Sump and Silicone ??

[jade2122]

Alright so once again I got to thinking about how to improve the way my sump is set up. Had a thought of moving and improving the refuge area...but here's my problem and question. In order to do what I want it requires installing a piece of glass to make a partition for refugium..

1. What is the best way to do this in a full and operating sump?
2. If I could drain sump briefly and silicon in the glass, what is the shortest time someone has let the silicon seal before putting water back in?
3. If I don't put any pressure on the glass once siliconed and water added back in sump, will it cure under water?

[lifesworksataol]

are you doing glass to glass? where are you getting glass or acrylic from? whos cutting it? i did acrylic to glass without letting it dry and the only problem i had was the water moved some of the pieces a little - davy182 is the man to talk to though - it will cure underwater

[jsl6v8]

I've always been told to wait atleast 48 to let it cure. I don't know about it curing underwater or not though. If your sump is glass I would use glass for the baffle. Also I've seen a thread I believe on the tampa form a long time back about people using that plastic stuff they put on screen doors to keep it sealed better from air coming in or going out, and using that to hold the baffle in place. Probably not terribly clear but hopefully you get the jist of that.

[lifesworksataol]

i seen that also, but i worry about it breaking down in saltwater after awhile. i have never met anyone that has used it over a long period or at all. i hope someone that uses it can chim in.

[jade2122]

I was planning glass on glass, i just go to home depot or something to get it cut. If I can make it work I am willing to do acrylic on glass..what is used to bond those two together?

[jsl6v8]

I generally hear people saying that Acrylic will not bond to glass, and I have a sump in which that was the case, the baffles after about a week or 2 gave out which kinda sucked. But if the glass and the acrylic you are bonding to it are very clean then they will bond or so I've been told, more than anything I think the silicone bonds to the glass and pretty much just holds the acrylic in place from a lack of room to go anywhere rather than actually bonding to the acrylic, but I hardly have anything to back this up other than experience and other witness testimony so I'm sure some small detail is wrong.

[Don Lino]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10967649#post10967649 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jsl6v8
I've always been told to wait atleast 48 to let it cure. I don't know about it curing underwater or not though. If your sump is glass I would use glass for the baffle. Also I've seen a thread I believe on the tampa form a long time back about people using that plastic stuff they put on screen doors to keep it sealed better from air coming in or going out, and using that to hold the baffle in place. Probably not terribly clear but hopefully you get the jist of that.

It was weather stripping. U would have to cut the glass a half inch less wider so that the quarter inch weather stripping can fit snug on both sides.
I have not tried this yet... so I cant tell how it works. G/L

[lusenut2]

I had acrylic for baffles on a glass tank for my sump and never had problems. It worked great.

[Don Lino]

I made a sump out of a 40breeder with 6 pexiglass baffles, I NEVER had any issues. I also used aquariums silicone...

[jay24k]

Just use glass. There isn't a fool proof method of having acrylic hold to glass. I would personally let it cure at least 24 hours. I had mine pop loose in 12 hours. Obviously the thicker silicone, the longer it takes to dry.

[SoundsFishy2me2]

be sure to use silicone I instead of silicone II product. I dried one for a refug. in 8hrs and it was ok. Most people I talked with said 24hrs and 48 if new seal on tanks (high pressure)- I Oops the purchase of silicone the first time in a rush I didn't pay attention to the single "white" tube that was in the "clear" box at the store..