Baffles in sump question.

Here is a pic of my sump during its construction in 2003 that will give you an idea of my baffle placement. The taller section on the left with the fingers cut in the baffle is a refugium, the center is the main return and skimmer section and the right is the return section. I can evaporate 6 gallons before having to add top off water with this design.
sump5.jpg
 
Is this a dual drain set up, i.e. you need one drain into the refugium and one into the skimmer, or you dump it all into the refugium?
 
Here is an old picture of it in operation. Notice the overflow splits off to the fuge with a 1/2" line and valve while the main flow goes to the center section.

IMAG0043.jpg
 
Betta Divider & Aquarium Sealant

Betta Divider & Aquarium Sealant

Bergovoy’s idea to add another “middle” baffle an inch to the left of your last baffle seems reasonable to keep floating macroalgae from getting into your return compartment. Another alternative to adding the baffle is to use a mesh screen against the left side of you last baffle. These screens are used to separate bettas and are available at Petsmart and Petco:

Lee’s AQ2 Aquarium Divider System (29/55-gallon size)
Penn Plax Tank Divider (29-gallon size)

While you are at Petsmart or Petco, pick up one of these “aquarium-safe” sealant tubes:

AGA Silicone Aquarium Sealant
Perfecto Silicone Aquarium Sealant

I don't know what the difference is between "aquarium-safe" sealants and other sealants. I understand the GE Silicone tubes are labelled in the back as safe for aquariums and drinking vessels.
 
The big difference between the "non anti-microbial" silicones is liability. GE silicone I is perfectly suitable, as is the ACE hardware brand of 100% silicone.

Placing an over-under baffle before the return pump will make that return area the evaporation area (in most cases). I prefer to not use a baffle and instead use the entire sump area after the initial baffle set as the return area. I do use a small divider that is a few inches tall. This divider keeps stuff from floating into the pump. I use a large filter screen over the pumps intake to keep debris from getting sucked in.
 
So the "aquarium safe" sealants do not contain mildewcides and fungicides?

What kind of silicone sealant do plumbers use when working with potable water?
 
Thre are plenty of silicone sealants that are aquarium "safe".

Safe could be infered as (2) different basic meanings.

1) will it leach harmful substances into the water?
2) will it create a long lasting bond that is strong enough to hold the tank together.

Almost all 100% silicone sealants will create a strong enough bond for the average tank. The problem is that many modern silicones (and other caulks and glues) have anti-fungal or anti-microbial substances in them that may be bad for our reef.

Why do many tubes say "Not for aquarium use?" Because of the huge liabilty involved. 50 or 60 gallons of water can make one hell of a mess.

So from a vendors perspective (GE for example) it is in their best interest to label the full size tubes "NOT FOR AQUARIUM USE" and then sell little 4 oz tubes for 10 times the price. On the little tubes they are all kinds of disclaimers and a 10 gallon tank size limitation. Smart marketing and avoidance of lawsuits.

The same stuff is in both tubes :) There are likely only 2-3 manufacturers of 100% silicone adheasive anyway.

Bean
 
NP

There are several threads here that go into a lot more detail. Beware that all of the GE-II stuff now has the anti-microbial stuff in it. The GE-I for doors and windows is safe as is the ACE 100% stuff.

Also jsut because it says 100% silicone does not mean that it does not have other stuff in it! It just means that it is a 100% silicone based product and not an acrylic or other compound. Notice the colored tubes say 100% silicone also, as do the one with microban or other anti nasty compounds.
 
Well guys... i gotta start over. I was trying to cover all my bases last night when purchasing everything and getting the baffles cut and i forgot to measure one thing...... the sump height VS the Stand height.... This morning i went to place the sump into the stand and what did i find?. I get about 3 - 4 inches clearance from the top of the sump to the top of the stand. So in other words there would be no way for me to pull the skimmer in and out... ARGH!. Looks like i have to head to Petco tomorrow morning and exchange the 29 for a 20L, I also have to cut all the silicon outa the 29 and clean it up. My only gripe is that with a 20L, that leaves me very little room as far as height is concerned. So that forces me to go back and get my baffles cut even shorter AND that leaves me less room for water to fill when i turn my return pump off. So do you guys think i should put a ball valve on my return line so that i can prevent back syphon?, Im just afraid that one day im going to forget to close the valve when i turn the pump off and im going to end up with a flood. I also considered a check valve but from what i read, those get encrusted with calcium and other junk and pretty much stop working in the long run.
 
BTW. Nice sump guys =). I really wish i could find a tank thats the same length as the 29G (30") and has a height some where inbetween a 20L and the 29G.
 
The valve will be useless when you are not home.... and yes the check valves are kind of a waste of time.

What kind of skimmer do you have? Can it be run external?

Can you let us know exactly how much water back flows? You can measure this by giving us the dimensions of the tank and exactly how muc the water level drops when the return pump plug is pulled.

You can work with a smaller sump, but you need to have a reliable ATO to keep the return pump from sucking air. Can you go with an external return pump like an eheim?
 
You can build an acryic sump to a custom size... that is also a great option (or have one built). Do you have a local club?
 
Hi beanAnimal. The tanks not even filled yet so i wouldn't know how much back flow there is. Its a 65 AGA its something like 36"L 18"W and 24"T. I really cannot afford to have a custom acrylic sump built and there really isn't any local clubs around here (except in the bay area which is about 1 1/2 away). Im scared of a Auto Top off. But i guess if my only choice is a 20L then my only choice is a AT. I guess i could run the return pump externally but that still leaves me with the sump height issue. BTW the return pump is going to be a Eheim 1250 (320Gph).
 
A custom sump may not be as expensive as you think. DIY does not have to be pretty... but that also depends on your skills and tools.

What is your budget for this portion of the project?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8973485#post8973485 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BeanAnimal
A custom sump may not be as expensive as you think. DIY does not have to be pretty... but that also depends on your skills and tools.

What is your budget for this portion of the project?
Click to expand...

Id say 80 - 100 dollars. The 29 gal was 50 bucks. Baffles + silicon where about 13 bucks. I still have the receipt to the 29 gallon so after work im going to finish cleaning the 29 gal and in the morning ill go and exchange it for something more suitable. Ive gotten alot of the silicone off the tank before i went to work today, but there is still some residue left. Any ideas on how to get that off?. Maybe rubbing alcohol?. Thanks BeanAnimal, you have been alot of help!.
 
Just carefull scraping with a new razor blade... double edged blades are sharper (you know the old school flexible ones) but also harder to hold without cutting yourself.
 
Hey beanAnimal. This is kinda off topic but i had a quick question..... I bought my 65 AGA and a Gloss black stand at the same time for AGA. The black stand is made primarily of partical board..:(. Now on the box that the stand came in, it says.. "30BR, 40BR, 50, 65." What im worried about is since its partical board (Not the strongest material in the world) and im going to have a sump in the stand.. should i worry about evap and condensation warping the the partical board and eventually making it break?. Is a partical board stand really strong enough to support a 65G tank with LR!?. My brother told me that i should just coat the inside with a layer of lacquer and that would help alot. I may post this on the forum to see others opinions.
 
The stand is certainly not the strongest thing on the planet, but it will be fine with the tank, rock and sump.

If the inside of the stand is unfinished, then yes I would put a few coats of polyurethane on it and maybe a small vent fan (computer fan is fine) in the back with a grill on the opposite side as well. Draw air through the tank and keep the moisture down. You can use the fan to PUSH the air in and keep it from being damages by the moisture.

Leave the electrical connections OUTSIDE of the stand and use drip loops. Please use a commercial grade power strip, not a home depot bargain! Postion the powerstrip so that water can not drip into it. Use the little child protectors to keep the unused positions dry.

Bean
 
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