When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. If it's sticky and can be squeezed from a tube to harden in air into a rubbery-like substance, why not try it?
Conformal coatings for PCBs were invented to increase survivability of the circuits they encapsulated, while still allowing component-level replacement and repair. In the previous century we used
clear Krylon spray to protect the PCBs we made. This is pretty much the same acrylic spray "paint" that is still in use today to protect artwork that hangs on your wall. So, use whatever you want, and find out what works for you, be it "neutral cure" aquarium sealant or some other RTV sealant. But I would suggest using the stuff that was
made for PCB conformal protective coatings
first.
Potting is a different story. This is often done more to hide the circuitry that is underneath the potting, rather than as protection from the environment, but potting also has a functional use as a means to hold mounting hardware and connecting sockets.
Thank you so much for explaining this to me! I will take a look at the options you gave as well. Out of curiosity would something like this work? I heard silicone sealant used in aquariums is good?
I have no idea whether what works for fish aquariums also works for electronics. There are many things that do "cross pollinate" well, but you have to find out by "trial and error". If I have "invested" a lot of time and effort to make a circuit board, I am not eager to find out if I made an error in covering it with a liberal coating of
any RTV silicone rubber, neutral or not, made for aquariums or internal combustion engine... unless such usage is specifically recommended by the manufacturer. This is sort of like trusting "leakproof" dry cells to not leak and damage your expensive LED "tactical" flashlight. I do use them, but I take them out from time to time to check for leaks and corrosion and replace them when necessary.