[rlcline76]

I have been looking through several of these threads. My husband wants to build his own sump (and leave me to babysit while he is deployed to Iraq...something is going to go wrong, I just know it) and I am reading through other DIY sumps/refugiums and all I have gleaned is to not use the crap sold at Lowe's. Any recommendations?????

[glampka]

Check Weld-On. They have a number of them. Some fast setting, some slower, a 2-part as well. Probably get it at a place that sells acrylic sheet goods.

IPS Weld·On Industrial Adhesives - Acrylics

[Lowej82]

I used........ Perfect Manufacturing Aquarium Sealant Says its 100% clear silicone rubber, and that you can build small tanks, dividers and a few other things.. adheres to.. glass ceramic porcelain, non oily wood metalpainted surfaces, canvas fiberglass some plastics & rubbers


I built my sump in 1 side of my 29 gallon tank, it is about 15" tall x 15" wide X 11 3/4" depth. I filled it with water and had no leaks and was still strong. note that i had to glue 2 pieces of glass together to get width of aquarium with no extra support... holds about 10 gal maybe

I got mine from petsmart itsfresh water or marine use. Good luck on your build. Have fun

John

[e_baer]

i have te same thing, and it workes well when there is another form of support, but i would not use it to build the entire thing.

i used this stuff on my overflow box, and it is coming apart.

Im leaving to go to NC tomorrow morning, so i hope i dont lose power when im gone!!!

[glampka]

Originally Posted by Lowej82

I used........ Perfect Manufacturing Aquarium Sealant Says its 100% clear silicone rubber, and that you can build small tanks, dividers and a few other things.. adheres to.. glass ceramic porcelain, non oily wood metalpainted surfaces, canvas fiberglass some plastics & rubbers
John

The key words here with silicones are some plastics . I wouldn't trust silicone to make a sump. To glue pieces into a glass tank is one thing but not to make the entire structure out of acrylic.

[Lowej82]

about the when teh power goes out... that bilge pump ideal i had if you was to put that in a high part of the tank with its own chamber that only got water if it was to overflow the whole sump.. hook it to a small 12volt riding mower bat and then when power goes out water will build up flow over into this chamber instaed of the floor the pump will auto kick on

sry becky not trying to steal ur thread this would be an ideal to incorperate into your new build maybe.

John

[Lowej82]

yea actually i just used on the inside of the tank sry forgot to mention that

[emccullough1]

What realy needs to be decided is what you are going to use to bild it . If you use glass you use silicones. If you use acrylic you need to use weld-on. Weld-on 3 has about 30sec. work time weld-on 4 has about 90 sec. and both are water thin. Weld-on 16 Fast-setting, medium bodied (SYRUPY), high strength acrylic cement. Also bonds rigid PVC, ABS, styrene, butyrate, polycarbonate to themselves and each other, as well as other plastics and porous surfaces. Great all-around Plexiglas and Lexan Glue. May leave bubbles however the bonding strength is superior to #3 or #4 for water-tight applications. If parts do not fit tightly, #16 helps fill the gap. weld-on 10 is the 2 part I have not used it so I wont say.

If your husband dose not have a router to get the edge's smoth weld-on 16 would probbly be best. If he does weld-on 4 is my favorite. If you have small leaks you can use silicon to seal it
If you want to know more PM me

look here
IPS Weld-On #4 Plexiglas Acrylic Solvent Adhesive Glue

IPS Weld-On #3 Plexiglas Solvent Adhesive Glue Cement

IPS Weld-On #16 Plexiglas Acrylic Solvent Adhesive Glue in Tubes, Pts, Qts, Gallon

Weld-On #10 2 part plastics adhesive glue

If you have a marine surplus in your area you can save a lot on acrylic by geting it there. You should have your husband look here to.

Melevsreef.com | Acrylic Sumps & Refugiums

[Copeland]

Thanks for sharing the information guys! I'm suppose to help my brother build a sump. Also, I hope tings work out rlcline.

[Krazy]

Weld-on, Weld-on, Weld-on..

I've heard nothing but good things with the stuff, its ultra tough and ALWAYS gets the job done !!!

[Cela Vie]

emccollough1 is spot on. Use #4 for the sump (it is stronger than #3). If need be #16, but only for gaps. Actually, you can sand some acrylic and pack it into a gap and fill it with #4 and that would work fine (assuming a nominal number of small gaps...emphasis added on the nominal and small).

[xrock06x]

read this

http://www.ipscorp.com/industrial/selectionguide.html