Making the Sump Baffles

[linda lee]

First, I've read that acrylic baffles are a no-no for a glass sump as the silicone will separate over time and the sump will eventually fail. This is true?

Questions:</em>

~ Where is a good place to get glass baffles cut to specs? Lowes/Home Depot is no good because their max thickness is just 1/8" and minimum baffle thickness should be 1/4". Specifically looking for a glass company N/W of Atlanta in Cobb County, but will drive further if someone can vouch for a particular glass-cutter.

~ Has anyone ever sandwiched two 1/8" pieces of glass to form a 1/4" baffle?

~ Has anyone ever used the glass out of an otherwise useless (i.e., cracked and ready to throw away) aquarium by slicing through old silicone and taking apart good sections of glass to be cut to size and polished?

Thanks!!

 

[sprayin70]

I agree with Barb. I used sily con on my old 30l sumo for the 75.
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[linda lee]

Thanks!!

That makes it a whoooooooooooooole lot easier.

 

[purplegorilla]

HD do thave 1/4 acrylic. I bought some there many times.

 

[gordob]

Thanks for posting this Linda! I know I was supposed to do it, but you beat me to the punch. That answers the questions for both of us!

One more question for those that used acrylic....what thickness?

Thanks for the info!
Brad

 

[linda lee]

purpleGORILLA;164623 wrote: HD do have 1/4 acrylic. I bought some there many times.

Yes... 1/4" acrylic they have. I/4" glass they do not.

 

[linda lee]

GordoB;164625 wrote: Thanks for posting this Linda! I know I was supposed to do it, but you beat me to the punch. That answers the questions for both of us!

One more question for those that used acrylic....what thickness?

Thanks for the info!
Brad

We use the 1/4" from HD. You have to buy an entire sheet, so keep the scraps. They come in handy for making bubble traps, etc.

 

[purplegorilla]

Linda Lee;164626 wrote: Yes... 1/4" acrylic they have. I/4" glass they do not.

Hahhaa, i need to read sometimes.

 

[basscyn]

I also have heard about acrylic being a no-no with glass. But also saw some positive posts. I was scared to take a chance (noob). I had Binswanger glass cut the bubble trap and the refugium baffle. I am going to cut an acrylic baffle for a LR chamber. I saw a post on line arguing that if the refugium (or any chamber) held a substantial amount of water would be under more pressure that the bubble trap and would be more prone to a problem. (hmm..made sense) So I was initially going to just use a glass divider for the fuge and acrylic for the rest. But...decided to glass the whole deal. The glass shop charged me like 9 bucks per panel 3-17x10 1-17x13.
I also considered the pressure fit method with weatherstriping instead of silicone. That looked really cool too. But I decided to go traditional.

Acrylic is probably fine. But having no 1st hand experience with it, I did not want to take a chance. I am almost afraid to ask how much $$$ I could have saved myself.

 

[roundman]

I used acrylic and I hate it it bowed out on the last baffle and now causes bubbles in the return and micro bubbles in the tank. I am going to rebuild my sump and use glass.

 

[jballa15]

i used glass, but only needed the 1/8 thickness i believe and it has held up nicely. I tried cutting it myself with one of those home depot roller blades and oil with horrible results, crooked breaks. Then i went to ACE hardware and they used the same tool but on a straight edge clamp and with much better skill and came out perfect. Plus it was only a buck total with a replacement for one with a bad corner! You may not be able to get them to cut the 1/4, but its worth a call. The moral - its harder than it looks.

 

[crew]

linda and gordo, Im in the same boat, im building my first sump right now and Im going to use acryllic with glass, saying it wont hold is stupid.. its basic chemistry, it will hold... Im also experimenting with different designs to see if I can come up with something better then your average sump.. i've done a lot of reading on how they work and their basic principles.. now ill just put my engineering to work perks of the major i guess.. feel free to bounce any ideas you guys have had or come up with so we can get some great looking/working sumps

 

[budsreef]

I used a glass company in Buford and they cut 4 pieces of 1/4" and polished the edges for about $32. It was easy to use and I have no worries.

 

[mikeup6]

How do you cut acrylic?

 

[rockdog]

skill saw (or table saw) with fine blade, or a router and a guide!

 

[drnecropolis]

A high tooth count saw blade or a router.. If a saw try an 80 or higher toothed saw blade..

 

[darren24]

Got my 1/4 ich acrylic at Lowes. They cut it to size free of charge.

 

[mikeup6]

I was in home depot yesterday, and they told me they no longer cut acrylic. They said lowes wouldn't do it either. Hmm....

They told me to score it like glass to cut it. Would that work? Unfortunately I have no saws.

 

[ralph atl]

Budsreef;170786 wrote: I used a glass company in Buford and they cut 4 pieces of 1/4" and polished the edges for about $32. It was easy to use and I have no worries.

hey, could you pm me that company in Buford that cuts glass? Thanks!

 

[william1]

I found this link for installing baffles without sylicone.. I tried it with a small baffle in my sump by using some plexi and air tubing. By slicing the air tubes down one side and sliding it on over the side of the plexi...