Leaky Sump

[squeezix]

I came home for lunch today to find the bottom seam on my 10 gallon sump (an old aquarium) had split and was leaking. Either way I saved the day (and my pumps) but that's another story.

I have a friend that builds glass enclosures, showers, etc. who said he can build me a new sump. We are going to use either 3/8" or 1/4" glass, it will be about 26" long, 11" wide, 11" tall.

My question is:
Do I need to use braces on the top and bottom on the outside, or could I get away with triangle shaped pieces of glass on the top and bottom corners? If this is hard to understand, picture the top of the tank, looking down, with a triangle in each corner. This would be the best shape for me, as I have very little room to work with on the outside of the sump, but this shape will fit all of my equipment without getting in the way.

I hope you get the idea of how I want the baffles from this picture.......

 

[danmhippo]

If the silicon bond is done right, you can get away with just a frame on the top and bottom. IMO, triangle pieces at the corners may cut down significant volume of your 13Gal sump, depends on what the cutting angle of the triangular pieces are. Let your friend decide, since he is an expert in glass.

 

[albertj2]

You mean braces on the inside? That's the only other alternative I can think of.....

 

[squeezix]

Identity crisi, that was me (albertj2)

 

[Big_fish]

If your baffles are going to span the entire width of your sump (and I can't see why they wouldn't) then you don't need any bracing on the top. Truth is, for that size you probably wouldn't need any bracing even without the baffles.

I wouldn't even put the triangles in the corner. It would just be a PITA and unecessary.

HTH,
Scott