Sump/fuge baffles?

[cipher43]

So i bought a 40 gallon breeder tank off of my states forums site for really cheap an am planning on using it as my sump/fuge. Question of you all is what should i use to make the baffles and how thick does it need to be for it to hold? I think im going to make the baffles 10-12 inches tall but am not sure yet.

 

[geoj]

I would use glass and silicone. Use the same thickness as the tank.

 

[acrylic51]

I would personally opt for glass as well....But pinch comes to shove I'd opt 3/8" acrylic......

 

[2quills]

What type of design are you after, Greg? My sump is 16" tall like your breeder tank is. My baffles are 12" tall but have 1.25" teeth so the water line is about 10.75" high.

 

[snakeblitz33]

I would personally go closer to 10 than 12" and opt for glass - about the same size thickness of the tank. Do you have any diagrams of your sump design?

 

[acrylic51]

I'm with Corey on doing the baffles 12", but that's me.....Depending what skimmer and other equipment your running will dictate height as well, but that is easily worked around with water depth being a little deeper......

 

[geoj]

I'm with Corey on doing the baffles 12", but that's me.....Depending what skimmer and other equipment your running will dictate height as well, but that is easily worked around with water depth being a little deeper......
This is a good point I would know what I was going to use inside the sump and where it was going to go before I started. Plan it all out including how your plumbing it all.

 

[2quills]

When I was planning my sump I looked at all the various brands of protein skimmers that would be suitable for my size tank. Then narrowed it down to a handful of skimmers. At that point I made sure the skimmer chamber would be able to fit the one with the largest footprint. The return area was my next concern, I wanted it to be a good size whether I decide to run an auto top off or not. I didn't want the water level to drop to fast due to evaporation and cause problems for my pump incase of a failure with the ato system. The fuge was the least of my concerns. Fortunately with the available room under the stand I was able to build a tank that gave me plenty of room for all three. I went with fairly tall baffles to maximize water volume, so I know my skimmer will have to be set on a stand. That shouldn't be a problem for you because I think you made your stand like 44" tall right? I tried to go as simple and as strait forward as possible with the plumbing. Last but very important thing to consider is your returns inside your tank. Where do you want them? My goal was that no matter what I wanted to have the least possible amount of back flow going back into the sump when power is cut to avoid a flood. I achieved this by setting my returns near the surface but used different loc line fittings to achieve multi directional flow in side the tank.

 

[cipher43]

Sorry for slow response.... was at my parents house and they have dial up

< That's what i feel like i accomplish when i use that.......
I'm making a google sketch up right now for it and i will post it here in a few. Originally i thought i wouldn't make a spot for a skimmer and instead have a ATS but I'm pretty sure I'm going to make the extra chamber for it as a just in case (on a side note anyone know how big the footprint is on a SWC and an Octopus, not sure which one i would get of the two) If i do put in the skimmer section I'm going to make the baffle for it the same height as the fuge baffle because i do have the extra clearance under the stand with the 44 inch high stand.
Also i plan on putting an ATO on it either gravity flow or electrical, not sure yet.
I really haven't thought about where I'm going to put the return yet so i probably should think about that too.
So how thick of glass should i use on this and will HD have it?
BTW i will have to wait till tomorrow to post the final google sketch cause the main tank sketch is on a computer at work

 

[2quills]

Dial up, eh? That's a blast from the past. Waiting an untolled amount of minutes for a single page to load...yeah, those were good times lol.
I don't know about the rest of the country but HD stopped selling glass a few years back. I thought one of their people had told me that all of their stores stopped doing it, may want to give them a call. Lowes still sells it but I doubt they have 1/4" unless special ordered. Best bet would be a glass shop. If none of those options pan out to be easily obtainable then HD should have 1/4" plexi. Wouldn't be my choice but you could make it work.
If you make your skimmer section at least 10" then you should be good for either of those skimmers for your size tank. The SWC's are cheaper if you get the space saver style. I've actually been looking at the new Reef Octopus Diablo skimmer. It's a cone, space saver style with the same pump as the SWC 180. I may go that route for my 120g. And it's cheaper than the SWC 180.

 

[cipher43]

Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///t/389187/sump-fuge-baffles#post_3438288
Dial up, eh? That's a blast from the past. Waiting an untolled amount of minutes for a single page to load...yeah, those were good times lol.
I don't know about the rest of the country but HD stopped selling glass a few years back. I thought one of their people had told me that all of their stores stopped doing it, may want to give them a call. Lowes still sells it but I doubt they have 1/4" unless special ordered. Best bet would be a glass shop. If none of those options pan out to be easily obtainable then HD should have 1/4" plexi. Wouldn't be my choice but you could make it work.
If you make your skimmer section at least 10" then you should be good for either of those skimmers for your size tank. The SWC's are cheaper if you get the space saver style. I've actually been looking at the new Reef Octopus Diablo skimmer. It's a cone, space saver style with the same pump as the SWC 180. I may go that route for my 120g. And it's cheaper than the SWC 180.
I may have to look into that skimmer. im guessing the footprint is smaller than 10 correct? as for the glass shop.... i live in Iowa..... and more of a rural area so this may be a fun hunt.......
Edit: forgot to add that there dial up was running at a massive 32.1Kbs......... Thats a hard step down from 1 Mbps......which is still a hard step down for some of you probably lol

 

[2quills]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cipher43 http:///t/389187/sump-fuge-baffles#post_3438301
I may have to look into that skimmer. im guessing the footprint is smaller than 10 correct? as for the glass shop.... i live in Iowa..... and more of a rural area so this may be a fun hunt.......
I believe the footprint is 9x11". The SWC 180 I believe is 9x10". Al has the 160 which I think is roughly the same footprint. So I guess 10" only gives you a little bit of wiggle room. Maybe divide your sump equally...12" per all 3 chambers on center. That would leave you with 11" in the skimmer section and return section after you add the extra baffles for the bubble trap.