in tank refugium

[mastershake]

so ive decided since im upgrading my tank i wanna make it almost entirely self contained

one thing i wanan do is build an in tank refuge, i bought a big piece of acrylic, that i will cut down to fit from side to side in my new 65 gal tank, it will go from bottom to almost top, i need to find a way to make it like a surface skimmer like the overflow box, or maybe ill jsut go right up to the top and use a small pump for intake and then have a low point at the other end for return where it will just overflow, it will be abotu 4 inches deep maybe 5, and will have two baffles, basically it will be very simialr to a cpr hang on refuge, but it will be intank, just a small pump, to return or at the intake, i was worried about snails and such getting in there, but i dont think there will be a problem since they dont climb into the overflwo box i ahve now which is practiaclly the same thing

i think it will look very nice in the background with all the macro and such that will be untouchable by fish, and such,

just one question, how do i bond the acrylic to the glass, i have this aquarium sealant made by DAP or soemthing i picked up at home depot, but i dont think it iwll bond, so im curious as to what i should use, any ideas? thanks

 

[JG]

Hey

I'm about to upgrade to a 125 and am thinking of doing the exact same thing! I was thinking of using silicone aquarium sealant.

I think an in the tank garden will look lovely. I have also been looking at the Aquafuge pro hang on the tank style refugium. Have you seen these yet?

JG

 

[mastershake]

yeah, ive seen them they are nice, but expensive, and i think it would be nice and tidy looking all contained inside the tank, plus you can put the tank closer to the tall, maybe leaving an inch or so instead of having it stand4 or 5 inches out, plus theres less of a chance for water on the floor i think with it inside, i just hope that sealant will hold, it is silicone, im pretty sure its meant to fix cracks and stuff, i dont know if its made to bond at all

 

[Phyl]

Just be careful how close to the wall you put it if you have a canopy. You need to leave room for the hinge. I have a reef ready tank that is too darn close to the wall and what a pain that it is so close (left a nice mark on the wall too).

 

[Gatorfreak]

My turbo snails make their way into the overflow chamber. I imagine if there was food (algae) in there, they'd probably stay a while. If you want to keep them out, you might have a tough time since they can go short distances out of water.

 

[mastershake]

odd, i have had mine set up for a while and the only snail i ever see in the overflow is the one i put in there to clean the box, but i took him out and ive not seen one in there since, maybe they go in at night, but ill keep it in mind, also i need to make it jumper proof just in case

 

[JG]

Just read something about an acrylic glue . Supposedly the silicone sealant alone won't hold. Still continuing my research !