Making tank fish safe after glueing in background

[canary]

I've siliconed in some styrofoam background into a tank and am wondering at what point will it be safe? I've waited the obligatory '7 days' for the silicone to cure. Now I've filled the tank and am planning to let it sit for 24 hours then emptying it and refilling.

I don't want to waste water filling it and emptying it repeatedly so is this enough?

I won't be adding fish immediately. The tank may sit there for a week before I put any fish in.

If it all goes pear-shaped then I always have toxivec to hand.

Suggestions?

[Anasfire]

Here's something most people don't know.. if you are using selly's silicone (aquarium safe stuff) to glue in backgrounds and resealing just to make sure it's water tight you don't need to leave it the whole 7 days. I emailed selly's a while back and asked them why it was 7 days because it's clear that the silicone is cured well before then and most things it says 72hours. They emailed me back saying that 7 day curing is only needed when the silicone is used for tank building when it will come under pressure from the water and needs to be completely water tight, if it's for gluing in place dividers, backgrounds etc it's not necessary to leave it 7 days. 3 days will suffice and the only chemical it excretes is vinegar so as long as u give it a good rinse it's not going to harm the fish, as mild vinegar in water wouldn't. I'm not sure if this is the same deal with other brands of silicone

So in closing Ezza, you could have done all this 4 days ago and have the tank stocked now (if using selly's) I'd empty the tank...give it a good scrub out (especially if you used turps or metho in the tank to smooth the silicone), refill, cycle and use at will!! Oh and make sure you post photo's when your done! I want to see how awesome it looks

Good Luck hun

[Fishchick]

tank maker told me he allows one day cure time per foot of tank.

Only ever use acid cure and aquarium safe silicone.

Cheers, J

[canary]

Great It's a 3 foot tank so either way it's 3 days. I didn't use any turps or metho as I only put glue on the back. I cut it to a nice fit so it should be OK. ( a hacksaw or just a hacksaw blade is great for cutting styrofoam)

Cycling shouldn't be a big deal. I'll be adding gravel and wood from a cycled tank and I've had the media from the internal filter sitting in another tank for the last fortnight.

I'm just waiting on some driftwood that's in the post. I've stocked up on plants from a plant swap in Brisbane and bought some nice moss and HC from Kitz so I might start planting out this weekend. I also have a gift voucher for a LFS which my last workplace gave me when I finished my contract. I've been itching to spend it!

Promise to start a thread and post some photos.