Where to purchase acrylic or glass for sump baffles?

meemsco · Nov 17, 2019

Hi,

I am really excited to be starting my own saltwater tank! I want to build a 29gal sump for my 75gal DT. Unfortunately, the 40gal breeder will not fit. I am looking for 1/4" glass or acrylic sheets for the baffles, but I cannot find them as the typical hardware stores like Home Depot, Lowes, or Ace. Where you do you get your sheets?

Also, I am doing my best to calculate the water backflow/overflow in case of a power outage, and to be safe, I am calculating 6 gal. I think it is closer to 4.5 or 5, but I wanted to be safe. Would a 29gal sump with 3 chambers work for the overflow volume? I can go just with 2 chambers, but I wanted 3 chambers if I don't risk overflowing my sump. Any help would be greatly appreciated. THANK YOU!

Mimi

lapin · Nov 17, 2019

You can get glass at a local glass shop. They will cut it for you. Acrylic can be purchased online thru Amazon or depending where you are Tap Plastics.

Reef-junky · Nov 17, 2019

Glass is going to bond better to glass.

jp_75 · Nov 17, 2019

octo aquatics

Nobody077 · Nov 19, 2019

You don't need 1/4 glass for baffles in a sump, they don't hold any pressure like the tank walls. I use the stuff they sell at homedepot or lowes. Cutting glass is very easy,I think its Easier then cutting acrylics. I just did a 29 long sump for my 70gal dt build, drain capacity will depend on how tall you make your dividers and how much water your sump holds in normal operating levels.

Westoncase · Nov 19, 2019

You should check out Exotic marine systems. I really like my 20L sump kit he/they made for me.

meemsco · Nov 19, 2019

lapin said:
You can get glass at a local glass shop. They will cut it for you. Acrylic can be purchased online thru Amazon or depending where you are Tap Plastics.

Thank you!

meemsco · Nov 19, 2019

Westoncase said:
You should check out Exotic marine systems. I really like my 20L sump kit he/they made for me.

I have seen their stuff come through in my DIY searches. Thanks for letting me know how it is working for you!

meemsco · Nov 19, 2019

Nobody077 said:
You don't need 1/4 glass for baffles in a sump, they don't hold any pressure like the tank walls. I use the stuff they sell at homedepot or lowes. Cutting glass is very easy,I think its Easier then cutting acrylics. I just did a 29 long sump for my 70gal dt build, drain capacity will depend on how tall you make your dividers and how much water your sump holds in normal operating levels.

Would making baffles/dividers taller or shorter increase the drain capacity? My mind tells me making shorter baffles would leave more room for overflow, but I might be all backwards. Can I adjust how much water sump holds in normal operating levels too?

I have been watching videos on how to adjust water levels in the sump, but I feel like there is still a gap, something I am not quite getting.

Do you have 2 or 3 chambers in your 29gal sump?

Thank you for your help!

Nobody077 · Nov 19, 2019

Yes to overall height of the baffles will determine how much each chamber holds and the overall total water it will hold when running, making the height lower will allow for more room to back fill when pumps are off. I am starting my plumbing tests today for my new build and will be changing the height of the divider between skimmer and pump chamber lower to reduce overall sump level and increase the backfill room, when i tested it was little too full for my likings. Setup my sump as Fuge-skimmer-pump so the middle baffle will be shortened about inch and half, where you see the red line and i had planned to put it in the first place, lol before i decided to give pump extra water level

ReeferGuy927 · Nov 19, 2019

Contact local glass stores. A lot of times they have scraps laying around and you can get really good deals. I got a sheet of 1/4'' acrylic they had laying around for $20. You never know... may be wort the call

Nooooooooob1 · Nov 19, 2019

Lowes has $5 glass panels that they will cut for you. I just had some done for a new sump. It's a wicked deal.

WVNed · Nov 19, 2019

I always cut up aquarium glass tops or pieces from small aquariums I deconstructed. You see them by the road in refuse all the time. Especially around apartments.

Westoncase · Nov 19, 2019

meemsco said:
I have seen their stuff come through in my DIY searches. Thanks for letting me know how it is working for you!

I would defo buy another sump kit from them if i ever wanted to turn a tank into a sump.

Bryknicks · Nov 19, 2019

Nobody077 said:
Yes to overall height of the baffles will determine how much each chamber holds and the overall total water it will hold when running, making the height lower will allow for more room to back fill when pumps are off. I am starting my plumbing tests today for my new build and will be changing the height of the divider between skimmer and pump chamber lower to reduce overall sump level and increase the backfill room, when i tested it was little too full for my likings. Setup my sump as Fuge-skimmer-pump so the middle baffle will be shortened about inch and half, where you see the red line and i had planned to put it in the first place, lol before i decided to give pump extra water level

What's with the perforated pipe over the last baffle, did you add that to make some type of algae scrubber?

Bryknicks · Nov 19, 2019

When I made my own sump, I used glass and acrylic from home depot. I picked the glass that was the right width for the tank I chose, cut the baffles to size height wise, and I cut a thinner piece of acrylic and made teeth on the top for the first filter sock chamber to eliminate any potential "waterfall" noise from the water rushing over the top. I sold that tank so I don't have any photo's to share.

But personally I've seen plenty of DIY kits you can buy online and I would use that. The one's I've seen are black acrylic and laser cut according to the specific tank size for a perfect fit. There are also plenty of options regarding how you want the sump set up.

Nooooooooob1 · Nov 19, 2019

Nobody077 said:
Yes to overall height of the baffles will determine how much each chamber holds and the overall total water it will hold when running, making the height lower will allow for more room to back fill when pumps are off. I am starting my plumbing tests today for my new build and will be changing the height of the divider between skimmer and pump chamber lower to reduce overall sump level and increase the backfill room, when i tested it was little too full for my likings. Setup my sump as Fuge-skimmer-pump so the middle baffle will be shortened about inch and half, where you see the red line and i had planned to put it in the first place, lol before i decided to give pump extra water level

What's on top of your left baffle there?

Nobody077 · Nov 19, 2019

Its plastic canvas material and rings of 2in pvc or to act as a screen. I plan to run macro in the first fuge chamber and this should keep it out of the skimmer and pump yet let pods and the good stuff past. I have used it on fresh water ciclid tank sumps in the past to keep fish in a chamber when i had to remove one from the display due to injury or if a fish was a bully and they need a time out lol. Also diffuses the noise some in a high flow sump

Bryknicks · Nov 19, 2019

Nobody077 said:
Its plastic canvas material and rings of 2in pvc or to act as a screen. I plan to run macro in the first fuge chamber and this should keep it out of the skimmer and pump yet let pods and the good stuff past. I have used it on fresh water ciclid tank sumps in the past to keep fish in a chamber when i had to remove one from the display due to injury or if a fish was a bully and they need a time out lol. Also diffuses the noise some in a high flow sump

Great idea. Thanks for the clarification lol, I figured it had something to do with algae

meemsco · Nov 20, 2019

Nobody077 said:
Yes to overall height of the baffles will determine how much each chamber holds and the overall total water it will hold when running, making the height lower will allow for more room to back fill when pumps are off. I am starting my plumbing tests today for my new build and will be changing the height of the divider between skimmer and pump chamber lower to reduce overall sump level and increase the backfill room, when i tested it was little too full for my likings. Setup my sump as Fuge-skimmer-pump so the middle baffle will be shortened about inch and half, where you see the red line and i had planned to put it in the first place, lol before i decided to give pump extra water level

Thanks for the info. I would love to know how the testing goes!