ABS for sump Baffles?

EW_Fish · May 30, 2018

Has anyone tried using 1/4 ABS for sump baffles? I find it cheaper to use black ABS then black acrylic. I have never really messed with 1/4 ABS so i'm not sure how much it bends.. Need them to be 18" x 8"

glb · May 30, 2018

I don’t see why not. I have ABS parts in my tank without a problem. Is the sump acrylic?

EW_Fish · May 30, 2018

glb said:
I don’t see why not. I have ABS parts in my tank without a problem. Is the sump acrylic?

The sump is not acrylic. Its a 30B. I've always used acrylic for my baffles but I'm sure if ABS bends more then acrylic does thats my only thing.

Reef of Fillory · May 31, 2018

This website seems to indicate that:

"Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS). An amorphous styrene-based thermoplastic with high impact resistance and stiffness and good properties for thermoforming. ABS is used for eg machine guards, roof boxes and advertising and the most popular type of plastic when it comes to electronics or engineering applications."

and

"
Acrylic
One of the most common thermoplastics is acrylic. The chemical name for it is polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). PMMA was invented in 1933 by Otto Röhm, the founder of the plastics company Röhm and Haas. Röhm tried to create a lamination between two glass plates to increase the glass resistance, but instead he found that he had developed a completely new glass-like material. Acrylic sheets are easy to glue and are good for milling, bending and hot forming and is therefore a material suitable for many different applications. The material became available for commercial use in 1936 under the protected trademark Plexiglas®."

With that said, I don't see any reason why ABS wouldn't hold up and stay stiff in a sump as a baffle, just make sure to add plenty of silicone to both sides, as just with acrylic on Glass, the Silicone won't bond strongly to the ABS

EW_Fish · May 31, 2018

Reef of Fillory said:
This website seems to indicate that:

"Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS). An amorphous styrene-based thermoplastic with high impact resistance and stiffness and good properties for thermoforming. ABS is used for eg machine guards, roof boxes and advertising and the most popular type of plastic when it comes to electronics or engineering applications."

and

"
Acrylic
One of the most common thermoplastics is acrylic. The chemical name for it is polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). PMMA was invented in 1933 by Otto Röhm, the founder of the plastics company Röhm and Haas. Röhm tried to create a lamination between two glass plates to increase the glass resistance, but instead he found that he had developed a completely new glass-like material. Acrylic sheets are easy to glue and are good for milling, bending and hot forming and is therefore a material suitable for many different applications. The material became available for commercial use in 1936 under the protected trademark Plexiglas®."

With that said, I don't see any reason why ABS wouldn't hold up and stay stiff in a sump as a baffle, just make sure to add plenty of silicone to both sides, as just with acrylic on Glass, the Silicone won't bond strongly to the ABS

Thanks for the reply. I couldn't remember how easy the ABS bent to compare it with acrylic. I figured someone on here would know LOL. I planned on adding a .25" strip to both sides of the baffle where the silicone will go to help reinforce the seam.

mrpizzaface · Jun 1, 2018

EW_Fish said:
Has anyone tried using 1/4 ABS for sump baffles? I find it cheaper to use black ABS then black acrylic. I have never really messed with 1/4 ABS so i'm not sure how much it bends.. Need them to be 18" x 8"

Why don’t you use 1/4 inch glass?