Thickness of baffles for sump

[TimLikesFish]

Hello, I have 3/16" glass that I'd like to use for the baffles in my 40B sump. Any experience if that is heavy enough? I will be running an Eheim 1262 for a 120. Thanks

[jimmyj7090]

Most people reccomend at least 1/4". With glass, thinner is just too easy to break if you bump into it. With acrylic, thinner flexes too much.

You can get away with it using 3/16"*glass, but if you do there is a real good chance you'll be stuck breaking it down to replace the baffle(s) when one gets broken in a month or a year. IMO that would be far more hassel than it would be worth to just get 1/4" now.

[TimLikesFish]

Yeah, you're right. Why should I even risk it when glass is cheap and I can drive 2 miles to a glass shop. Thanks for the reply

[jimmyj7090]

You'd be surprised at how many people might argue this out for pages and pages.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if someone or even several people post that they have used 3/16" and had no problems. Then a few might post that they have broken 1/4" baffles and they think you need something thicker. None of them would necessarily be "wrong" IMO.

But yea, If I were you I would hike down to that glass shop and get em cut in 1/4". Also it'll cost significantly more, but it's probably worth it to get all, or at least the top/exposed edges ground and polished. You can knock the sharp off of cut glass with careful sanding, but I'd much rather let the glass shop do it for me with a machine and not my own (problably) bloody fingers :)

[TimLikesFish]

Yeah, I know the edges definitely need to be dealt with. When you say significantly more for the grinding, how much are we talking? If it ends up being a ridiculous amount more (hopefully it won't be), would running a thin bead of silicone across the top edge do the job? I do have a belt sander to use but I'm afraid it might chip the edges. The silicone just occurred to me as a simple, risk-free method if it'd work.

[chrisrex]

You'd be surprised at how many people might argue this out for pages and pages.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if someone or even several people post that they have used 3/16" and had no problems. Then a few might post that they have broken 1/4" baffles and they think you need something thicker. None of them would necessarily be "wrong" IMO.

But yea, If I were you I would hike down to that glass shop and get em cut in 1/4". Also it'll cost significantly more, but it's probably worth it to get all, or at least the top/exposed edges ground and polished. You can knock the sharp off of cut glass with careful sanding, but I'd much rather let the glass shop do it for me with a machine and not my own (problably) bloody fingers :)

Lol this post is awesome cause that's what people do

[uncleof6]

You'd be surprised at how many people might argue this out for pages and pages.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if someone or even several people post that they have used 3/16" and had no problems. Then a few might post that they have broken 1/4" baffles and they think you need something thicker. None of them would necessarily be "wrong" IMO.

But yea, If I were you I would hike down to that glass shop and get em cut in 1/4". Also it'll cost significantly more, but it's probably worth it to get all, or at least the top/exposed edges ground and polished. You can knock the sharp off of cut glass with careful sanding, but I'd much rather let the glass shop do it for me with a machine and not my own (problably) bloody fingers :)

I have used 3/16" glass for years and no problems......................................................................................yet

LOL....;)

Never take unnecessary risks: 6mm for baffles.

[sleepydoc]

The pressure placed on a sump baffle is not that great, so I guess it all depends how clumsy you are! :p

First, realize that a 1/4" baffle is 33% thicker than a 3/16" baffle - not a small difference. Second, glass is not that expensive so the cost difference isn't that great, either.

Finally, The extra work to install a thicker baffle now is virtually zero. The work to take out a broken baffle and replace it later on because you were clumsier than you thought you were is several orders of magnitude more! I would go with a thicker baffle for that reason alone.

Of course, you could use an acrylic baffle in your glass sump, but I'll let Uncle address that one. :lol: