New sump

[liquidcowboy]

I bought a 40B from petco during their $1 per gallon sale. I want to use this for a new sump on my 75g tank now in place of my current wet/dry filter. My question is, how and what would be the best way to add the dividers to the tank to make seperate chambers in the sump? Thanks in advanced for your help!

 

[jovares]

Hi Liquid cowboy, Im newbie, but I found a video on youtube, and I think this can really help you out to decide how to separate your chambers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxnugJGiT3o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgNe_OYgoL8&feature=channel

It takes 20 minutes of your time and can clarify some of your doubts.

Cheers,

Jeff.

 

[uncleof6]

Do not use acrylic baffles for a glass tank. Acrylic baffles for an acrylic tank, and glass baffles for a glass tank. Silicone does not bond reliably with acrylic. Do it right and do it once. Aside from that got no use for youtube.

Jim

 

[::PixelFish::]

Acrylic baffles work perfectly fine for glass tanks. Sandwich the acrylic pieces(1/4" thick) between nice thick beads of silicone and you will not get them out of there. I'm running the exact setup on a 40 gallon breeder sump right now and had glass sumps with acrylic baffles for years before that.

 

[fishnub]

Acrylic baffles work perfectly fine for glass tanks. Sandwich the acrylic pieces(1/4" thick) between nice thick beads of silicone and you will not get them out of there. I'm running the exact setup on a 40 gallon breeder sump right now and had glass sumps with acrylic baffles for years before that.

x2

i just tried to remove the baffles in my old sump (glass tank, acrylic baffles) ended up breaking the baffles before the silicone gaveway. ( 1/2" acrylic)

 

[rustyjames]

Not trying to hi-jack or add to the acrylic vs. glass debate, but.. I have a 30 long and am adding a 30 long as the sump. From Uncle's diagram I'm assuming the chamber on the right is for a fuge (dsb and macro). I plan on having chaeto but my question is would a dsb be necessary or that beneficial for my set-up?

 

[uncleof6]

Not trying to hi-jack or add to the acrylic vs. glass debate, but.. I have a 30 long and am adding a 30 long as the sump. From Uncle's diagram I'm assuming the chamber on the right is for a fuge (dsb and macro). I plan on having chaeto but my question is would a dsb be necessary or that beneficial for my set-up?

Nope. In pretty much every case, the flow rate though the sump and consequently through the fuge, will not be sufficient to support a DSB, which requires flow rates on the order of 40 - 60x. I generally do not recommend DSB's in the sump, from experience. If doing a DSB, (critter based) the RIGHT WAY, it should be in the main tank, where it is connected to the main food chain of the system. RDSB's and bucket DSB's have their place and usefulness, but still, should not be attempted in the "sump," but rather "remote" or in a bucket as the names imply. Sumps should be simple, straight forward, and low maintenance. Live rock behave as "bio balls" in a sump, and don't preform denitrification as believed by many. A DSB is high maintenance. (usually because they are not done right) The relatively small size of an "in sump" dsb, is unlikely to provide significant benefit anyway.

General: As for the debate between acrylic or glass baffles in a glass sump-- and accompanying anecdote, I could care less. I notice when the use of acrylic baffles is brought up for a glass tank, there is always an if, but, or maybe attached to it. Glass baffles will work, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. The debate makes about as much sense as arguing for using glass baffles in an acrylic sump.

Jim

 

[HighlandReef]

my new sump is exactly as unc posted, great design!

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

and another reason to not use acrylic in a glass tank aside from the obvious reason uncle pointed out, is that acrylic absorbs water and will expand overtime (and usually not that much time) and if the acrylic was installed too tightly it will explode the glass tank...my ruined hardwood floor and carpet and near divorce are all painful reminders of that...(well she wasnt as ticked as i was, but still)

 

[::PixelFish::]

General: As for the debate between acrylic or glass baffles in a glass sump-- and accompanying anecdote, I could care less. I notice when the use of acrylic baffles is brought up for a glass tank, there is always an if, but, or maybe attached to it. Glass baffles will work, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. The debate makes about as much sense as arguing for using glass baffles in an acrylic sump.

Jim

You might not care but acrylic baffles in glass sumps have been used for years. There are no ifs or buts, you would silicone them in like you would glass. This is not something new or outlandish.

 

[uncleof6]

You might not care but acrylic baffles in glass sumps have been used for years. There are no ifs or buts, you would silicone them in like you would glass. This is not something new or outlandish.

Sandwich the acrylic pieces(1/4" thick) between nice thick beads of silicone and you will not get them out of there.

The second quote is an if, and, or but. There are no special needs for putting glass baffles in a glass sump. Acrylic works if you do this or that, but if they are too long the tank will break-- blah blah blah-- and common practice does not make something "right," correct, or the best way to do something.

Jim

 

[::PixelFish::]

Sandwich the acrylic pieces(1/4" thick) between nice thick beads of silicone and you will not get them out of there.

The second quote is an if, and, or but. There are no special needs for putting glass baffles in a glass sump. Acrylic works if you do this or that, but if they are too long the tank will break-- blah blah blah-- and common practice does not make something "right," correct, or the best way to do something.

Jim

I think you're willfully missunderstanding the thick beads of silicone part just to boost your out of date argument about glass vs acrylic. Cut glass too long and see how well that's going to work for you trying to get it in there.

Your "right" way is proven wrong all the time, have a look through the archives you will find tons of people using acrylic baffles. Glass works, acrylic works just as well, no need to be a jerk about it.

 

[usefulidiot213]

I started with glass, but when a piece of LR tumbled over it shattered the first baffles leaving shards of glass all over. :uzi: "Total Pain in the A**".. I went to Home Depot and picked up some 1/4" acrylic. first baffle I tried was for the fuge (about 15 gallons) the sump sat for 5 days with just the fuge full, and never budged. :beer: I now prefer acrylic over glass. I know they hold from experience, and I know they wont break like glass. I don't understand the :furious:****y fit about "doing the job right" the job is to build chambers... If you can build chambers with acrylic that will hold just as long as glass will, how is that not doing the job right? :dance:

p.s for expansion just cut them with a 1/4" space for the sides. That leaves 1/8" on both sides for the silicone bead and for the acrylic to expand.

 

[uncleof6]

Sandwich the acrylic pieces(1/4" thick) between nice thick beads of silicone and you will not get them out of there.

I think you're willfully missunderstanding the thick beads of silicone part just to boost your out of date argument about glass vs acrylic. Cut glass too long and see how well that's going to work for you trying to get it in there.

Your "right" way is proven wrong all the time, have a look through the archives you will find tons of people using acrylic baffles. Glass works, acrylic works just as well, no need to be a jerk about it.

With all due respect, I have misunderstood nothing, willfully or otherwise. The argument is not outdated, merely goes against the grain, and probably ruffles the feathers of those that have used acrylic baffles, but certainly no excuse to make personal comments.

The topic is this: Does silicone bond to acrylic, with the same effectiveness as it does glass? The answer is an absolute NO. Are there additional considerations involved in using acrylic baffles? YES. That is where the debate ends.

Is it a common practice? It certainly is, however: I can list probably an entire forum full of common practices that are highly questionable, of little or no value, or just plain wrong-- as they are myth based. However, this would travel far off the topic of this thread, and really is not worth it. Anecdote cannot be used to prove anything wrong, so I see no reason to defend a point, that deeply, concerning anything. I certainly, will not engage in name calling...........

Regards,

Jim

 

[The Punisher]

With all due respect, I have misunderstood nothing, willfully or otherwise. The argument is not outdated, merely goes against the grain, and probably ruffles the feathers of those that have used acrylic baffles, but certainly no excuse to make personal comments.

The topic is this: Does silicone bond to acrylic, with the same effectiveness as it does glass? The answer is an absolute NO. Are there additional considerations involved in using acrylic baffles? YES. That is where the debate ends.

Is it a common practice? It certainly is, however: I can list probably an entire forum full of common practices that are highly questionable, of little or no value, or just plain wrong-- as they are myth based. However, this would travel far off the topic of this thread, and really is not worth it. Anecdote cannot be used to prove anything wrong, so I see no reason to defend a point, that deeply, concerning anything. I certainly, will not engage in name calling...........

Regards,

Jim

Well said, and I happen to agree with you on everything that you've posted.

 

[::PixelFish::]

With all due respect, I have misunderstood nothing, willfully or otherwise. The argument is not outdated, merely goes against the grain, and probably ruffles the feathers of those that have used acrylic baffles, but certainly no excuse to make personal comments.

The topic is this: Does silicone bond to acrylic, with the same effectiveness as it does glass? The answer is an absolute NO. Are there additional considerations involved in using acrylic baffles? YES. That is where the debate ends.

Is it a common practice? It certainly is, however: I can list probably an entire forum full of common practices that are highly questionable, of little or no value, or just plain wrong-- as they are myth based. However, this would travel far off the topic of this thread, and really is not worth it. Anecdote cannot be used to prove anything wrong, so I see no reason to defend a point, that deeply, concerning anything. I certainly, will not engage in name calling...........

Regards,

Jim

This is a forum to share ideas, it's not the DIY forum according to Jim. With baffles you don't need the same amount of bonding as you would need with siliconing an aquarium together.

Giving people different options to achieve the same thing does hold value, acrylic baffles aren't a myth and the practise of using acrylic for baffles is not wrong at all.

There was no intention of name calling but your attitude of this how it's done and anything else is wrong completely goes againts what the DIY forum is all about.

 

[uncleof6]

 

[The Punisher]

Giving people different options to achieve the same thing does hold value, acrylic baffles aren't a myth and the practise of using acrylic for baffles is not wrong at all.

I'd be willing to bet that NanoReefWanabe would argue that point. If you cut glass panels too long and they don't fit, have them recut, if you cut acrylic panels too long, you may not know it until it's too late. It may "fit" in the sump and be able to be sealed in, but once it absorbs water, it's going to expand, the glass is not. I think uncle is just trying to point out that there are some down sides to using acrylic baffles, which there are.

I personally wouldn't use acrylic simply because it's just as easy to get glass cut to size and I know that it will work as designed. I don't think there's anything wrong with acrylic, if done correctly, it's just not something I want to worry about when building a sump.
:beer:

and another reason to not use acrylic in a glass tank aside from the obvious reason uncle pointed out, is that acrylic absorbs water and will expand overtime (and usually not that much time) and if the acrylic was installed too tightly it will explode the glass tank...my ruined hardwood floor and carpet and near divorce are all painful reminders of that...(well she wasnt as ticked as i was, but still)

 

[::PixelFish::]

Installation error is a good thing to point out, and it was. There are down sides to using glass as well. You can find several posts in the archives of people with broken baffles, in this thread alone it happened to somebody.

There are also upsides to acrylic over glass. I'm replacing eggcrate used as a baffle/divider in my sump. I still want the flow through I had with egg crate so I'm going to drill holes or slots into my acrylic. There is no way I can do this with glass. Many people also cut teeth into their acrylic baffles like overflow slots. Can't do that with glass.

There are upsides and downsides to both. Acrylic in my area is also a lot cheaper than having glass cut. If you have a narrower sump you can usually get acrylic scrap for next to nothing to make your baffles out of.

Like I said before, there are several ways to do this, give people options and let them make the choice for themselves.

I'd be willing to bet that NanoReefWanabe would argue that point. If you cut glass panels too long and they don't fit, have them recut, if you cut acrylic panels too long, you may not know it until it's too late. It may "fit" in the sump and be able to be sealed in, but once it absorbs water, it's going to expand, the glass is not. I think uncle is just trying to point out that there are some down sides to using acrylic baffles, which there are.

I personally wouldn't use acrylic simply because it's just as easy to get glass cut to size and I know that it will work as designed. I don't think there's anything wrong with acrylic, if done correctly, it's just not something I want to worry about when building a sump.
:beer:

 

[Jeff000]

Do not use acrylic baffles for a glass tank. Acrylic baffles for an acrylic tank, and glass baffles for a glass tank. Silicone does not bond reliably with acrylic. Do it right and do it once. Aside from that got no use for youtube.

Jim

What goes in each section?