[MarkS]

I want to make my own sump out of acrylic. I am going to use 1/4" acrylic and the dimensions will be 48" x 24" x 24". There will be a brace at the top of course.

What I need to know is what type of glue to use. I was thinking about Weld-On #3, but the guy at my local plastic shop said that it would not produce a waterproof bond. He said that I should go with #16 which is thicker. I have always been told that #3 was enough.

Any thoughts?

TIA,
Mark

[myreef]

Mark, I am about to make a sump that is 42x18x21. I will be using weldon #3. Since you are using 1/4" material make sure you have good bracing for support, so you don't get any bowing. I am going to run a 2" brace the length of the sump on both sides as well as having the baffles be some of the support. Weldon #3 should be fine. It is what I use on all my reactors and skimmers and they are definitely water tight. If you do have a leak, you could run a bead of #16 on the joint, but as long as the ends are square and sanded/joined you should not have any problems. HTH

[saltjunkie]

I wouldnt use 1/4" go up to the 3/8 1/4 bows too much and my tank is 24x24x183/4 I will replace it soon i think. Just dont want to take up the task of moving everything ???

[icemark]

since it is a sump, and seams don't have to be perfect, I would use the 16, since you can always re-coat a seam for extra sealing with the 16.

You may need some internal bracing as well, for 1/4 stock 24 inchs tall, for extra strength. I know tencor uses 1/4 for their 48x15x24 tank, but I understand they use two part for seams.

[MarkS]

I am considering using two part epoxy, but once I have a pail of mixed epoxy, what do I do with it? How do I apply it? It's thin as water so I could not spread it on and if I use some type of syringe I will have about 30 minutes before the epoxy hardens and clogs the syringe forever.

Mark

[icemark]

Two part epoxy will not "melt" or bond the panels together. it would actually be a weaker bond than using Weldon # 3 or #16.

If you want an extra heavy duty bond, use a two part acrylic adhesive.

[MarkS]

Thaks for that bit of info. I did not know that.

I guess I'll need to make a trip to my plastic supply.

Mark

[Water World]

Hope you guys don't mind if I jump in... Where did you find the acrylic sheets? I check HD and found Plexiglass and Lexor. This didn't seem the same as acrylic. Do you have to go to a special store to get acrylic sheets??

Thx

[icemark]

Plexiglass is a generic for acrylic, however Lexan (commonly used for plastic window replacement and storm windows) flexs much too much, is less clear and doesn't work well for higher pressure applications.

There is almost always a plastic shop that sells acylic sheet even in the small towns of only 100000 people. Maybe just check your local yellow pages.

I also believe that San Diego Plastics will ship around the country, and Tap plastics has quite a few outlets around the country. Both can be found using their name on the internet.