need advice on proper gasket material for saltwater

[coralcruze]

so what I am trying to do is build a temporary pannel (baffel) in my acrylic sump to act as a fresh water container for ATO. I need some sort of gasket material that will hold the fresh water in and saltwater out. I do have coraline algae on the wall so will need it to work with the algae.

so the question is what type of gasket material do I use? I was thinking maybe silicone rubber gasket? but i never worked with this stuff and not sure what glue to use to permanently glue it to the baffel?

I do not want to use silicone as it discolors in a short period of time and also fails.

any suggestions would be very appreiciated. thanks in advance!

 

[AlexG]

This might be difficult to do as any differential in water height on either side of the baffle will create pressure changes on the temporary seal and cause water to leak. If you really want a baffle I would say a proper installation with acrylic and the proper Weldon adhesive would be the best solution but that would require the sump to be taken out and prepared. Another solution could be to find a reef safe container or build a separate water tight acrylic box and ballast, or clamp it down so it can sit in the sump empty. This would be a simpler solution over a temporary baffle.

 

[Snoopy 67]

I agree with the above statement that a separate container would be the easiest & safest way for a temporary set up.

 

[Quietman]

Agree...think 'insert' instead of wall for temp.

Even though I think you could have enough tension to hold the baffle in place, I just don't see how you can put enough material between baffle edge and wall to stop leakage without using silicone at least at the corners....and I'd probably run a full bead on both sides. But at that point, jwhy not just use the proper acrylic bonding agents.

 

[lapin]

Your best bet is Expanded PTFE.
Once you get past the how thick to make a tight seal without cracking the glass, the issue you will have is leakage in the bottom corners.

 

[ddelmonaco]

if this is a truly temporary situation I wouldn't worry about silicone failure or discoloration. I have had many seams and many sumps for several years and never seen a failure or significant discoloration. Be sure you are using the right stuff

 

[coralcruze]

by temporary I mean removable... then reinstall several hours later or at will. silicone is not going to work.