So I had a cube custom built (25x25x12/approx 33g) with built in over flows and drilled at the bottom (1" drain 3/4"return). This will have a custom 20g tall sump, probably oak stand and then a 24 inch 14000K Solaris LED Lighting Fixture (probably hung from the ceiling), tunze silence 739gph return pump and a Reef Octopus160 skimmer.
Here is the first part of this build. THE SUMP
I picked up a 20g tall (24x12x15) for $10 from a fellow reefer. I chose the 20 tall because I want the stand to be 26" square and it would fit perfectly. The tank was really dirty, so that's why I probably got it so cheap.
But after some time, a razor blade and vinegar water, it cleaned up pretty well. Some scratches, no biggie it's a sump
So I got on the phone with the glass company to see if they had 1/4" approximately 5'x1' so I could make the baffles. While I was on the phone, I took the tank out to the back of the van and sat it down because I was going to load it after I got around. Key word "WAS". So I came back inside and let the dogs in, got around and headed out about 10 minutes later. I went out to the van, got in, and threw it in reverse. The backup camera takes a few seconds to kick on, so I just threw it in reverse and backed up as I typically do. I heard a thud, thought it was weird but still hit the gas....then I heard another noise. Thought I ran something over, so I got out and this is what I saw lol.
Sorry but it's a cell phone pic
Here is the damage to the van
So piece of advise, if you take something out to your vehicle, even if you're only going to be 5-10 mins, make sure you put whatever it was first before you go back inside. So needless to say, in that short time, I forgot to put the tank in the hatch lol. Well the LFS had one in stock, so $40 dollars later, I had my tank and drove up to get the sheet of glass.
So now that I got my new 20g tank, I took the top rim off, set the sump in and it's footprint is about 7 1/2" wide. I decided to make the sump chamber around 10" wide, to give me about an inch or so on each side.
I had the glass shop actually cut the width of the glass to 11 15/16" wide because the tank was 12" wide. They left it in a long sheet for me because I wasn't sure the height I was going to make each baffle. I picked up a glass cutter and the aquarium silicone for $5 each at Ace Hardware. I used a T square to make my cuts and the glass broke pretty easy (I have never did this before but it cut clean and was easy to do). I then took 100 grit sand paper to the edges of the cut glass to make it smooth because I didn't want to cut my when I put the silicone on. I would have used 80grit but they were out.
In these pics, I didn't have any masking tape, so I used painter's tape which is basically the same thing. I must say I'm impressed with the silicone, it was very easy to work with (much better than when I used the stuff for the bathroom). The freshly cut glass fit in very nicely and snug. The tank is 15" tall so I made the first baffle 12" high. Also, I was trying to figure out how to clean the end of the silicone cap and learned that a Qtip works pefectly!
Because the glass was so cut so tight, I didn't have any wiggle room to tilt the baffles and then turn it to make them straight. I could have left it on if I wanted crooked baffles. So, I took the rim off and they slid down into the tank perfectly but really tight.