Stay tuned! The begining of a DIY 10G sump

emily120289

Reefing newb
Headed to lowes today to pick up my glass sheets, and silicone. I will be posting pictures along the way, and also asking for advice :).
 
Lowes...? You need heaver glass than they carry.. IMO.
....Unless.. you are just talking about to make the dividers and bubble traps from.
 
Cool thing is...I work for a GLASS COMPANY!!!!!!!!! Thinking about it, I could actually go make a tank...oh, now you've given me an idea; THANKS!!
 
Okay, after 2 trips to the local hardware store, I picked up 3 pieces of glass, all 8'' x 9.5'' some silicone (100%) Says its for fresh/salt water aquariums, so i couldnt go wrong :), and painters tape. So far ive sealed the 1st and 2nd baffle in.. (Sorry for the sloppy silicone job :( ) lol.. I couldnt get the silicone to come out.. after squeezing the life out of it, it exploded and made a mess lol, all well.. says it drys clear :D.. Im currently waiting for the 2nd baffle to dry, to put in the 3rd.
 

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You can put a small piece of some plastic you broke off something under each end of the middle sheet of glass to hold it up.. and those little pieces can live there forever. Then place several pieces cut from corrugated poster board between the layers until the silicone cures and then pull them out. No need to do the one at a time process. ..wink.. but you are doing a nice job....

Who says the silicone has to be a neat clean line.. and yours doesn't look that bad. It is a sump... who but other reefers cares .. and a visiting reefer understands.
 
"Who says the silicone has to be a neat clean line.. and yours doesn't look that bad. It is a sump... who but other reefers cares .. and a visiting reefer understands."

hehe thanks for the encouragement, all the baffles are up .. how long should I wait for it to cure?..
 
Being that it is going to be immersed in water.. I'd give it about 3 days. Plus that lets the chemicals (aquarium safe or not) a better chance to migrate and evaporate out.
 
Tip: try spraying glass cleaner on your finger of choice and then smooth the joints. Use a razor to clean up your lines if the tape didnt work as well as planned.

Disclaimer: we use the glass cleaner for caulk, I havent tried on silicone, but its a similar base, so give it a try if you like. If not, get a nice big bead going and then use a small caulking spoon. That DOES work.
 
Tip: try spraying glass cleaner on your finger of choice and then smooth the joints. Use a razor to clean up your lines if the tape didnt work as well as planned.

Disclaimer: we use the glass cleaner for caulk, I havent tried on silicone, but its a similar base, so give it a try if you like. If not, get a nice big bead going and then use a small caulking spoon. That DOES work.


..LOL... spit works too... and is reef safe.
 
Im not fond of sticking my fingers in my mouth with that kinda stuff on them. Try wiping it off or even better, get your head in there to spit directly on the joints.

Yes, spit works, just keep that finger clean.
 
Im not fond of sticking my fingers in my mouth with that kinda stuff on them. Try wiping it off or even better, get your head in there to spit directly on the joints.

Yes, spit works, just keep that finger clean.

Or just spit on you finger once and a while......
 
sump is finished now its time to plum in my overflow.. does the pvc piping fit inside the bulkhead or outside over the threads?
 

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