Kassun Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Just started back in the hobby with a 45g tank that I got for free. All I had to do is re silicone it . I went to Home Depot and bought 2 x 1/4" 18" x 24" pieces of plexi glass for 12.99 a piece. I found a local acrylic dealer that cut and machined the edges for me for 7.50 and bought some glue from him for 6.50. The deminsions of the finished refigium are 24" x 5" x 12". I went to Menards and bought the 3/4" pluming supplies and an acrylic drill bit for around 15.00. The building went pretty fast as the liquid gule bonds in seconds. I ended up using silicone for the plumbing around where it attaches to the holes in the refigium. The reducer to the powerhead will fit my maxijet 1200 perfectly. Did a water test after 24hrs and all is good to go. I had a cpr aquafuge on my last 29g reef but didn't want to spend the money for a new one. The Refigium came out pretty good and I saved quite a few dollars. All that is left now is the baffels. I forgot to add them in when I built it . I will be adding a basic 2" x 4" stand behind the tank to support the fuge. Link to comment
aqua_aaron Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 very nice- i like the design! Link to comment
Kassun Posted January 18, 2006 Author Share Posted January 18, 2006 thanks It was a real simple build. -Kassun Link to comment
jasert39 Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 is there i way to keep your macroalgea from exiting the return pipe into your tank? Might want to think about adding a baffle to keep everything where it belongs. Looks real nice though..good work. Link to comment
jubilee597 Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 Just a heads up!! I would be careful with the silicone around the inlet & output. It does not adhere to PVC or Acrylic. It may be a fairly tight seal for now but sooner or later will start leaking. I assume you used some sort of Weld-on or similar product to do the fuge with. This is what you need to do on the inlet & output also. I know weld-on bonds PVC and acrylic very well. Not picking just don't want you to have water everywhere. The job on the acrylic is very good. Randy Link to comment
Mr. Fosi Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Have you done a flow-test? That is, are you sure that the water will drain out of the box fast enough? Link to comment
Abysswater Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Just a heads up!!I would be careful with the silicone around the inlet & output. It does not adhere to PVC or Acrylic. It may be a fairly tight seal for now but sooner or later will start leaking. I assume you used some sort of Weld-on or similar product to do the fuge with. This is what you need to do on the inlet & output also. I know weld-on bonds PVC and acrylic very well. Not picking just don't want you to have water everywhere. The job on the acrylic is very good. Randy I have been using silicone on acrylic for years and no leaks. Where do you guys come up with this stuff????? Link to comment
Mr. Fosi Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 I have been using silicone on acrylic for years and no leaks. Where do you guys come up with this stuff????? I second that. Link to comment
Abysswater Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 thanks It was a real simple build. -Kassun Hey nice build. I have one suggestion, see how your long pieces kind of bow. In time it might put more stress on the corners due to heat and cold expansion etc. Might what to design a trim out edge piece on top and weld -on glue it to edges. That way it will strangthen the box overall. just a thought! kind of like this. see pic! Link to comment
ReefWreak Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Just a heads up!!I would be careful with the silicone around the inlet & output. It does not adhere to PVC or Acrylic. It may be a fairly tight seal for now but sooner or later will start leaking. I assume you used some sort of Weld-on or similar product to do the fuge with. This is what you need to do on the inlet & output also. I know weld-on bonds PVC and acrylic very well. Not picking just don't want you to have water everywhere. The job on the acrylic is very good. Randy Against what a few people have said, I agree that using silicone instead of weldon or an actual bulkhead is just asking for trouble. I set up a refugium on my tank a couple of times with different materials, and the silicone aquarium sealant just wasn't cutting it. it would be fine, but after a few hours of running, and one side being under water level (only by .5"), the silicone would easily start to weep, and slowly open up into a full leak. I watched it for a few hours, and it is really inefficient. I would suggest at least using bulkheads or weldon, but the best would probably be a combination of both, or caulking maybe? Either way, good luck, and let us know how it holds up! Link to comment
itswayner Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 how did you glue it all together? did you make some kind of jig? Link to comment
Kassun Posted January 27, 2006 Author Share Posted January 27, 2006 itswayner: How did you glue it all together? Took about 60 seconds per piece, about 20 min to finish it, and I left it stand 24hrs before I did a water test. Did you make some kind of jig? I did it free hand Abysswater: I did get some leakage from the silicone so I am ordering the bulkheads to fix the problem . I also did put in a few braces to support the width so it didn't bow anymore. ReefWreak I am ordering the bulkheads to fix the problem Mr. Fosi I have a maxijet 1200 set on full flow and It drains out just fine. hope I answered all your questions -kassun Link to comment
Daemonfly Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 Few things to note to prevent disaster down the road: 1. It's already bowing, so put in cross braces, especially since it's cheap HD acrylic (extruded, not cast). 2. You will need to add a baffle or some type of screen/grid to prevent algae from getting into the return pipe and clogging it (fuge will overflow). 3. It looks like the weight of the whole hob is supported only by the input & output fittings. This will also need fixed. You're going to need to support it better. Few solutions you can do, most are with some more acrylic glued to the hob body. Link to comment
Mr. Fosi Posted January 29, 2006 Share Posted January 29, 2006 I have a maxijet 1200 set on full flow and It drains out just fine. Awsome. That 1200 should be putting out 295gph, which makes me wonder what I did wrong. What size/kind fittings are those? I couldn't get mine to drain fast enough using a 3/4" outlet, a 1/2" inlet, and a 102gph pump... Link to comment
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