Doc's 120 gallon SPS reef

reef_dude76 · 01/12/2019, 10:31 PM

Alright guys and gals, I'm at the beginning of my planning process for my 120 gallon SPS reef. I've been out of the hobby for several years now and got back in about 6 months ago with a 20 gallon nano I setup with parts I kept from my last tank. The wife and I will be moving into our new home, hopefully sometime in the next 3-4 months, so I'm starting my planning early. Quite a few things have changed since my last major reef tank (that was my 180 gallon sps reef that I set up in 2006). So, as I get back into reading and doing me research, I'm setting this thread up to document my planning and then my build.

So, my first area of planning and questions is the tank itself. My last tank was a 180 gallon tank from Glass Cages here in Tennessee. It was a great tank, extremely heavy to move, but built like a tank and it lasted until I tore it down and got out of the hobby. I'm looking at the tank while also planning my plumbing and overflow layout. It looks like the tried and true, corner or back wall overflows are still being produced, sold, and used with what I would call the traditional two hole design, one for the drain and one for the return. This is what I used in my last tank with a durso for the drain to quiet it down, and a standard plumbed return terminating in loc line. However, from some of the reading I have done already, it looks like the Bean Animal setup for overflow/drain is very popular now. One source I found was even calling it the "gold standard" for an overflow setup. So that leads me to my first question, would you agree this setup is now the preferred or "gold standard" for plumbing and over flow? From what I have been able to glean so far, it looks like the actual overflow box is now located outside of the tank instead of inside the tank. This is requiring tanks to be drilled in the upper back wall with bulkheads in the holes to allow water to pass from a strainer box located inside the tank, through the back wall of the tank, and into the actual overflow box which is in turn drilled with three holes in the bottom of the box. One hole for a siphon drain (which to me is a throw back to the herbie drain), one for a durso, and one for an open emergency drain should the main drains become clogged. So, what are everyone's thoughts with this setup? Anyone using it? Have comments about how well it works? How silent is it really? What kind of tank did you use to set it up since most reef ready tanks I'm finding now are still the traditional two hole, corner or back wall over flow? What are the feelings about having the plumbing running behind the tank and into the sump instead of through the bottom of the tank/top of the stand and into the sump? Is the plumbing easier to get to this way if you need to do maintence? Harder to get to? What source would you recommend to get a tank that looks to be a special order or special drilled tank? And finally, where would you recommend getting the Bean animal parts from? I found a site called Synergy Reef that makes a "shadow overflow" that basically looks like a bean animal overflow. Anyone used these before?

Any and all comments and thoughts are welcome, and thanks in advance for all your help.

reef_dude76 · 01/14/2019, 09:02 AM

Any thoughts? Anyone?

marzvt · 01/16/2019, 01:06 PM

Reef_dude76, you are right that the bean is definitely the most in vogue right now but that doesn't mean its right for all situations. Also for overflows Reef Savvy makes an awesome low profile one they call "Ghost overflow". With that being said because it needs to be drilled out the back of the tank, I am using a conventional overflow on my next build because I need it flush against the wall.

01/12/2019, 10:31 PM	#1
reef_dude76 Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Maryville, TN Posts: 663	Doc's 120 gallon SPS reef Alright guys and gals, I'm at the beginning of my planning process for my 120 gallon SPS reef. I've been out of the hobby for several years now and got back in about 6 months ago with a 20 gallon nano I setup with parts I kept from my last tank. The wife and I will be moving into our new home, hopefully sometime in the next 3-4 months, so I'm starting my planning early. Quite a few things have changed since my last major reef tank (that was my 180 gallon sps reef that I set up in 2006). So, as I get back into reading and doing me research, I'm setting this thread up to document my planning and then my build. So, my first area of planning and questions is the tank itself. My last tank was a 180 gallon tank from Glass Cages here in Tennessee. It was a great tank, extremely heavy to move, but built like a tank and it lasted until I tore it down and got out of the hobby. I'm looking at the tank while also planning my plumbing and overflow layout. It looks like the tried and true, corner or back wall overflows are still being produced, sold, and used with what I would call the traditional two hole design, one for the drain and one for the return. This is what I used in my last tank with a durso for the drain to quiet it down, and a standard plumbed return terminating in loc line. However, from some of the reading I have done already, it looks like the Bean Animal setup for overflow/drain is very popular now. One source I found was even calling it the "gold standard" for an overflow setup. So that leads me to my first question, would you agree this setup is now the preferred or "gold standard" for plumbing and over flow? From what I have been able to glean so far, it looks like the actual overflow box is now located outside of the tank instead of inside the tank. This is requiring tanks to be drilled in the upper back wall with bulkheads in the holes to allow water to pass from a strainer box located inside the tank, through the back wall of the tank, and into the actual overflow box which is in turn drilled with three holes in the bottom of the box. One hole for a siphon drain (which to me is a throw back to the herbie drain), one for a durso, and one for an open emergency drain should the main drains become clogged. So, what are everyone's thoughts with this setup? Anyone using it? Have comments about how well it works? How silent is it really? What kind of tank did you use to set it up since most reef ready tanks I'm finding now are still the traditional two hole, corner or back wall over flow? What are the feelings about having the plumbing running behind the tank and into the sump instead of through the bottom of the tank/top of the stand and into the sump? Is the plumbing easier to get to this way if you need to do maintence? Harder to get to? What source would you recommend to get a tank that looks to be a special order or special drilled tank? And finally, where would you recommend getting the Bean animal parts from? I found a site called Synergy Reef that makes a "shadow overflow" that basically looks like a bean animal overflow. Anyone used these before? Any and all comments and thoughts are welcome, and thanks in advance for all your help. __________________ She canna take the current captn, she's gonna blow!! Current Tank Info: 20 gallon Nano SPS/LPS mixed reef

01/14/2019, 09:02 AM	#2
reef_dude76 Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Maryville, TN Posts: 663	Any thoughts? Anyone? __________________ She canna take the current captn, she's gonna blow!! Current Tank Info: 20 gallon Nano SPS/LPS mixed reef

01/16/2019, 01:06 PM	#3
marzvt Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2017 Location: Vermont Posts: 52	Reef_dude76, you are right that the bean is definitely the most in vogue right now but that doesn't mean its right for all situations. Also for overflows Reef Savvy makes an awesome low profile one they call "Ghost overflow". With that being said because it needs to be drilled out the back of the tank, I am using a conventional overflow on my next build because I need it flush against the wall.