sump and baffles

[johns]

This is a sump for a 75G reef tank:

I'm weighing the differences between buying a rubbermaid (or similar) sump and buying an empty aquarium to do the job. With rubbermaid-like containers, I'm not sure how to insert baffles into the sump, and some have suggested that it may be difficult to do due to the shape, and/or materials. Is there something special to use?

On the hand, if I just go get a 30-35G glass aquarium at the local pet shop, can I just get baffles cut to size somewhere? Can glass OR acylic baffles be placed into a GLASS tank? How would you keep these baffles in place - silicone only, silicone plus some special glue? Would it be the same if the baffles were glass or acrylic? And finally would you need special silicones and glues for this?

 

[Anonymous]

It really depends on your personal preference. FWIW, I use an empty tank, undrilled, no baffles, as a sump....

For newbies, it is better to use the glass option unless cost of aquarium/drilling/etc. is an issue. You can get the baffles precut by glass shop (HomeDepot will do it for you for free, in both glass and acrylic, but you pay for what you get...) You can use either glass or acrylic. Do a search on "baffle" in this forum, and you will be able to find other thread on the gluing issue.

I suggest you use glass baffle on glass tank, but acrylic will work fine with aquarium-safe silicon. If you are cementing acrylic to acrylic, you can either use acrylic cement (WeldOn brand) or aquarium-safe silicone.

 

[Len]

I'd go with a glass tank since it's affordable and easy to baffle. A rubbermaid container is harder to baffle due to it's curve edges and relatively soft walls (which will bend and twist with pressure).

With a glass tank, you can baffle it with either acrylic sheets of glass sheets. Both can be bought at home depot or Orchid hardware supply (or any major hardware store). They usually can cut it to size for you. Silicone is all you'll need to hold these baffles in place. I recommend getting silicone that is rated for potable drinking water. Some will leech unwanted compounds. Getting "aquarium safe" silicone is the simpliest route.