baffle thickness and width for 40 gallon breeder sump

[tenurepro]

Greetings all,
Thinking of DIY a standard 40 gallon breeder sump to accommodate the red sea Reefmat in the first chamber. I understand that the height of the baffles will vary based on how i want the water to flow through the sump, but is there a standard glass thickness and widths that i should aim for that will work with the typical internal width of a standard 40 gallon breeder tank ? thanks for your help! also, if you have made something specifically to accommodate the red sea reefmat, would love to see your plans!

Thanks!

 

[RocketEngineer]

IMO, glass baffles should be 1/4”. No need to go thicker but the next size down is usually 1/8” which is way too thin. A bad bump can break that stuff. I’ve built two sumps and my overflows with 1/4” and never had any issues.

 

[Troylee]

3/16” glass or acrylic is fine for baffles

 

[exnisstech]

The width is just enough less than the interior width of the tank to allow the baffle to be installed. I used 1/4" and had a local glass company cut them to size. I would not recommend acrylic as it doesn't bond to glass. While it can be glued into place with a wide bead of silicone on both sides it's only the silicone holding it. I recently removed the a 1/4" lexan baffle and the was surprised how easy it came out. It also bowed some because water was higher in that chamber. Glass only for me.

 

[Troylee]

The width is just enough less than the interior width of the tank to allow the baffle to be installed. I used 1/4" and had a local glass company cut them to size. I would not recommend acrylic as it doesn't bond to glass. While it can be glued into place with a wide bead of silicone on both sides it's only the silicone holding it. I recently removed the a 1/4" lexan baffle and the was surprised how easy it came out. It also bowed some because water was higher in that chamber. Glass only for me.

It’s sticks pretty good to acrylic if you use rtv which is a structural adhesive and not just a sealant like regular ge silicone. But I’ll agree that it sticks to glass better lol…

 

[exnisstech]

It’s sticks pretty good to acrylic if you use rtv which is a structural adhesive and not just a sealant like regular ge silicone. But I’ll agree that it sticks to glass better lol…

Agreed. I had the end of my sump sectioned off for an ato reservoir using lexan and silicone. It held up fine for a few years. I removed it a few days ago and after seeing how easy it came out with just a few slices with a razor blade and a push I don't think I would use it again. Glass is actually cheaper than any acrylic, lexan, plexi etc. so it seems like a better option. IMO