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!
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