attaching baffles into a refugium

T

tinctorus

New Member
How should I attach the baffles in the refugium that I am building to my tank??
I am using a 10 gallon glass tank BUT I am using acrylic baffles, Granted there are only 3 baffles and there will be no pressure on them as the first baffle where the water comes in will have slits at the top for the water to overflow into the refugium portion with the chaeto and then the next baffle will stop 3 inches from the top and run down into a filter block to stop any micro bubbles and the third baffle will stop 3 inches from the bottom so in reality there is NO pressure on any of the baffles

Should I drill a few small holes at the bottom of the first baffle as well as the slits at the top or should I just use a good amount of silicone??
I am positive that the baffles will stay put but I was curious if anyone else had any other ideas???


Thank you
Mike G
 
Haaileybop

Haaileybop

Member
I just did what you are asking about.

You can see some of that thread here:

Sump, silicon, and acrylic

I ended up having to rip out my baffles because of leaking and reseal them... total pain. The silicone basically supports/holds the acrylic in place, unlike with glass or acrylic to acrylic with Weldon #4 where it bonds it. My big mistake was thinking more silicone = less leaking. I just kind of glopped it on there and didnt smooth it into place (aka like you would caulking a bathtub). One thing is to make sure you get your corners well. I wouldnt drill the acrylic baffles, I would sand the edges of the acrylic so its the silicon has something to "grab" on to instead. Also make sure it cures for 48 hours, then do a water test.

Im not sure if you bought the acrylic already but you want it to be 1/4". From what I have read from others experiences, if you go less than that the acrylic gets to be brittle from the stress of water/salt/use and they can end up breaking.

Good luck!
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
Since you're using 2 different materials you'll want to have some extra "space" to allow for dissimilar expansion.
 
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