I have some hollow ornaments that I will be filling with sealant(100% silicone). After I fill them, how long do i have to wait to put them in the tanks? The package says it cures in 24 hours, but I wanted to make sure.

Thanks,
Megan

i would say usually 24 hours depending on temp.

Or until it has no smell

it might take longer since there will be a significant bulk of the material. if it is wide, long, and deep, i suspect the curing time would increase significantly. i'd give it a week then poke it really good and see if there is any moosch to the material.

Depending on the size of the hollow in the ornament, it can be very expensive to fill them in with the sealant.

I have often taken the cheaper small gravel (aquarium gravel left over from other projects) and filled the ornament. Then I pour food quality wax (used for canning and such) in to seal all the gravel in place and fill all the spaces. When this is completely cool (it melts at a low temp), I seal the very top of each with the aquarium sealant to make a final seal. It would be fine to leave just the wax, but I always feel that it is better to do a permanant job. It is much cheaper and easier than using 100% sealant - it flows well, fills completely, and is non-toxic and easy to use. I found a 10 pound block of it that was "chipped" and sold for about $1.00. It was a find.

Check to make sure that you have filled all the little holes at the top of the ornament with a dab of sealant ahead of time, so the wax cannot flow out. It rarely does, but could, potentially. Any that is spilled is easy to rub or scrape away, anyway.