Sump Issues

kingfisherfleshy · Mar 4, 2011

Hey guys...heres my story.

I am running a 125g reef. I decided to finally sump it, got a cpr overflow, and it is all setup.

I have all of the other stuff as well. I had a 55g tank lying around, so I drew up some plans with the help of my brother who has built many sumps himself, and ordered the glass to be cut.

Gluing the glass in place was a pain, but it worked out alright. I then went to town with the silicone, and everything was looking good. I added water, and all of my seals were 99% h2o tight.

Then I had the first baffle fail, and then the second, and then the third and the fourth.

I am super irritated. Now I have to start all over. Some of my LPS corals are looking a little haggered, and I am now wondering if that 55g was ever treated with copper. (You would think this would make all the corals look bad though)

End of the story is that I now need to drain the sump, and start again. I am now wondering if it wouldnt just be easier to order some acrylic, and make a sump that way. (No more worries about the gluing of fine glass pieces, I could get thick acrylic for the baffles and weldon them right there)

Im looking into costs though, especially because I dont have a table saw...and therefore I am going to assume that I need to buy all my pieces pre-cut if that is possible.

What does everyone think? I am super frustrated with this thing, especially because it took me two tries on some of these baffles to get them watertight.

I just want this to be over so I can finally have the quality of filtration that I want and need on my reef.

beaslbob · Mar 4, 2011

if the pump is in the sump area then you can just put a plastic storage container around the pump and forget the baffles in the 55g.

the container will baffel the water.

just an idea.

boehm742 · Mar 4, 2011

How exactly did the baffles fail? What kind of silicone did you use? How long did you give it to dry before it got water?

kingfisherfleshy · Mar 4, 2011

They just got pushed over...I used superglue to originally set the baffles in place, and then after that used a silicone intended for shower and plumbing use that I have used on many filtration projects before without issue.

I use that stuff in the hope that because it is non-toxic for humans, it would mean the same for fish.

I let it set for at least 24hrs before adding h2o.

tazman1982 · Mar 4, 2011

Anything that does not say for aquarium use. I would not use it. Silicones can contain anti Bacterial stuff that will kill good bacteria in the water as well as other things fish and all marine life. Hope this is not the case for your setup. Good luck.

kingfisherfleshy · Mar 4, 2011

Like I have said...I have used this stuff on setups before...so I am not too super concerned about that.

System has bee running for about a week and I have a euphyllia and a fungia that are looking sort of shabby, but everyone else looks fine. Things should get better after this weekends h2o change in that regard.

Reef Breeders · Mar 6, 2011

On melevs reef it says if the silicone is FDA approved, your golden, but I do prefer to use marineland. I usually use it so seal gaps. Once my overflow u tube split, so I patched that. Let your silicone sit for TWO days, one day is not enough, especially if the baffles are higher than 8", they will get a lot of resistance. Scrape off the failed silicone with a razor, clean the surface with alchohol, put the glass down where you want it, and line either side with a strip of blue painters tape, on the bottom to. Then removre the glass, put a bead of glue between the two strips of tape, remove the tape and insert the glass vertically if posible, if it isnt, move it in sideways and above the bottom, then align and lower it. Wait 48 hours to a full week, and you are good to go.

Wy Renegade · Mar 6, 2011

How thick were the pieces of glass that you had cut? If the glass baffles were too thin, they could have flexed under the pressure which could be why they failed. I don't think you can use weldon to attach acrylic to glass, but an acrylic guru will have to speak up for sure on that. In my understanding the weldon actually converts the acrylic to liquid and then it rehardens. Glass won't convert. Again, just my $.02 worth.

Eddie Baby · Mar 6, 2011

Wy Renegade said:
How thick were the pieces of glass that you had cut? If the glass baffles were too thin, they could have flexed under the pressure which could be why they failed. I don't think you can use weldon to attach acrylic to glass, but an acrylic guru will have to speak up for sure on that. In my understanding the weldon actually converts the acrylic to liquid and then it rehardens. Glass won't convert. Again, just my $.02 worth.

I wouldn't say that I'm an expert, but I can say that Weldon won't bond acyrlic to glass. As you said, the Weldon basically melts the two pieces of acrylic together.

I've used aquarium silicone to hold acrylic baffles in my glass sump - main set of 3 for a bubble trap has been in for almost 6 years with no trouble. I just added a baffle to create a refugium - it is only an inch shorter than the 30G long and I have no problems with flex, etc. The 1/4" acrylic is as close as I could cut it, and I let the silicone cure for 2 days before any water went in. One thing - you definitely need to silicone both sides of the baffle. Depending on how many you are putting in, it might take several days.

boehm742 · Mar 6, 2011

Use Aquarium Silicone and CD cases to space and lift baffles off the bottom of the sump. Then let dry for 48 hrs and youll be good. Choosing the proper silicone as well as providing ample time to dry is key.

kingfisherfleshy · Mar 10, 2011

My baffles are exactly 8". Glass was pretty thin.

Thing is running now with absolutely nothing down there other than the skimmers and other stuff like that.

I wasnt suggesting that I could bond glass to acrylic, just wondering if I could go the acrylic route. I have now found someone who will let me use their table saw, so this possibility is on the table.

maybe I should just get thicker glass? I dont think the guy that cut my glass was capable of doing a good enough job. The glass did not fit tightly into the tank, and my measurements were good.

Wy Renegade · Mar 10, 2011

Personally, I'd try again with a little thicker glass that was cut more accurately. My glass baffles have been in place for a couple years now without issue.

kingfisherfleshy · Mar 10, 2011

Yea, I assume it wouldnt be so much of a problem if my glass wasnt cut like 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch short of what it should be.

Super sucks...last thing I want to do is drain this bad boy and start again, but I guess that there is no other way.

What thickness of glass is everyone using?