Acrylic/sump question for Mr. Calfo

[casethekid]

Mr. Calfo,

After "trolling" these great boards over the past few weeks, is there anywhere here that gives a good how to on using and working with acrylic? There is a great wholesaler here in Nebraska that said he could get me any size/shape/thickness I want, and after reading all of your cheato and DSB articles I would love to set something up like that; the only problem I have is knowing what equipment to use to cut and bend the acrylic to my needs. Any suggestions?

[Anthony Calfo]

machining acrylic requires very good tools and some skill. Its not something that is learned quickly (or cheaply) by DIY interested folks (in contrast to the ease of learning glass, eg).

The edges need to be very precisely cut (hence the expensive shops tools needed to do this).

As for glues... the ingredients and recipes of builders are closely guarded secrets... but ultimately they are similar fundamentally.

If you are looking for a cheap/affordable product or quick fix... do pass on the notion.

But if you are interested in learning a new skill and investing in some new machinery... it would be fab

[casethekid]

hmm..ok. Well, now that's out of the way. I think that the best option for me then is to use an existing tank and add baffles and the like to it. I was hoping to do something a little original, but hey..as long as my fish stay healthy and my coral keeps growing.

Thanks for the info and I will be looking into that nifty cheato as soon as I get my sump set up

[Anthony Calfo]

understood my friend... that's best for most all of us. Modifying a simple glass aquarium is good/easy enough

best of luck!

Anthony

[Ron Clements]

I did something in between, myself being a jack of all trades master of none (I've never been exceptional at anything but do many things mediocre). I investigated what it would take to do a custom acrylic sump well, and without spending more than I could pay someone to do it. I found, as Anthony pointed out, that it requires and investment in tools that I did not want to make. I looked at using a cheap glass tank and found that I could not get one in the shape and size I wanted (24" x 20" x 14") so what I did was call www.glasscages.com and had them make the 24" x 20" x 14" sump which cost about $60.00 delivered and I might add it was delivered in 3 days from when I placed the order. It was built like a tank and Cost about the same or a little less than the cost of the acrylic it would have taken to build it from based on Home Depot's acrylic prices. I then bought acrylic at Home depot and cut my own baffles/partitions and so on with an acrylic scribe tool, you scribe good then break it. I used acrylic cement and plumbers goop to install the baffles and had myself a custom sump that was exactly what I wanted for about $100.00 total. My joints are not pretty but in a sump, who cares. And you will generally not get completely water tight joints unless you use the plumbers goop or get lucky because the acrylic cements are thin and rely on good tight joints between acrylic pieces that are hard to produce without the expensive tools. Silicone does not work on acrylic.

Best of luck....

Ron

[Anthony Calfo]

and glass cutting if you prefer instead is extremely easy. You can learn to do it in about as long as it takes to learn cutting acrylic... mere seconds. Or... have the local hardware store fellows cut glass baffles for you to put into a glass sump/aquarium.

The key to cutting glass is to have a sharp cutter. The hardware store glass cutters are rather cheap and short-lived. Check your phone book for a local stained glass studio or supplyhouse. The glass cutters used for stained glass are wickedly sharp! You could cut your name in glass with some of them if you liked And they aren't that much more expensive. They run the gamut, of course, but instead of a $5 model from the DIY store... a $10-15 one from the glass studio is much better.

[Ron Clements]

Just remember if you go with cut glass and an acrylic sump you will want to use plumbers goop, silicone will not work on acrylic and acrylic solvent cements will not work on glass. If you go glass sump and glass partitions then silicone is fine.

[Anthony Calfo]

very true/good points Ron... glass acrylic bonds are difficult. Really... it's not much of a bond at that, rather just water sealing.

The best situation is having the same material on same material.

[Whiterat]

Is Plumbers Goop a particular variety of the 'Goop' brand of adhesives? Or if not could someone throw me a brand-name or two so I'm sure I know exactly what's being discussed?

I'd like to use a small aquarium (glass) that I've got lying around for a sump by putting acrylic (so I can mill teeth in the edge) baffles.

Thanks!

[Ron Clements]

"Goop" is a brand name of adhesive and yes they have differnet flavors of the stuff and "Plumbers Goop" is one of the flavors and it has a purple label. It's probably all the same with diffent colored labels but I have always use the "plumbers" flavor with aquarium projects and it works so I stick (no pun intended) with it. You can find it in the adhesive section of Lowes or Home depot. I'd also use some vinyl or latex gloves when working with it, it takes acetone to get the stuff of your hands.

[Whiterat]

Thank you! Given past discussions of toxic anti-mold compounds in various adhesives and the like, I wanted to be sure.