Sump baffles

[johniii]

What is the best way to join acrylic baffles to a glass tank/sump?. I would use glass but I am building a flow through matrix chamber.

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[rdnelson]

I used a thick bead of silicone and have had no issues yet. As long as the water levels are not too offset on either side the pressure would be minimal.

 

[darren24]

I used aquarium sealant. I also made small 1in by 1in squares of acrylic. I would "glue" one of the squares to the side of the sump at the top and bottom up against the baffle to reinforce it and hold it in place until the sealant dried.

 

[eagle9252]

Thick beads on both sides and use thicker than you think say 3/8 or even 1?2 due to flow pressure

 

[reef coffee & curly hair]

+1. Definitely thick beads on both sides. Try to make the cuts to fit as snug as possible. Good luck.

 

[j_b_]

Reef, Coffee & Curly Hair;812184 wrote: +1. Definitely thick beads on both sides. Try to make the cuts to fit as snug as possible. Good luck.

+1 on the snug fit. This way, it's not the silicone bearing all the pressure.

 

[surfdude]

not sure about the "snug" fit. I read somewhere on reef central that over time the acrylic will expand and even crack the glass if the fit is too snug. Is that true? Because I'm in the process of adding 1/4in acrylic baffles as well.

 

[dball711]

surfdude;816978 wrote: not sure about the "snug" fit. I read somewhere on reef central that over time the acrylic will expand and even crack the glass if the fit is too snug. Is that true? Because I'm in the process of adding 1/4in acrylic baffles as well.

Agree, a snug fit is a good way to crack aquarium glass. A solition would be to make a channel to slide the baffel into or to hold it in place. Use slim strips (1/2" t o1") of glass or acrilic and silicone them in the sump to create a channel on either side of the glass where you need the baffle. Position them far enough apart to slide the baffel in place. You may need to notch the rim at the top of the sump to allow the baffel to slide in or put the baffel in place as you silicone the strips in place. for an acrilyc baffle, make the baffel slightly smallet than the width of the sump. Hope this helps...

 

[eagle9252]

i always cut it a 1/8" short and make a nice bed of silicone on both sides

 

[dball711]

I learned the hard way...once upon a time I had a 150 gal freshwater penisula tank with an acrylic false wall to create a spillover. I laminated acrylic to make a 5/8" thick sheet that i cut to the exact size and used a bit of pressure to suilicone it in. 9 months later the tank poped a seam on the end the acrylic was installed.

An additional note here would be to use a silicone adheasive rather than just a sealant for proper grip.