DIY sump

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dansemacabre

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Jul 20, 2003
Messages
440
Location
Detroit MI
I'm turning my 55gal aquarium into a sump for my 120. My question is, is it easier to make the compartments by silicone-ing acrylic/plastic to the glass, or is it easier to silicone glass to the glass? Or, does it not really matter? Thanks for any and all advice!
 
you can't glue plastic to glass, at least, not using silcone. You can sorta stick a piece of plastic in using silcone around it, but it won't hold up to any pressure or abuse.

ideally you want to use glass ... silcone (being made of the same material glass is) works very good at gluing glass to itself...

the trick is having a very smooth, clean and tight fit so just a very thin amount of silcone is between your new glass and tank wall. acheive this by getting your glass cut to the same width as the sides of the tank (as exact as possible), and then have a helper spread your tank walls apart slightly, fit the new glass in making sure it is square and then let the walls go that should squeeze in on the new piece perfectly, ensuring a good strong and permant bond.

remember to let it cure 48 hrs before water testing

another idea for plastic and retaining some strenght would be a marine epoxy that claims to bond both glass and plastic.
 
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