droyal1110 February 22, 2009 February 22, 2009 Hello. Good news, I picked up my 90 last night and I am well on my way =D This is for your standard glass 30 gallon long aquarium that is going to be used for a sump. My question today is, where can I get glass baffles and what size should I get them made to? I was thinking of just going to Home Depot and getting plexiglass and just gluing them in the sump. Problem is, I don't know how they would hold up against 600 gph. So can you guys recommend somewhere that will have these made? I'm sure I could look in the yellowpages for a glass place but I didn't know if some LFS around here will carry them or if they can order them or even if someone has ordered them online. My second question as states above, what size do I get them to cut it to? As in, should it be a tight fit or should it have 1/8" of space on each size? How exact does it need to be? Also is there a special silicone I must use? As always, thanks!
amay121 February 22, 2009 February 22, 2009 1/4" acrylic baffles were alright. I used them in a 20L with my 90.
zygote2k February 22, 2009 February 22, 2009 measure the inside width of your sump, get 1/4" acrylic cut to the same width and whatever height you are needing, then silicone the baffles with aquarium silicone.
Sikryd February 22, 2009 February 22, 2009 I did the thin stuff and it worked okay. I would go with a little thicker though. Cut to exact fit, then put in at an angle, lay a bead on the bottom, push into it, then hit both sides with a bead.
tsprice82 February 22, 2009 February 22, 2009 I bought some 1/4 inch glass from Manassas Glass. I called them with my measurements and picked it up an hour later, cut with polished edges. Glass baffles are nicer IMO, but not as big an issue in a 30 gal (mine is 75 gal so 18 inch wide, which is a problem with HD acrylic)
droyal1110 February 22, 2009 Author February 22, 2009 Just out of curiosity how much did that run you? I'm going more for cost effective and I doubt acrylic vs glass is going to make much a difference with my setup
tsprice82 February 23, 2009 February 23, 2009 Just out of curiosity how much did that run you? I'm going more for cost effective and I doubt acrylic vs glass is going to make much a difference with my setup The one piece which was 17 1/8"x 15" was about $15. I got glass for the one piece of my refugium that partitions my DSB from my pump return section, since I do not want that to fail. IMO the other baffles are water flow management and not as critical, so I used the acrylic.
rioreef February 23, 2009 February 23, 2009 On the pieces that will sit on the bottom, have the two bottom corners cut a a 45 degree angle, about a quarter on an inch from the corner. This will allow for room of the silicone of the tank and the baffle will be able to sit on the bottom without a huge gap to fill with silicone.
droyal1110 February 23, 2009 Author February 23, 2009 Ok sounds good, this may not be the right topic in here but how tall should I make them?
st9z February 23, 2009 February 23, 2009 just out of curiosity is it better to use glass or acylic to cover a MH fixture to prevent UV damage to corals?
amay121 February 23, 2009 February 23, 2009 glass. Acrylic would warp and even melt at those temperatures.
st9z February 25, 2009 February 25, 2009 glass. Acrylic would warp and even melt at those temperatures. Thanks Guy. Does anyone know a glass shop in the Ashburn area?
rioreef February 25, 2009 February 25, 2009 Sterling Glass on Cascades Pky http://www.sterlingglass.net/
lanman February 28, 2009 February 28, 2009 Ok sounds good, this may not be the right topic in here but how tall should I make them? Shorter than you think... You don't want your sump FULL... then there's no room for backflow if the power goes out, etc. In my case - my 2nd one I made with the baffles too tall - no room for the filter sock I wanted in there. bob
mling March 1, 2009 March 1, 2009 Shorter than you think... You don't want your sump FULL... then there's no room for backflow if the power goes out, etc. In my case - my 2nd one I made with the baffles too tall - no room for the filter sock I wanted in there. bob Would the concern for backflow if the power goes out still apply if you have reef ready tank with over flows ? I currently have my sump filled to the top
zygote2k March 1, 2009 March 1, 2009 Would the concern for backflow if the power goes out still apply if you have reef ready tank with over flows ? I currently have my sump filled to the top turn off the power to the main pump and see what happens. hope you have towels ready.
rioreef March 1, 2009 March 1, 2009 Would the concern for backflow if the power goes out still apply if you have reef ready tank with over flows ? I currently have my sump filled to the top Absolute disaster if the power goes out. Fix it now or you will be sorry.
droyal1110 March 1, 2009 Author March 1, 2009 Yea I think I got a grasp on the concept now. For some reason it is so simple yet it was hard to understand without doing it (I haven't done it yet). What I'm going to do is calculate the volume to area and account for a # of gallons from the back flow and from the ATO if it gets stuck open. According to reefcentral.com if the power goes out I will have about 6 gallons of water dumping back into the sump if the water is currently at 2" above the overflow... which it won't be its just a worst case scenario. On top of that I only need 12 gallons in the sump minimum for a rate of 600gph, which would be a maximum gph. Thus, I think I am going to do 7" baffles which will allow for about 10 gallons of space for any possible event or all events at once (ATO stuck and return pump failure).
mling March 2, 2009 March 2, 2009 turn off the power to the main pump and see what happens. hope you have towels ready. Niagara Falls no. looks like a power failure does not affect my set up. I belive this will be true will all reef ready systems that uses over flows. The reason is that when the pump is not working, water will stop flowing in to the overflows, thus no change in water level in the sump.
droyal1110 March 2, 2009 Author March 2, 2009 Thats cool for you but I think most people have their return submerged. I don't want splashing water on the DT, maybe pointed towards the surface to break up the tension and help with gas diffusion but this is why most people have the durso. Unless you have a flapper or some sort of one way valve built into your return line you should still get the water that is currently in the return line (3 feet x 3/4" hose = volume, or whatever your dimensions are) will flow back into your sump, plus if it is submerged and you don't have a siphon break it will suck water from your DT until it sucks air. I have a reef ready tank and I am curious as to why yours is so special? Please post pictures and explain =D
rioreef March 2, 2009 March 2, 2009 Niagara Falls no. looks like a power failure does not affect my set up. I belive this will be true will all reef ready systems that uses over flows. The reason is that when the pump is not working, water will stop flowing in to the overflows, thus no change in water level in the sump. Several factors will determine how much of the tank will drain into the sump. The water from the overflow will drain to the sump until the drain intake becomes exposed to air and/or the siphon is broken (overflows have their water level lower than the tank, hence the name). On the returns, if they are below the water level during normal operations, the water will siphon back down until the return opening is exposed to air and the siphon is broken here. Since the drain/overflow will generally be the first to break the siphon you should not get as much as the returns and it may not even be noticeable. I get a rush of air down the drain pipe into the sump when it breaks the siphon. To minimize the returns siphon, drill a hole (say 1/8") in the return pipe below the normal level of the water. At an angle on the side to minimize any water exiting the hole and going above the water surface during normal operations. This hole will allow air in when the tank water level drops to this point and breaks the siphon, allowing less water to drain back down. You do not want this hole to close to the surface or may suck air and then you have a micro bubble issue. Keep the drilled hole clean of debris or algae to it works when you need it. This hole can prevent a lot of water from siphoning back into the sump.
mling March 5, 2009 March 5, 2009 Thats cool for you but I think most people have their return submerged. I don't want splashing water on the DT, maybe pointed towards the surface to break up the tension and help with gas diffusion but this is why most people have the durso. Unless you have a flapper or some sort of one way valve built into your return line you should still get the water that is currently in the return line (3 feet x 3/4" hose = volume, or whatever your dimensions are) will flow back into your sump, plus if it is submerged and you don't have a siphon break it will suck water from your DT until it sucks air. I have a reef ready tank and I am curious as to why yours is so special? Please post pictures and explain =D Having trouble posting pics but they are in "My Albums" under pics for forums. May have to do with the web site upgrade. Like you suspected my return is just above the water line. I have also lowered the water level in my refugium to be, to be on the safe side. I am also thinking of just putting a ten gallon tank in mu refugium to be instead of using baffles. i.e. put the return pump in the 10 G tank. One of the pics shows this tank next to the 50 Gallon refugium.
droyal1110 March 5, 2009 Author March 5, 2009 That can work, kind of like a remote refugium. I'm kind of confused on your setup though, it the 45 gallon tank with rock in it, your sump? The glass baffles are for not only separation but to stop bubbles from getting into your return section minimizing bubbles in your DT. Also with my return I cut a notch out of my overflow so I could run the black loc-line tube under the water level and low enough to put egg crate over the tank. What are you using for a return pump?
zygote2k March 5, 2009 March 5, 2009 Baffles aren't necessary if you have an eductor. I have found that micro bubbles don't get into the DT as long as there is an eductor on the return. I believe the baffle thing is way over-hyped as I have several maintenance tanks that don't use them and don't have microbubbles either.
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