opinions needed on Sump material

JammyBirch · 12/04/2014, 09:08 AM

OK, i had a leak in my home made sump and have been doing some research around my area to build another one.

I can find 3/8" acrylic sheets cut to size and square so that i can construct another sump tank.

I also found a locate glass plate shop that can do the same.

What would you guys recommend, i liked the acrylic because it's a chemical bond but i guess i suck at it or i wouldn't have had a leak on the first one.

In my defense though the acrylic i used was 1/4" thick from HD and was not flat at all...this stuff will all be flat and cut to size...

Let me know for my sake, my wife is about to kill me if anymore water gets on the floor or we loose any fish...

Thanks.

mcgyvr · 12/04/2014, 09:15 AM

Not sure what opinions you are looking for..
Sumps can be made with glass or acrylic,etc...

Why not pick up a regular glass aquarium and just add glass baffles to it from the glass shop?
Takes quite a bit more skill to construct the whole thing yourself vs using an existing tank and adding baffles.

phenom5 · 12/04/2014, 09:15 AM

What size are you looking at?
Maybe pick up a small tank and covert it into a sump?

That's what I would do, especially if it helped avoid the ire of the wife.

JammyBirch · 12/04/2014, 09:28 AM

the problem is that i have a very tiny space in my stand. I cannot have the sump sticking out of the back of it. The space is 16x16 inches, i have a lot of equipment in there as well so it's really tight.

This tank is the highliner display in my living room, it's a piece of my furniture and needs to look nice, else the wife will explode.

Because i run a refugium my original sump was split down the middle, this was also part of the design for leak response and emergency volume for any plumbing issues.

The design worked great in that i could drain half of the sump to make a quick repair and still have skimmer and return systems going. I'd like to keep that functinoality if possible.

I'm asking opinions on what to make it out of, acrylic i've done and i'm not good at it, glass i have not done but it looks like a tube of marine silicone should do the trick...

So what would you guys build, glass or acrylic?

fishgate · 12/04/2014, 09:32 AM

Is your sump all acrylic (weld-on) or all glass (silicone)? You should not mix the two materials.

JammyBirch · 12/04/2014, 09:34 AM

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JammyBirch · 12/04/2014, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishgate

Is your sump all acrylic (weld-on) or all glass (silicone)? You should not mix the two materials.

Right now it's all acrylic (weld-on). the new sump will be all the same material also...i agree mixing is not good.

goncharkina · 12/04/2014, 09:45 AM

Acrylic is the way to go, mine is light and it wont crack that easily, however it will scratch, but if it is a sump - it doesn't matter, no one can see it.

phenom5 · 12/04/2014, 10:40 AM

I would go with acrylic. Just leak test it thoroughly.

Here's a thread with a TON on info on working with acrylic, in case you haven't come across it.
Acrylic Fabrication Questions

12/04/2014, 09:08 AM	#1
JammyBirch Aquaria Engineering Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Elkland, PA Posts: 1,182	opinions needed on Sump material OK, i had a leak in my home made sump and have been doing some research around my area to build another one. I can find 3/8" acrylic sheets cut to size and square so that i can construct another sump tank. I also found a locate glass plate shop that can do the same. What would you guys recommend, i liked the acrylic because it's a chemical bond but i guess i suck at it or i wouldn't have had a leak on the first one. In my defense though the acrylic i used was 1/4" thick from HD and was not flat at all...this stuff will all be flat and cut to size... Let me know for my sake, my wife is about to kill me if anymore water gets on the floor or we loose any fish... Thanks. __________________ 25g cube, split 10g sump with refugium, Jebao RW4, reefbreeder value Livestock adds: Osc Clowns, Royal Gramma, Pygmy Cherub Angel, Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, Serpent Brittle Star Current Tank Info: 25 gallon cube

12/04/2014, 09:15 AM	#3
phenom5 Unregistered Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,096	What size are you looking at? Maybe pick up a small tank and covert it into a sump? That's what I would do, especially if it helped avoid the ire of the wife. __________________ Rob Current Tank Info: DSA 155 Pro \| ATI Sunpower \| ATB 840 v2 \| Apex \| Wav

12/04/2014, 09:28 AM	#4
JammyBirch Aquaria Engineering Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Elkland, PA Posts: 1,182	the problem is that i have a very tiny space in my stand. I cannot have the sump sticking out of the back of it. The space is 16x16 inches, i have a lot of equipment in there as well so it's really tight. This tank is the highliner display in my living room, it's a piece of my furniture and needs to look nice, else the wife will explode. Because i run a refugium my original sump was split down the middle, this was also part of the design for leak response and emergency volume for any plumbing issues. The design worked great in that i could drain half of the sump to make a quick repair and still have skimmer and return systems going. I'd like to keep that functinoality if possible. I'm asking opinions on what to make it out of, acrylic i've done and i'm not good at it, glass i have not done but it looks like a tube of marine silicone should do the trick... So what would you guys build, glass or acrylic? __________________ 25g cube, split 10g sump with refugium, Jebao RW4, reefbreeder value Livestock adds: Osc Clowns, Royal Gramma, Pygmy Cherub Angel, Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, Serpent Brittle Star Current Tank Info: 25 gallon cube

12/04/2014, 09:32 AM	#5
fishgate Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Damascus, MD Posts: 3,340	Is your sump all acrylic (weld-on) or all glass (silicone)? You should not mix the two materials. __________________ 125RR in-wall, 40B Sump, CS180 BM Skimmer, ATI 4x80 watt, eheim 1262, custom wrap around rock wall, ReefKeeper Elite 120g in-wall, 40B Sump, PC 54wx4, Jabao DC-6000 (full siphon), future seahorse t Current Tank Info: 125g, 120g, 2x40b sumps, ATI 4x80 T5HO

12/04/2014, 09:34 AM	#6
JammyBirch Aquaria Engineering Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Elkland, PA Posts: 1,182	[/URL][/IMG] __________________ 25g cube, split 10g sump with refugium, Jebao RW4, reefbreeder value Livestock adds: Osc Clowns, Royal Gramma, Pygmy Cherub Angel, Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, Serpent Brittle Star Current Tank Info: 25 gallon cube

12/04/2014, 09:15 AM	#2
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	Not sure what opinions you are looking for.. Sumps can be made with glass or acrylic,etc... Why not pick up a regular glass aquarium and just add glass baffles to it from the glass shop? Takes quite a bit more skill to construct the whole thing yourself vs using an existing tank and adding baffles.

12/04/2014, 09:45 AM	#8
goncharkina Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Tampa, Florida Posts: 119	Acrylic is the way to go, mine is light and it wont crack that easily, however it will scratch, but if it is a sump - it doesn't matter, no one can see it.

12/04/2014, 10:40 AM	#9
phenom5 Unregistered Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,096	I would go with acrylic. Just leak test it thoroughly. Here's a thread with a TON on info on working with acrylic, in case you haven't come across it. Acrylic Fabrication Questions __________________ Rob Current Tank Info: DSA 155 Pro \| ATI Sunpower \| ATB 840 v2 \| Apex \| Wav