okay including chemical names or some credible link i might take their advice

 

[jsoong]

And would duct tape even stay "stuck" under water? Personally, I wouldn't chance it.

 

[robert nellson]

so far in my testing it has stayed stuck

 

[reun]

no. no. and no. duct tape will stay glued under water for a while, but will start loosing its adhesion. when it does the chemicals in the tape will leech into the water. there are some good uses for duct tape but aquariums are not one of them.

when you get the silicone get GE type I or 100% pure RTV silicone. nothing with any addatives or agents in it...they will leech into the water. the coke bottles themselves should be ok. MOST plumbing or other products for "potable" or drinking water are safe for fish...not all, but most.

before you dump something in your fish tank, figure out if you stuck the article in a pail of water for a few weeks if you could safely drink the water afterwards...would you drink water that had paints, or tapes, or fiberglass resin, or that rotten log in the back yard, or some unknown rock sitting in that bucket for even a week? be risky to say the least.

 

[robert nellson]

thanks that really puts it into perspective i decided not to put it in my tank not because of chemicals i would have made it with silicone but because i could not make it perform steadily

 

[reun]

im not sure what you are trying to construct, but, local hardware stores have a large selection of things that can be used safely in a aquarium...and often what they dont have they can order(large potable water plastic lines or large diameter silicone tubing or aquarium safe 2 part liquid epoxy).

please do not mis understand me, i support DIY wholeheartedly, just gotta use the right stuff!

 

[HooKooDooKu]

Could you use the duct tape for strength to hold, then coat the tape with silicon to make it water tight ? (i.e. if the water can't get to the tape, any nasty chemicals in the tape can't get to the tank, and the tape shouldn't become unglued).

 

[reun]

i suppose it could work, the goal is to just prevent leeching...BUT...ducttape isnt permanent, it will eventually come unstuck, so armed with that information...why not design a set up that you can bank on not falling apart?

the aquarium safe 2 part epoxy is permanent, safe, and will do most of the things duct tape will do. anyway, just my opinion.