looking to build a custom sump/fuge.... need to find a place that sells acrylic.

[agoutihead]

where in the cleveland area is the best/cheapest place to get acrylic cut to make a sump/fuge?

also does anyone have step by step plans with cut sizes and building available?

 

[itZme]

If you are having it cut for you and haven't worked with acrylic I think you may be better off having it built for you. If you consider the cost of a leak or a damaged acrylic panel that needs to be repurchased it may quickly exceed the cost of having someone do it for you.
The charge a lot more for pre-cut acrylic compared to just going and buying a random piece and cutting it yourself.

There is a place called Team Pastics on W 150th st in Cleveland that will custom cut your pcs for you and Marc has some nice examples of sumps on his site www.Melevsreef.com

When building mine I decided to go with a standard All-Glass aquarium and add glass panels with silicone to section it of and add baffles.

Hope that helps
-- Kevin

 

[agoutihead]

well who can i have build it for me then? its going to have to be a bit custom.... i think.

where in the cleveland area do they sell sump/fuge combos?

 

[Caryliss]

Check with C-sea member fade2black--First Class Aquatics . He does nice acrylic work.

 

[pgolnick]

I bought my acrylic from H P Manufacturing,(HOUSE OF PLASTICS)
[http://www.hpmanufacturing.com/retail_store.html].
Most stuff from their bargain bin area, a dollar a pound. Most sheets area 36-48 in long and 10-24 in wide. Most is clear and 1/4in stock. They will also custom cut to your needs. They are located 3746 Prospect Avenue just east of downtown Cleveland. They also carry glue and other supplies.
Just another place to find supplies, if you decide to DYI.

Phil

 

[offshore]

try calling steve @ aqua-crylic he is in columbia station, he can make just about anything

 

[agoutihead]

do you guys think it will be cheaper for me to go to H P Manufacturing and get the sizes cut, and then bring all the materials to either steve or fade2black?

does anyone have steves number or his website addy?

thanks!

 

[agoutihead]

i just talked to paul from FCA and he gave me a quote on a sump/fuge as follows....

1/4 in acrylic - 30x15x15 - 275

3/8 in acrylic - 30x15x18h - 325

no im trying to figure out exactly how high i need it to be.

im going to have an in sump skimmer, possibly a berlin that is roughly 22 inches high.

paul said i need 8-10 inches of water for the skimmer to work and then we figure overflows.

what im concerned about is water depth in the fuge. im going to put about 4 inches of sand and a bunch of rubble rock... so that would give me what another 8 inches of water for the fuge?

if my sump/fuge is 15 inches high, realistically how far from the top of the fuge is going to be my "normal" water level?

am i making sense?

 

[itZme]

you will need to figure how much water drains back through your returns after losing power then have AT LEAST that much empty space at the top of your sump/fuge so it doesnt siphon onto your floor.

i dont know the dimensions of your display or how far down you will drill your siphon breaks or I could give you some more specific numbers.

The formula for figuring gallons is L" x W" x H" divided by 231 = gallons. So you will need to see how many gallons you are catching and then figure how much to leave empty at the top.

Rule of thumb with everything reefing is to go as large as you can now even if it costs you a bit more because it will really cost more when you have to upgrade later if things aren't right.

You are kind of close to a standard 29g tank size. The regular dimensions are 30 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 18 3/4 you can have glass cut and silicone them in pretty cheaply. If you are into doing it yourself.

HTH
-- Kevin

 

[agoutihead]

hmm. the 29 gallon might just work perfect. 30 inches is about where i need to be, the width, im not going to miss 3 inches.

and the heighth i might as well go with the 18 inches.

this can be much cheaper if i use a glass tank and just get plexiglass cut outs for dividers.

if i buy a 29 gallon... who can i have install just the dividers so they are dont correctly and wont leak?

 

[Caryliss]

Why not make your own baffles. Check out this site for DIY baffles . The best part about this is you can adjust their position if you need to reconfigure things, raise their height, etc. Before I changed plans with the 125g I was planning on doing this.

I have a couple of rolls of the EPDM weather stripping that I will not be using. Let me know & I can bring them to the swap.

 

[agoutihead]

how good are those baffels with the EPDM?

how many rolls would i need? just one? how much do you want per roll?

i will be at the frag swap.

 

[Caryliss]

I never actually built the sump but the idea seems very sound. The site I got the idea from is very reputable.

I have 2 rolls (20 ft total) which I figured was enough for the baffles for a 40g sump. I can't remember what I paid for them $6-8 each?). I'd sell them for $2 each and a promise to post a picture of your sump when you're done!

 

[agoutihead]

what about wear and tear on the rubber years down the road? wont it deteriate having salt water around it all the time? thats my only concern compared to siliconing it.

ill probably take them both... how do we work this out now.. how do i find you at the swap?

 

[Caryliss]

The EPDM weatherseal is Marine grade--designed for sealing boat hatches. The package says it has a 10 yr warranty--not that they'll guarantee it in a saltwater tank but it should last a long time in a saltwater environment. EPDM is non-reactive in salt water.

I'll be easy to find at the swap since I am one of the organizers. I'll be wearing a gray C-sea tshirt and will probably be at the raffle table a lot. Look for the name tag "Caryliss" or Carole McLaren.

 

[agoutihead]

alright, sounds good. ill be there around 12. thanks!