THE TX REEF ROOM

[TX_REEF]

This came out awesome!! Good thinking with the mechanically interlocking baffles… that takes a lot of design work out of making everything rigid!

Are you thinking of using a cured silicone bead, or soft rubber U channel to make a gasket around the baffles?

I’m imagining something bolted to the rim to clamp the baffles down, and compress the gasket….

— If the baffles try to bend towards each downstream compartment (water pressure); some of the scrap polycarb from your baffle slots, or a few strips of acrylic could be welded (#16, probably) to the baffles, between tank wall and baffle as a “prop rod”!

my thought was to make a wooden cross that can be clamped down on the rim of the tank to hold the baffles tightly to the bottom of the tank, and then black aquarium silicone applied to all joints between the tank and baffles, as well as the baffle cross intersection.

Can you elaborate on how I'd use spare polycarb to reinforce the baffles to prevent water pressure flex? I think that may be a good thing to do as a first step before the rim clamping and silicone. There is little to no space between the baffles and tank wall, I tried to make it "perfect fit".

 

[UncommonSense]

my thought was to make a wooden cross that can be clamped down on the rim of the tank to hold the baffles tightly to the bottom of the tank,

That would probably work! Though, wood can warp pretty significantly over time…

What about a composite material? Here’s a promising angle extrusion of Fiberglass Reinforce Poly (FRP)

You’d likely slit it quite like the polycarb to make the X shape required for your clamp/top brace!

and then black aquarium silicone applied to all joints between the tank and baffles, as well as the baffle cross intersection.

This should work great! I think of applying the silicone first and letting it cure, then installing the baffles with the silicone “gasket”

— if you want to silicone the baffles in situ, scuff up the baffle edges and the baffle contact area of the tank with 60 grit sandpaper to get better mechanical adhesion from the silicone on that slippery plastic!

Can you elaborate on how I'd use spare polycarb to reinforce the baffles to prevent water pressure flex? I think that may be a good thing to do as a first step before the rim clamping and silicone. There is little to no space between the baffles and tank wall, I tried to make it "perfect fit".

Assuming the sump flows counter-clockwise, this configuration of “prop rods” should hold the polycarb baffles straight! (Reverse prop rod orientation for clockwise sump flow)

(layout assumes drain chamber [highest water level] is closest to camera)

You could do 1-3 prop rods per-chamber… depending on the water height in the chamber prior!

(Edited because my first layout was non-functional as shown/generally silly… clearly I needed another cup of coffee!)

 

[TX_REEF]

That would probably work! Though, wood can warp pretty significantly over time…

What about a composite material? Here’s a promising angle extrusion of Fiberglass Reinforce Poly (FRP)

You’d likely slit it quite like the polycarb to make the X shape required for your bold-down top brace!


This should work great! I think of applying the silicone first and letting it cure, then installing the baffles with the silicone “gasket”

— if you want to silicone the baffles in situ, scuff up the baffle edges and the baffle contact area of the tank with 60 grit sandpaper to get better mechanical adhesion from the silicone on that slippery plastic!



Assuming the sump flows counter-clockwise, this configuration of “prop rods” should hold the polycarb baffles straight! (Reverse prop rod orientation for clockwise sump flow)



You could do 1-3 prop rods per-chamber… depending on the water height in the chamber prior!

(Alternative layout, assumes drain chamber [highest water level] is closest to camera)

that is super helpful, thank you so much for the input. good point on wood warp, I always just revert to wood when I'm working on weird DIY stuff because I'm most experienced/comfortable working with it.

 

[UncommonSense]

that is super helpful, thank you so much for the input.

of course, I’m always happy to help!

good point on wood warp, I always just revert to wood when I'm working on weird DIY stuff because I'm most experienced/comfortable working with it.

Oh me too! But it does have its limitation, primarily in regard to “creep” over time (aka warping)!

The FRP material is going to absorb moisture, and creep too… but, it’s more predictable, and you can design around it much easier!

Also, the FRP can be cut and shaped with standard wood tools! (Just use a respirator and/or vacuum dust collector for fiberglass dust)

The FRP can also be painted after cutting, allowing you to color match, and seal any fiberglass splinters that may appear if the saw doesn’t cut it cleanly!

 

[TX_REEF]

I caught one of my nems beginning to split right on the front glass of my frag tank, pretty sweet!

 

[TX_REEF]

I'm bringing this thread back from hibernation! I've been stuck in analysis paralysis combined with a lack of free time and motivation due to extraordinary job-related stress.

Right now, I'm wondering how viable it would be to let my sump be baffle-less. Does anyone have input on the feasibility of that? I mostly just want to understand if the water level in a sump with no baffles will allow for the proper function of the ATO.

I wanted to make 4 chambers, but I can't seem to wrap my head around how to secure the baffles to polyethylene while also ensuring the baffles are fully rigid, and without making any holes in the sump tank to anchor. So, if I can run an open sump with no chambers, my life will be easier. Thoughts? #reefsqaud

 

[slogan315]

You could put your return pump in a smaller plastic bin/box within the larger sump. It would act like a 360 degree baffle. If you put the ATO sensor on that bin, it’ll be more sensitive to water level fluctuation. I guess ideally it’s as tall as your ideal water level in the sump.

 

[tbrown]

I'm bringing this thread back from hibernation! I've been stuck in analysis paralysis combined with a lack of free time and motivation due to extraordinary job-related stress.

Right now, I'm wondering how viable it would be to let my sump be baffle-less. Does anyone have input on the feasibility of that? I mostly just want to understand if the water level in a sump with no baffles will allow for the proper function of the ATO.

I wanted to make 4 chambers, but I can't seem to wrap my head around how to secure the baffles to polyethylene while also ensuring the baffles are fully rigid, and without making any holes in the sump tank to anchor. So, if I can run an open sump with no chambers, my life will be easier. Thoughts? #reefsqaud

#reefsquad works better silly. I "might" be the only one watching #reefsqaud

 

[UncommonSense]

but I can't seem to wrap my head around how to secure the baffles to polyethylene while also ensuring the baffles are fully rigid, and without making any holes in the sump tank to anchor

You can still make holes in the sump rim, hence me thinking of just clamping the baffle(s) down with rigid spine(s) of material across the top! (Using silicone or rubber as a compression gasket between sump tank and baffle)

— The baffles don’t need to be fully sealed, they just need to seal well enough to retain chamber water lines during operation!

— the protein skimmer can be placed on a stand constructed in one of a number of ways if the requisite chamber will have a water lines during operation too high for the skimmer without any changes!

— the container in one side of the sump to function as a return chamber also works very well!

 

[UncommonSense]

I wanted to make 4 chambers, but I can't seem to wrap my head around how to secure the baffles to polyethylene while also ensuring the baffles are fully rigid,

I think I just figured it out:

— install the baffles in an X shape, vs. a + shape in the cube shaped sump!

— two rectangular sheets of plastic, each notched halfway through so they fit together on-edge into an X shape…

— this X shaped series of baffles can have weirs cut in at target heights for each chamber… then, it only needs to be clamped straight down to the bottom of the sump container as the container corners capture the ends of the baffles!

 

[TX_REEF]

I wanted to make 4 chambers, but I can't seem to wrap my head around how to secure the baffles to polyethylene while also ensuring the baffles are fully rigid,

I think I just figured it out:

— install the baffles in an X shape, vs. a + shape in the cube shaped sump!

— two rectangular sheets of plastic, each notched halfway through so they fit together on-edge into an X shape…

— this X shaped series of baffles can have weirs cut in at target heights for each chamber… then, it only needs to be clamped straight down to the bottom of the sump container as the container corners capture the ends of the baffles!

Ahhh! The x shape is an excellent idea for forced stability! I already had the notched part figured out, but the x handles much of the stability concern. I already cut baffles the correct size for a cross shape, I’ll have to see if the polycarb I have left is sufficient for another go. Will update…

 

[UncommonSense]

Ahhh! The x shape is an excellent idea for forced stability! I already had the notched part figured out, but the x handles much of the stability concern. I already cut baffles the correct size for a cross shape, I’ll have to see if the polycarb I have left is sufficient for another go. Will update…

If you don’t have enough spare material to make what are effectively just longer baffles, the scraps may still work for the aforementioned “prop rod” solution!

1-2 strips of polycarb welded on perpendicular to each face of each baffle end, extending to the sump walls!

(dotted lines indicating prop rod locations to keep + shaped baffle layout ends stable)

 

[Gumbies R Us]

#reefsquad works better silly. I "might" be the only one watching #reefsqaud

You’re forgetting #ReefSquash

 

[Fish Styx]

I think I just figured it out:

— install the baffles in an X shape, vs. a + shape in the cube shaped sump!

— two rectangular sheets of plastic, each notched halfway through so they fit together on-edge into an X shape…

— this X shaped series of baffles can have weirs cut in at target heights for each chamber… then, it only needs to be clamped straight down to the bottom of the sump container as the container corners capture the ends of the baffles!

I love this!

 

[TX_REEF]

I created some motivational momentum for myself today. It’s been a while since I had the time and energy to clean the main display, so today it’s getting a deep clean.

 

[TX_REEF]

I conducted a massive caulerpa harvest and deep clean on my frag system today. The coral frags are growing amazingly. They didn’t seem to be disturbed by the caulerpa, perhaps they’ll grow even faster now that they aren’t being shaded.