custom sump

[Lance A. Lot]

I was talking with my dad who is friends with a glass guy about baffles for my sump. My dad says he can get me most any reasonable size panes of glass as long as they are 1/4 inch for free. :idea: So I think... what about just building the whole sump exactly the way I want it out of 1/4 inch glass? the dimensions for the tank would be 48" x 20" 16" max volume 65gl. Would 1/4 inch glass be safe to use in this situation. I really have my doubts about putting 45~50 gallons of water in something I built out of 1/4 inch glass. I can get 3/8" but I have to pay for it.
Good idea? Or asking for trouble?

 

[Schplitter]

Do you have any experience building tanks or sumps? How "handy" are you usually?

 

[Lance A. Lot]

Medium level of handy... with more resources for professional help than most people. Dad is a construction contractor for comercial grade connections. Uncle owns a residential carpentry business that I have some access to the shop on weekends.

 

[Lance A. Lot]

I have cut glass before but the nice thing about my dad's glazer is he will cut and do the edges for any demensions. He did the 1/2 glass overflow box that I put on my 180 2 weeks ago.

 

[Schplitter]

I would say go for it. Space your baffles so they spread the load. Put a euro brace on the front and back if you Feel you need them or if you are going less than 60% with the baffles compared to the height of the sump.

 

[kegogut]

I would say go for it. Space your baffles so they spread the load. Put a euro brace on the front and back if you Feel you need them or if you are going less than 60% with the baffles compared to the height of the sump.

Good advice and I would listen to the man, I believe hes built a few in his day.

 

[mpcart]

I'm the kind of guy that tries to manage risk. So when it comes to this hobby, that means avoid floods and don't burn down the house. Most anything that could result in those two things happening I leave to the pros and then DIY the heck out of everything else. I had a sump crack and flood my living room while I was traveling and my wife was ****ed.

Anyway, sounds like you have a lot of resources available to you so best of luck.

Post pictures when you are done.

-Mike

 

[Schplitter]

I'm the kind of guy that tries to manage risk. So when it comes to this hobby, that means avoid floods and don't burn down the house. Most anything that could result in those two things happening I leave to the pros and then DIY the heck out of everything else. I had a sump crack and flood my living room while I was traveling and my wife was ****ed.

Anyway, sounds like you have a lot of resources available to you so best of luck.

Post pictures when you are done.

-Mike

Such a chicken. haha Just kidding Mike haha

Mike does have a point here. i am a avid DIY kinda guy. If I can make it myself I will try it but I don't know that I would trust myself with building one out of glass. I have always made them out of Acrylic. The fact that it can shatter into a million little pieces without any warning is a little unnerving. At least with acrylic you can see it bow and flex. If you do attempt this please do your research. Maybe try it on something small like a ATO container or make some 2 part containers to see how that works out. Less risk of flooding for sure. Get some practice...


P.S.: Mike check your PM's

 

[mpgrant77]

If I remember right. The sump is in the basement with a floor drain near by. If the glass is almost nothing to get. I would give it a try. 1/4" in my opinion is a little thin but with the baffles placed right you should be fine. Besides if you are scared to try something you are not a DIY person. That's part of the adventure.

 

[smoothdog]

I say go for it. A standard 55 is only 1/4", since this is a sump you will not be filling it to the rim, plus you will have baffles adding support in the middle. Since there is no rim, I would euro-brace the top and brace or double up the bottom pane. Doubling the bottom would give you the extra contact area of the euro-brace without leaving the bottom uneven, which will make it easier to deal with when installing baffles. One other thing to consider is that your stand will need to be perfectly flat and smooth since the bottom glass will sit directly on it.

If you need any help let me know.

 

[Lance A. Lot]

Yep I think I am going to do it and Euro brace the top. I know I need to redo the bottom of the stand that this will go into. I need to make it perfectly flat and then still probably use starboard under the tank anyway. I have leftover melamine coated board that I want to use. Then put a rim around the bottom of the stand and seal it so any sump leaks or catastrophic failures are contained. I already caulked the basement to separate the fish area from the "wood" floor area. It will divert any leak or overflow to the floor drain 4 feet away.

 

[Lance A. Lot]

Does anyone know what kind of silicone manufactures use when putting together tanks? I had read yesterday that GE silicone was not what I should use. There were no suggestions as to what I should be using though.

 

[smoothdog]

I have been able to find Marineland silicone in gun size tubes for around $10 at various LFS. It is rated for repair jobs and small aquarium assembly.

 

[btjack2]

scs1200