Refugium Question

[goatfish]

I am currently setting up a 10 gal fuge for my 29 gal reef. The question I had is if it would be safe to use that thin plexiglass from the hardware store for my baffles. I was worried about it becoming brittle in the long run from the lights, water, stress, ect.. I would hate for it to crack and the have to disturbe my DSB to replace it in the future.

 

[broncofish]

As long as by thin you mean 1/8 of an inch(Home dpot sell paper thin smallet than 1/8) I use 1/8 in my fuge. It bowes a little, but the worms and the macro don't care.

 

[pufferfreak]

what are baffles?

 

[broncofish]

The walls in your refuge.

 

[pufferfreak]

Oh, how you gonna do the overflow into the fuge, I used a ziploc plastic container with holes drilled in the bottom and a filter pad. The only problem is that it takes up too much space.

 

[broncofish]

I've been looking at building a few overflow boxes, My buddy is getting ready to shell out a hundred bucks for like $10 worth of acrylic.

 

[zafirablanca]

Will this be a refugium / sump combo, or a straight-up sump?
If it is just a refugium, I wouldn't see much need for baffles.
A plain fuge would have slow enough flow to not cause much bubble problems. Baffles just help knock the air bubbles out of water that has been well oxygenated, usually due to a protein skimmer or turbulence.
I have seperate refugium and sump tanks. I used the 1/4" plexi from Home Depot for my sump baffles. I put in two baffles beween my skimmer and my submersible return pump. They work really well, very few bubbles through the return spraybar. I cant imagine the 1/4" becoming brittle or breaking, its very thick. I have only had mine set up for a few months, but it looks like it will be just fine.
But if this is going to house equipment and a refugium then baffles are a way to keep the sand and algae out of everything mechanical. I still think that the 1/4" plexi should be just fine. I cut mine with one of those cheap plexiglass scoring knifes that they sell next to the display. Just had to go over it alot to get through. Then I used aquarium silicone to glue them in place. Easy, cheap and effective.
Hope that helps.
Good Luck,
-Christine