Geocel Aquarium Sealant

Thuggerz · Jun 19, 2006

Hi all, has anyone used this? and does anyone know if this will work on polycarbonate which i think is similer to acrylic...Cheers!

http

/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aquarium-silicone-se...1QQcmdZViewItem

SkiFletch · Jun 19, 2006

Broken link

. Long story short, if it is a silicone based adhesive, no it will not work on polycarbonate. If it is a methyl-chloride based solvent (or other highly polar organic solvent), then yes it will work.

Edit: A quick google search reveals to me that its primarily a glass adhesive which 99% of the time means silicone based. No good for polycarbonate, sry

Thuggerz · Jun 19, 2006

SkiFletch said:
Broken link . Long story short, if it is a silicone based adhesive, no it will not work on polycarbonate. If it is a methyl-chloride based solvent (or other highly polar organic solvent), then yes it will work.

Edit: A quick google search reveals to me that its primarily a glass adhesive which 99% of the time means silicone based. No good for polycarbonate, sry

Hi, thanks for your reply...hopefully i can find some suitable sealant...if i find a suitable sealant will it have to be a special sealant for aquariums only?

SkiFletch · Jun 20, 2006

Actually not really... Why are you interested in gluing polycarbonate? Solvent choice can be a very tricky thing, and more information about your project would really help to suggest whats right for you.

Most solvents/adhesives which work on polycarbonate are used to solvent weld plastics. Long story short, the "glue" actually melts the plastic, and as the solvent in the glue evaporates, the melted plastics harden to create a new form. Its way more complicated than that though, so let us know about your application

Thuggerz · Jun 20, 2006

SkiFletch said:
Actually not really... Why are you interested in gluing polycarbonate? Solvent choice can be a very tricky thing, and more information about your project would really help to suggest whats right for you.

Most solvents/adhesives which work on polycarbonate are used to solvent weld plastics. Long story short, the "glue" actually melts the plastic, and as the solvent in the glue evaporates, the melted plastics harden to create a new form. Its way more complicated than that though, so let us know about your application

Hi SkiFletch, well i got the idea from the fish highway post but changed it a little. It's basically the same but it will stay in the same tank creating a tube that will got out of the water and back into the same tank...heres a quick diagram of it...

http

/i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/Thuggerz/Tube.jpg

I need to cut some of the ends at a 45 degree angle and hopefully it will piece together

SkiFletch · Jun 20, 2006

Ah, ok. So you're gluing polycarbonate to itself. Definitely need to solvent weld here and unfortunately I'm not sure what's available for use in the UK. Here in the states we use whats called IPS Weld On products for acrylic solvent welding. Basically a line of solvents based on methyl chloride with different viscosities. Hopefully someone else from across the pond can reccomend a proper organic solvent that you guys sell, but you're really looking for somehting thats capable of solvating acrylic.

Your other option... Super glue. Wont hold as strong as a solvent weld, but might do the trick for you. Cyanoacrylate (the main solvent in super glue) wors on acrylic and polycarbonate, but isn't the strongest thing ever.

Just a word of note, almoast all acrylic solvent based adhesives, once dried for 24-48 hours are fish-safe. The solvent actually evaporates during hardening and removes the dangerous chemicals via evaporation.