Super Glue is really safe???

[FranM]

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Loctite-4g-U ... c2Cf5yOl3c

For example the above bought from a Home Depot is safe for the aquarium? I plan to glue either acrylic or glass. Is the above a good option?

Any tips on drilling holes through glass or acrylic without breaking the glass or showing shatter lines through acrylic?

Thank you.

Fran

[Aelfrostt]

I don't think so.
You can check through previous posts.
I think the only safe "glue" would be aquarium silicone.

[Loachloach]

I can't see anything on the link for some reason but I've used super glue numerous times in the tank, even in shrimp tanks, to attach anubias and other plants to wood. It's totally safe if it has no additiives of any sort. It was designed to be used on human wounds, so it's safe for fish too. I am not sure it will hold glass or acrylic though. You are better off buying aquarium safe silicone.

[FranM]

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog ... Search+All

Above is the page where the super glues are. I'm looking at the first two options--the Loctite brand for example.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog ... Search+All

There is clear silicone sealant on this page.

Thank you for those who have replied thus far.

[Diana]

I would not use superglue to build an aquarium. If there was something inside it to glue together (perhaps even acrylic or glass) I might use it. It is safe.

[Diana]

Drill acrylic: My son uses his Dremel. Slow speed. I have used a hole saw for wood on my adjustable drill, again, low speed. You can also tape off the area where you are drilling to minimize spalls.

Drill glass: There are specialty drill bits and hole saws for glass. Most of the posts I see emphasize:
1) MUST enter the glass evenly. Do not allow one side of the hole saw to gouge in first.
2) Slow drizzle of water.
3) Slow drill speed.
4) Do not force the drill, allow it to grind away the glass at its own pace.
5) Support the GLASS. not the rim of the tank. Do not allow the drill to bow the glass.

The one time I did this, I followed those instructions and it went well.

[FranM]

Diana, thanks for the ideas.

I'm glad to hear that plain ol' super glue will work and be safe. Again, I want to build a roomy enough enclosure for the betta for the main tank, not planning on building a tank. Your ideas and advice for the drilling were great. When my boyfriend comes down next week, I think I will have him do it after he reads your directions. Again, thank you.

Fran

[SnArL]

Depending on the size and dimensions of the tank, I would NOT recommend using superglue.

Superglue has a tremendous bond strength, but ONLY along the normal vector. Torsional and lateral stress will shear the bond (to see this in action, superglue 2 objects together, let cure for 24 hours, and twist. They'll come right apart). Depending on the volume of the tank, the amount of effective torsional stress at the bottom (where the force of the water column pushing out against the glass is the greatest) may exceed the amount of linear stress along the entirety of the joint between panes of glass. Calculating the amount of stress on the bond for a given set of tank dimensions and plotting it against water depth would be an excersize for somebody who's done differential equations more recently than 15 years ago (in other words, not me ).

Superglue bonds acrylic MUCH better than glass, by the way. I wound up having to scrape residue off the plate and use an epoxy when the copper foil I was using for a glass plate capacitor in my Tesla Coil kept coming loose.

Of course, I could be wrong...they may have changed the formulation since my high school science fair when I was using MilSpec superglue to demonstrate how adhesive bonds are affected differently by different stress vectors.

When drilling acrylic, you may find it useful to use a SMALL amount of acetone to weaken it prior to using the Dremel.