I'm sure this topic has been beaten to death - Page 2

mmittlesteadt · 05/08/2015, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrp1588

Thing is, it's a lot easier to find sturdy enough acrylic to do the job than it is to find glass. When I was doing my sump, I couldn't find anything but the super thin window glass.

For sump baffles, I think acrylic is fine. It's not like it's holding back much water weight at all. There usually isn't more than a couple inches or so difference in the water level from one side to the other.

The problem isn't acrylic being unable to hold back water. The problem is it absorbs and expands under water. If it expands enough (or the baffles are already tight enough) it can crack the glass walls of the tank.

I don't know of a single glass place that can't (at the very least) order 1/4" thick glass for their customers if they don't have it in stock. And glass is more readily available than acrylic.

CStrickland · 05/08/2015, 04:26 PM

Some of you are mixing up silicon caulk (like GE stuff you use in your bathroom) with SEALANT which holds acrylic and glass quiet well for only a slightly higher price per tube. I used it in my sump and the acrylic is really solid to the glass. Acrylic is a lot more fun to work with than glass and def less intimidating for a noob. Cheap too! The shop by me had a scrap bin so I got practice bits for almost nothing.

Clowny88 · 05/08/2015, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CStrickland

Some of you are mixing up silicon caulk (like GE stuff you use in your bathroom) with SEALANT which holds acrylic and glass quiet well for only a slightly higher price per tube. I used it in my sump and the acrylic is really solid to the glass. Acrylic is a lot more fun to work with than glass and def less intimidating for a noob. Cheap too! The shop by me had a scrap bin so I got practice bits for almost nothing.

I'm a noob. Glass was a piece of cake. Drove two blocks to City Auto Glass. They had my baffles cut by end of day, cheap too. I used Aquarium Silicone found at Hone Depot. You can't use regular silicone because the mold resistant kind is bad for your tank.

I didn't see the point in using acrylic... Why risk cracking the tank at all if I don't have to?

amber3k · 05/08/2015, 05:14 PM

My husband built our sump out of a 55gal. No regrets but it does not fit under my tank so he built it a cabinet that sits next to the tank.

05/08/2015, 04:26 PM	#27
CStrickland Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: New England, U.S. Posts: 4,595	Some of you are mixing up silicon caulk (like GE stuff you use in your bathroom) with SEALANT which holds acrylic and glass quiet well for only a slightly higher price per tube. I used it in my sump and the acrylic is really solid to the glass. Acrylic is a lot more fun to work with than glass and def less intimidating for a noob. Cheap too! The shop by me had a scrap bin so I got practice bits for almost nothing.

05/08/2015, 05:14 PM	#29
amber3k Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Post Falls, Idaho Posts: 251	My husband built our sump out of a 55gal. No regrets but it does not fit under my tank so he built it a cabinet that sits next to the tank.