Making refugium baffles

[Gluestick]

Does anyone cut acrylic? I was going to purchase one of these kits: http://cgi.ebay.com/PRO-Refugium-kit-for-glass-aquarium-live-coral-rock_W0QQitemZ7768970345QQihZ018QQcategoryZ3212QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
But $40 seems kind of rediculous. I'm not very handy. I'm sure my hubby would make it for me, but do you need a certain drill? Also, where do you get the sheets of acrylic?
Does anyone do this as a side job for cheaper than the guys on ebay?
Thanks
Valerie

[medic29]

Valerie, I just started playing with this stuff here making my sump, etc. for my new tank. It isn't that bad to work with. I did purchase the solvents needed to glue the acrylic together. I just made some overflow boxes for my new tank as well.

Let me know what you want to do. You can pick up the acrylic from HD, Lowes, Menards, etc. or you can pick it up from a local plastic company.

[pleaselaunchme]

When I built my sump, I went to Lowes and had them cut some glass for me. You buy it by the sheet, cuts are free (I believe HD has the same deal). It cost me like $8.50 for the 4 baffle sheets I had cut, and I came back with quite a few scraps. Glass to glass bonding with silicone is much stronger than acrylic to glass, anyway. For silicone, HD, Lowes, and Walmart all sell GE Silicon (I believe it is type II I used, I can check if you'd like. Just make sure to not use the type with mold inhibitors). Of course, if you are using an acrylic tank to build your sump, I'd go with acrylic baffles myself.

Ben

[Michelle L]

Valerie, I bought my sump through Glass Cages (http://www.glasscages.com/?sAction=CustomPageSumpTanks) .

The cost to have them custom build a sump for you is $75 plus the cost of the acrylic tank that you choose. We chose a 50 gallon long tank, so our final cost was $170 plus shipping. Of course, smaller tanks cost less. Not cheap, but not as pricey as some I have seen. Buying acrylic sheets is expensive to build your own. I think we paid over $40 for ours when we attempted to build a sump.

Of course, there are a lot of handy people in the club and I have some acrylic that I can donate...we could probably whip up a great sump on the cheaper side. I'm not sure that I have enough acrylic but it's a start.

[archieb2]

I bought one of the HOB refugium kits from ebay. It wasn't that hard to assemble. The kit came with everything needed to complete it. After building this one, I thought why not build a sump. I went to Home Depot and purchased some sheets of acrylic, which were over $50. I got on the internet and purchased the cement from Tap Plastics. It took me some time to complete it, but I think that anyone can do it. The hardest part is cutting everyting square. If you can do this, the rest is simple. If you have any questions, send me a message. I am no expert, but I'll help all that I can.

[Gluestick]

Michelle, I am trying to do this on the cheap so if you have some acrylic to donate I would forever be indebted to you. Dave is bringing me a 30 gal tank which I would like to turn into a sump with large refugium area.
Since I don't live in the area it is going to be a little difficult to do this....

[Gluestick]

medic, you and I were talking about rasing copepods, and I was just wondering what the best method for raising them in a fuge would be, since, like you said, they would become ground beef in the impeller of the pump. Is a hang on fuge the only option?

[medic29]

No....the hang on fuge will work. Mine sets above my main display tank with a gravity feed line down to the display tank.

[Michelle L]

Valerie, pods are small enough that they'll pass through unaffected. Occasionally I'll see one fly out of the plumbing coming from the sump into the display. Kind of funny really. I wonder if they're wondering if they hit some kind of vortex or black hole and have been transported to another world! :D

I'll add the acrylic to my list of things to bring on Saturday. And to think I almost threw it out a few weeks ago!

[medic29]

Oh no don't do that....ya know us DIY people....we use all kinds of stuff.

[Michelle L]

I know, but I get into these frenzies when I'm cleaning house and if I haven't used it in a few months, it gets pitched. I don't even want to wait for someone to come pick stuff up. I threw out about 70 pounds of old smelly used sand about two months ago...it's serving as a nice cat litter pile by the creek behind my house now. :)

[Gluestick]

I'm the same way. I throw EVERYTHING away. My husband hates it, he's a pack rat. Yuck.
I have one of those sponge filter things over my pump. Should I take that off of can copepods come through that?
Yeah, you wonder what they're thinking, huh? Lol

[brad23]

Just go to lowes buy dome GE silicone 1 and have them cut glass or acrylic to the size you need and glue it in. $10 or less project - sump cost.

[Benny Z]

acrylic does not bond to glass. you can silicon it in, but it will eventually come loose.

you are best off having lowes/home depot cut pieces of glass for your baffles, then silicon them in place yourself. it's really not expensive at all. probably under $20 for everything you need, including the silicon.

this is best done in a small closet with the door shut. stay in the closet for a few hours after you use the silicon and there will be no need for booooooooooooze. :D (yes, i'm joking)

[Michelle L]

Silicone!!!! With an "E!!" :D

[GreenBay1]

If she wants to save money, couldn't she use plexiglass to make her baffles. That stuff is pretty cheap. The baffles do not need to be crystal clear or anything. Just my $0.02 hope it helps Val.

[Gluestick]

Michelle, how much acrylic do you have to spare?
Any where does one get plexiglass?

[medic29]

All the silicone is for is to wedge the baffels in place. It is not meant to bond them in place. The baffels are not as important as say the sides of the sump or aquarium. There really won't be that much pressure against them and if there is enough pressure against them for this purpose then there is a problem. The baffels are just there to direct water flow. You can get glass cut at lowes or home depot, but the glass you will purchase there is less than 1/8 inch -- it is window pane glass. It is brittle and will break easily. If there is that much force in the sump to make the acrylic baffels come loose then there is going to be enough force to break the glass panels purchased at Lowes, etc.

When I was looking at making the baffels in my sump I had considered getting glass panels cut. When I went to lowes I found out they did not carry very thick glass period and then when asked if I could get some cut....they couldn't cut it for various reasons. If you are set on glass panels you could go to the local glass company and purchase thicker glass panels cut to size....not sure their charges though.

If the acrylic is free; the labor is free; the silicone is less than $4 and you already have the tank. Hmmph....how much would it cost to get glass panels purchased and cut to size. Then later....if the acrylic comes loose....you pull the tank out and re-silicone it.....if there was enough pressure to make the acrylic come loose then it would probably break the glass panels....then you pull the tank out....purchase new glass panels cut to size and re-silicone them in.......hmmph....which would I chose......Oh, I forgot....I already did choose.

[medic29]

Val, you can get it from Lowes, Menards, Home Depot or your local plastics company. What you will get at Lowes, etc., may not be as good as the quality you will get at the plastics company....it could yellow over time....but your putting it in your sump. Like Green Bay said....it doesn't have to look pretty.....just functional. You really don't need that much either....depending on what you are planning.

[Michelle L]

I'm not sure how much I have, exactly...probably not quite enough to make several baffles. I have one long sheet but the cat broke it (darned cats break everything)....you may be able to get a baffle or two out of it. I've also got the original pieces that my husband mangled with a dremel tool to try to cut the acrylic. They aren't pretty, but they are baffel-like in appearance. :)

I'll look when I get home tonight.

[medic29]

Michelle, how big are the pieces? Each piece only needs to be around 13 inches by....say 18 inches tops, but most likely 12-14 inches.

[Gluestick]

You guys are the best. Rickand Michelle, I really appreciate all your help. Can't wait for tomorrow!!!
Valerie

[newreefer2]

I have a clown that keeps digging all the sand from under my live rock for the host anename(SP?)

I may have done something stupid so because I did not ask first.

To try and keep my rock from having avalanches I bought Plumbers Epoxy at Menards and have used it to fix the rock in place and to attach some frogsspawn to the rock. I see no adverse effects so far.......

Would the plumbers epoxy be a good way to attach baffles? I am preparing to build a sump, too and since the epoxy sets up in two minutes even under water, I thought it might be the way to go.

I haven't noticed any changes in the quality of the water.

Thoughts?

[GreenBay1]

Hey, I helped with the plexi info :(

[brad23]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8472998#post8472998 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Michelle L
Silicone!!!! With an "E!!" :D

The grammar police have been slipping here lately.

[Dave Dunbar]

Valerie
I think I have 2 peices of glass aready cut to the right size for the 30. I used a 30 for my sump also and had extra peices cut. If I find them I bring them for you.
Dave