custom sump with a 20gL

[tripinpn01]

i am trying to build a cutsom sump with a 20 gallon long tank. what are the best materials for building the baffles. and the best way to cut them?

thanks,
marcus

[da1jewfish]

I couldn't tell u which threads exactly, but I was browing around a lot on RC and found much info about baffles... I don't know the answer b/c i was reading about other stuff

[NanoReefWanabe]

glass is cheap and easy to work with if you have a decent glass cutter, or just get teh measurements within an 1/8 (shy) and have them cut at a glass store...

as for designs there are several depending on what you want to do..

check out melevs reef webpage, Sorry i dont have a link

[GuySmilie]

Originally posted by tripinpn01
i am trying to build a cutsom sump with a 20 gallon long tank. what are the best materials for building the baffles. and the best way to cut them?

thanks,
marcus

Glass and silicone! Work fine - last long time.
Have a glass shop cut the baffles to size for you. Have them cut about a 1/16" less than the actual width between the front and back panels of your sump. This leaves room for the silicone to ooze in and make good contact with the edge of the glass baffle. Don't pay the shop to finish the sharp edges of the cut glass as this will almost double the cost. Use a diamond file or a piece of emery cloth to knock down the sharp edges yourself. I'd use 1/4" glass because it's pretty durable. I'd shy away from the 'single strength' glass found at Lowe's, et al. One sharp blow by an erratic pump or a tumbling rock against that thin stuff and it's over.

Here's a 20L I just got done massaging. Still have some ATO switches to mount. That is the purpose of the vertical rail mounted on the DSB plenum to the left of the pump.

[hobbzz]

I'm in the process of finishing up my 20L with 10g sump. I used acrylic for the baffles so I could cut them myself. Silicone bonds to glass MUCH better, but if you use a crapload of silicone on acrylic you won't have any problems. I used a table saw with a regular blade on it, 72 tooth I think, and weld on #3. Turned out fine. I also used black glass for the overflow, and they were off by about 1/8 to 1/16 of an inch which was a pain. The glass cost me $28, where as the acrylic (acrylite) from Home Depot cost $24, and I got about 6 times the amount of acrylic than I did glass. I just used a 100 grit sandpaper for the edges of the glass and it worked fine.

I might make a custom sump in the near future, and if I do it will be all acrylic.

[GuySmilie]

I might also add, I use a diamond Dremel bit and round off the bottom corners of the glass baffles so that they fit better against the existing silicone seal fillet of the aquarium. A bit on the anal side, but I get that way sometimes late at night.
Also, where I live, glass is about half the cost of acrylic.

[lsuberl]

I just recently finished making a 29g into a sump and had my baffles cut at a local glass shop. Definitely don't ask for "finished" or "polished" edges, as it will drive the cost up. My local shop sanded the edges for me, and I was able to get 4 pieces cut and sanded for less than $20 total.