In tank refugium Plexiglass

[mrg02d]

Hello all,
I am planning to build an in tank refugium out of plexiglass sheet. I can get it at my local Home Depot. I plan to score it in order to get the pieces I need for the sides. There are two thickness available, 0.22in and 0.093in, which should I go with?

Will super glue be fine for assembly? It sticks well to plexiglass, but I dont know how well it will hold up in my reef tank.

For flow I planned on drilling some holes in the side of the refugium and letting my output from my fluval 305 blow through. Should this be okay?

Size planned: 9 in long, 2in wide, 5 in deep.

As for contents, I was thinking some sand, macro algea (or some mangroves?) and a pod pile. (Or maybe this would be good something like GARF grunge?).

Tips?Thoughts?

My DT is only 20g, but I like the idea of a refugium.
I do a 10% PWC each week, but now have some Acroporas in the tank. (I read they like absolutely ZERO nutrients).

Matt

 

[cmor1701d]

A 9" x 2" fuge won't hold very much, but some macro is better than none. Crazy glue works great though there is glue sold just for plexiglass.

Skip the sand and the grunge. The fuge is too small for it to be useful. LR rubble on the other hand can help a bit.

Corals need near 0 nitrAtes. They need lots of light.

 

[mrg02d]

Hello,
So I will nix the sand and put down some rubble. Since 2 in isnt much space for chaeto to spin freely, might mangroves be a good idea?

My nitrates are at zero right now, but id like to ensure it stays that way incase there is something else undesireable in the tank causing the zero nitrates. Id also like to keep copepods in the fuge since it seems neat to have them around.

I think my lights are good. 96W T-5 (two 10k and two actinic).

Matt

 

[willmarr87]

Hey I know for a fact that at home depot you can get tubes of clear 100% clear silicone for windows and doors at about 6 bucks a pop and works just fine just make sure u don't get the bathroom stuff because of the mold and mildew killer that will also kill ur fish

 

[mrg02d]

I think I will go with superglue since it sets really fast...
Matt

 

[Zer0]

Yeah.. i know this thread is old but i just saw it now..

mrg02d.. DONT use plexiglass for any baffles in your sump, or wherever your putting it. If plexiglass is exposed to saltwater long-term, it will turn a yellowish color, become very brittle, and will expand. When it expands.. if it's right up against your aquarium, it could shatter or crack the aquarium. You need to use material such as Acrylite, or regular standard Acrylic.

I'm not sure where you are located, but when i purchased the baffles on my sump, i ordered from here. You don't have to order in bulk and their prices and products are excellent.

TAP Plastics

 

[mrg02d]

Wow, that surprises me! I thought all the stuff was acrylic and just had different brand names? Good thing I got lazy and just stuck with my eggcrate chaeto basket!

Thanks!
Matt

 

[Zer0]

Well yeah.. plexiglass is just a brand name of acrylic, of they do something different to the plastic that makes it less resilient to saltwater. Unlike true acrylic or acrylite.

 

[jsoong]

Acrylic is kinda used generically for any clear (thermo)plastic. There are different chemical compositions for the plastics, additives, as well as different manufacturing processes.

(Poly)methyl-methacrylate is the standard acrylic sheet, but you can also get poly-carborate (Lexan) which is much stronger & more heat resistant. I am sure there are other different kinds of acrylics out there. <I am not sure which one is SW safe.>

 

[Zer0]

Actually I remember seeing someone talking about how lexan is also good to use for SW. Only reason I mention acrylite is becuase on melevsreef, he says that's what he used to make his entire sump, and the baffles, and thats the type of acrylic I used as well.

 

[corrado33]

Actually I remember seeing someone talking about how lexan is also good to use for SW. Only reason I mention acrylite is becuase on melevsreef, he says that's what he used to make his entire sump, and the baffles, and thats the type of acrylic I used as well.

I used Lexan from home depot to make my 5 gallon betta tank. No yellowing so far. It was worth the extra money I paid for it. ($30 bucks vs 13 or so for a similarly sized sheet)

 

[mrg02d]

Yea, I changed my mind about using any of it once I saw how hard it is to cut! I dont have ANY access to a power saw, so I got a plastic scoring tool. Took me an hour to snap once piece! Theres no way I could do that well enough to make it work and look decent. The egg crate seems to be working fine aside from attracting brown whispy algae...

Matt

 

[ilostnemo]

why not just use glass from home depot or lowes?

 

[mrg02d]

I have zero experience working with glass and from what I understand, can be a bother to deal with for a newb.

I can get a guy on ebay to cut the pieces for me if I buy the Lexan from him, so I may go that route.

Matt

 

[capj64]

Check to see if there are any Window Companies in your area. I used to work for a Window Manufacturer and a lot of the distributors with repair shops that can cut glass, lexan. They may even be able to get the glass or lexan for you.

 

[jsoong]

Also check out local plastic supplier. <We have at least a dozen outlets in the phone book.> They can sell you custom cut sheets of all sorts of acrylics. <And the prices (locally) are cheaper than HD or other big box store ... even including the cutting.>