Sump/fuge take 2

Hey everybody.

Well everything was ready for the new sump / fuge that i built for my girlfriend's 20 gal but the night we setup everything and filled it with water i noticed a couple of flaws... like it all craped out on me . Pour design, bad choice of materials, wrong pumps, etc... I tried going the cheap way i guess (never a good thing in this hobby ). So now i will be rebuilding everything from scratch :-/. Here is the original post by my girlfriend here. I will redesign the sump/fuge cause i wasnt very happy with my first try, i went the easy route. Ive been reading allot since the beginning but i would like some first hand experience on this before i start all over again. So here are some questions.

1. What thickness acrylic is best. I used 1/8" and that was way to thin. So im thinking 1/4"

2. What kind of router bits do you use to either cut acrylic or do those teeth for an overflow.

3. What pump would you recommend for the return? I went with a mag 7 cause that what i had but it was way to strong and when i closed the ball valve on the return line to adjust the flow to a descent amount but the pump over heated.

4. What did you use to glue acrylic to glass. I used GE silicon I and it didnt really do the job. Even after i let it cure for more than a week.

I think thats it for now :-/

I will keep this thread going to show you all the progress from all the great advice i will be getting from you guys ;D

Thanks in advance

Marc.

 

Marc:

I have built 2 regugiums, both using .220 (just shy of 1/4") acryilc and have had no problems. I used a tube of aquarium specific sealant (Perfecto if I recall) for the first, but I used the GE silicone for the second. The trick I found to making a strong joint is to 'butter' the edge of the acrylic where it meets the glass or another acrylic edge, and then a fillet of sealant on both sides of the joint. I have had no problems with joint failure doing this. As a matter of fact when I broke down my first fuge to build the second, it took quite a bit of force to break the seams. I did not make the 'teeth' on my design so I don't know about using a router. I would think that or a RotoZip type tool should work. I used a standard speedbore wood boring bit in a drill press at slow speed to cut the couple of holes I needed.

Hope this helps.

Mike

 

thanks michael. Ive been looking around and i dont think that the "GE" silicon i used is the same recomended GE that evrybody else used. Do you have a link to the type of GE silicon you used. Would this be it? http://www.reefsolution.com/catalog/popup_image.php?pID=906

Thanks

Marc.

 

What kind of router bits do you use to either cut acrylic or do those teeth for an overflow? Use a Flute bit and tape the edges that need to be routed with blue painters tape will prevent chipping. As far as the pump is concerned if you have a predrilled tank and want a high flow pump the drain needs to be able to keep up with the flow rate. I use one inch pipe for the drain and 3/4 for the return and use a little giant pump pushing 875gph.

 

This is what I used. GE Silicone 1 got it at Lowes, HD also carries it. I looked at the Silicone II but I think it had a mildew retardant and even said on the tube not for aquarium use.

Mike

Edit: Hope you don't mind your avatar in the background!;D

 

Michael, what do you mean by "The trick I found to making a strong joint is to 'butter' the edge of the acrylic where it meets the glass or another acrylic"?

 

Ok same brand but the bottle was red. Il check it out tonight when i get home. Dont mind the avatar at all;D Just makes me think about my job (its my company logo)

Thanks Michael.

90_Berlin_joe : "butter the edge" = put some silicon on the straight edge of the acrylic that will be up against the glass.

Marc.