Sump Help.

[The Shrimp X]

Ok so I need Help deciding on which design to go with.


The first is this.

The protein skimmer would go in the very left hand side, a small fuge (mainly to grow macro) in the middle, and my heaters and return in the right side.




the second is this.

The fuge would be in the left with the overflow drain, the protein skimmer in the middle chamber, and the heaters and return in the right side.



Some over questions i have are.


For the main part of the sump im using a 20 gallon tank.
I was planning on using acrylic for the baffles, but was wondering how well aquarium sealant would work to keep them in place.
i plan to cut the acrylic a tiny but large and to possibly sand down the sides to make a snug fit.


any help is appreciated.

 

[Percula9]

You need glass baffles, acrylic will not bond to glass. Aquarium sealant will not bond to acrylic.

 

[hurleycr]

as percula said acrylic doesn't like glass, and vice versa...

Also, you want your skimmer to get the dirtiest water possible so if your not direct feeding I would get the skimmer as close to the intake as possible.

Over/under/over baffles are hard to keep clean in a low flow sump keep that in mind. Consider under/over/under with two inches apart spacing.

Your going to want to redesign the last baffling sytem. As current your macro will continually go over, either by force of water or by growth, to the last chamber. You kinda want the water to go over the top (if you keep that design) and through the first baffle about mid way of the baffle.

 

[kgross]

I would do a modified number one setup. Do your skimmer first in as small of a chamber as the skimmer will fit, skip the bubble trap between the skimmer and fuge, since the fuge if it is full of chaeto will trap all of the bubbles from the skimmer.

Yes you can use acrylic baffles in a glass sump. Silicone does not seal to acrylic very well, but what you do, is cut the baffles aprox 1/4 inch short (they will expand with water), and then use a bead of silicone on each side of the baffle to hold it in place. Rather than gluing the baffle the 2 beads will physically hold them in place with very little bonding to the acrylic.

Kim

 

[The Shrimp X]

Well luckily, i have a 30 gallon tank (36X16X12) that i had in my garage.
Ill just have to make a trip to lowes and get some glass cut for the baffles.
Id rather do this right the first time, then have to do it again later when something goes wrong.

 

[hurleycr]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11982504#post11982504 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kgross
I would do a modified number one setup. Do your skimmer first in as small of a chamber as the skimmer will fit, skip the bubble trap between the skimmer and fuge, since the fuge if it is full of chaeto will trap all of the bubbles from the skimmer.

Yes you can use acrylic baffles in a glass sump. Silicone does not seal to acrylic very well, but what you do, is cut the baffles aprox 1/4 inch short (they will expand with water), and then use a bead of silicone on each side of the baffle to hold it in place. Rather than gluing the baffle the 2 beads will physically hold them in place with very little bonding to the acrylic.

Kim

In my experience everytime I have try to use silicone on acrylic it comes off, whether it be a couple of week or a month, it has always came off. Not saying that it wouldn't hold for sometime, it just doesn't bond to acrylic like it does to glass.

 

[kgross]

You don't need it to bond to the acrylic.

The silicone will bond to the glass, and it will hold the acrylic in place because the silicone would have to release from the glass to allow the acrylic to be removed. There should be a bead on each side of the acrylic so there is no place for the acrylic to go, unless you pull it up out of the sump.

Kim