Couple plumbing questions -

[Xxxtremewv]

Hey guys, couple quick questions..wanted to make sure I am on the right page with this

I just bought a 60g cube set up thats a little different than my 120. I have new 1" bulkhead fittings coming because I dont like the idea of buying a used tank and not changing those to new while its drained, first off. The tank has an overflow on the back wall that is the slim design, so there very little room to work with, only enough room on the drain hole to get a street elbow on, and thatll be a chore wiggling it down in there. The elbow will be glued straight into the bulkhead aiming down of course, but I am wondering, will I be fine just drilling a tiny little hole and gluing a piece of airline into the top of it so it stick out to help quieten it, or is there an air valve you can recommend to attach to the end of the tubing to be able to adjust?

Also, the way I am planning on doing it is have braided vinyl tubing with a ball valve in the middle coming straight down into a 90 and then across the length of the sump and into another 90 and into the sump itself. Sound wise, will I be better off coming out of the 1" drain in the tank and upsizing the tubing to 1 1/4" down and into the sump, or will it be fine at 1" all the way in?

It wont be a high flow tank, I am wanting to do seahorses, so the pump on the return wont be some god awful powerful pump

Thanks guys!

[RobZilla04]

Look into a "Durso" overflow system. I wouldn't simply suggest water going over the divider and immediately down the bulkhead. Single drain in the overflow, go with the durso. If doulble bulk head, go with Herbie for silent and safer operation.

https://blog.marinedepot.com/educati...nimal-overflow

[Xxxtremewv]

I dont have any room though I dont think. I have durso on my other tanks overflows

See attachments

[Vinny Kreyling]

You should be fine with 1" the way you describe it on a low flow tank, heck I ran a 220 with it.
Try this for an air valve:
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/micro...EaAkDYEALw_wcB

[RobZilla04]

My mistake. I thought it was plumbed on the bottom and didn't realize the space was that tight.

I agree that if you have an air valve that should reduce the noise. Also you can use the top bulkhead as an emergency drain.

[Xxxtremewv]

No prob! Yeah ehat I was thinking was top bulkhead as the drain and bottom bulkhead the way they had it before was a long piece of locline that comes up and returned to tank. Was just thinking on keepin that ibguess, would probably be easiest

So taking the drain to 1 1/4 down into to sump would help or would it sven be nexessary?

[laverda]

There is no advantage using larger tubing. The bulkhead and fittings are reducing it smaller than 1" anyway. I would use the lower bulkhead as the main drain. A street elbow and a short length of tubing aimed up at an angle should be pretty quiet. The upper can then be an emergency drain. No reason to glue these fittings in. Gkuing will make it impossible to change if you want to for some reason. If you want to use on as a return make sure you make a screen so there is no way the drain can get blocked.

[Xxxtremewv]

Do you think it would be more advantageous to run the return from the sump on the outside and use the two holes in the overflow to both use as drains? The way I was thinking was use the bottom blkhead as the return, but now that you said that, I do see how it may be a better way to do this, and possibly ward off a flood by having the other as an emergency

[laverda]

It would be the safest way. I have run tanks with just one drain for years without ever having a flood. I did make a domed screen that I hot glued on top of an upward angled street elbow.
It would probably be fine for you seahorse tank due to the low flow.

[Lsufan]

I would use both as drains & run a syphon drain. So basically a herbie. Use the bottom hole as the syphon & top hole as the emergency. Have a 90 facing down in the bottom hole for the syphon & a 90 facing up in the top hole for the emergency. U can get away with no 90 at all in the bottom hole if u set it up this way. It will be the quietest way to set it up & give u more options as far as flow.

Btw, I may have misunderstood but I wouldn’t glue the 90 inside the overflow box. If u have to make them fit u can cut a little off the spigot on the street 90 to be able to get it inside of the overflow box

[ramseynb]

Originally Posted by Lsufan

I would use both as drains & run a syphon drain. So basically a herbie. Use the bottom hole as the syphon & top hole as the emergency. Have a 90 facing down in the bottom hole for the syphon & a 90 facing up in the top hole for the emergency. U can get away with no 90 at all in the bottom hole if u set it up this way. It will be the quietest way to set it up & give u more options as far as flow.

Btw, I may have misunderstood but I wouldn’t glue the 90 inside the overflow box. If u have to make them fit u can cut a little off the spigot on the street 90 to be able to get it inside of the overflow box

+1 I'm using a herbie style overflow on my current tank and it's great. It's a bit different than your setup, but it should work the same way. If you do decide to do this, spend the money and get a gate valve. I have a ball valve on my main drain and it's kind of a pain to dial in. I bought a gate valve that's sitting in a box waiting for me to replumb my drain so I have better control. I also have a ball valve on my return. Without that, I think it would have been impossible to dial in with just a ball valve on the main drain.

[Xxxtremewv]

Ill have tondo some research to understand exactly what you mean by the siphon style. So its basically just a street 90 aiming straight down on the botton drain and a street 90 aiming straight up on the top one? I fo have a gate valve here i was going to put on the return line

[Xxxtremewv]

is the herbie drain information im reading as big of a pain in the *** as it sounds with the gate valves and etting the flow started and all that? Haha it sounds conplicated

[Lsufan]

To me a syphon drain is the easiest to setup. It may take a few minutes to get it figured out & tuned in when u start the system up the first time but once u get it tuned in it really isn’t difficult at all. U may have to adjust the valve every once in a while. It isn’t as set & forget as a beananimal but it’s not like u have to adjust the valve daily eighther. If u want it silent then go with a syphon drain. It is the only drain u can get really quiet. I don’t care what people say, any drain that has air in it will make noise unless u are only running 50gph through it. Especially with 1” plumbing. To me it would be way more of a pain to get a drain with air quiet then it would be to setup a syphon.

Personally, I wouldn’t set up any tank without a syphon drain. Even my fuges I have syphon drains draining back to my sump. U really don’t even need a 90 on the syphon bulkhead inside of the overflow box. I would probably use one but it isn’t completely necessary. The emergency u would need to use one & face it up to where the only way it takes water is if the syphon gets clogged.

[Xxxtremewv]

Do you have a good site or somewhere i can visit that will lay it all out clearly? I want to go quietest route but im seeing the full plan here i dont think

[homer1475]

Full plans for a herbie setup:

http://gmacreef.com/herbie-overflow-...method-basics/

A refrence to all 3 setups:

http://gmacreef.com/aquarium-overflo...d-bean-setups/

[Xxxtremewv]

So im really liking the herbie idea. Seeing as I have very little room to work with I am just getting my ducks in a row and making sure I understand everything.

So the bottom hole would be the main drain. I would have just a 90 facing down in that one with a strainer on it. Now as far as the gate valve goes, will I just have that on the PVC going to the sump just beneath it and if I am understanding this correctly you have to adjust that somehow to get it draining correctly? I am still struggling to find good info on how exactly that part works? Any other parts I need to have in there?

And the top hole is just an emergency hole for if the return pump shuts off or if the main gets clogged, with a 90 going straight up and going to the sump as well? can I tie the top hole into the same pipe with a T right out from the siphon, or do these have to be seperate lines?

Does the pressure I will have coming from the return pump have to be adjusted to coincide with the drain? I am somewhat confused on how you do the adjustments and all that

[Xxxtremewv]

Ahh I see reading more that I cant have the two drain lines connected, didnt realize that kind of defeats the purpose of the siphon, heh

[Lsufan]

U are correct, u want two separate lines going to the sump. If u tie them together u kinda defeat the purpose of the emergency drain because it will only take that one line to clog to have a flood.

A 1” syphon will be able to handle all the flow u throw at it on that setup. It can handle up to about 1500 gph & maybe even more. So what u do is actually tune the drain to the return pump instead of the other way around. That is what the valve on the syphon is for. U adjust the valve to the flow in the system. That is just another positive about a syphon drain, it can handle a wide range of flow & be silent.

U can place the valve anywhere, so I would place it to where u have the easiest access. Once u get it dialed in when u start up the tank for the first time, u really shouldn’t have to mess with it to often. U may find u need to make a small adjustment every so often but it shouldn’t be to bad. I havnt ever read much of the herbie thread, but as far as the syphon it will be the same as a beananimal or any other syphon drain. I know they have a lot of info on beananimals drain so u can look at that for questions on the syphon itself.

[Xxxtremewv]

Hmm this will be interesting to experiment with. I like the idea of adjusting the drain to the pump instead of the other way around. So how do you know when its all adjusted right? Just have a quiet solid flow and ill know?

[homer1475]

You don't need 90's in anything. A straight pipe with a strainer for your siphon, and a straight pipe open as an emergency. Just as they have it in the link I posted to GMAC.

The gate valve typically goes toward the end of your siphon drain, but can be placed anywhere for easy access.

When all setup properly, you should only have a slight trickle going down the emergency. Some run it dry(water just below the emergency), but thats not how its designed to work. Just a trickle down the emergency.

Easiest way to get it setup, turn your gate valve all the way off, let your overflow fill so water starts rushing down the emergency. Then slowly start opening the valve. When water stops coming down the emergency pipe, leave it be for 10 minutes. When you come back turn your valve so there is just a trickle going down the emergency.

While a herbie certainly isn't a set and forget setup, you shouldn't have to fiddle with it too much. I think I might turn my valve one way or the other once a week, if that.

[Xxxtremewv]

I guess im still unsure of how to pumb it up at the bulkheads. I dont have room for the standpipes or anything like they have on the links. Just screw a strainer into the bullheads then? Or a street 90 on each aiming a certain way with a ctrainer on them?

[Xxxtremewv]

Its a slim overflow. Pics are toward the top

[Lsufan]

It’s really up to u if u want to place the street 90’s inside of the overflow. A strainer straight on the bulkhead would work on each but u may want to place a 90 in the emergency bulkhead. If u don’t place a 90 on the emergency then u would need to keep the water level inside of the overflow box below that bulkhead, which seems kind of low to me. It would make a waterfall entering the box & any time u have a waterfall it makes atleast some noise. It really depends how far that hole is from the top of the overflow box.

So if it was me I would put a strainer straight on the bulkhead for the syphon, then place a street 90 in the emergency & face it up. I would want the top of the 90 for the emergency to be 1/2” or so below the top of the overflow box. It’s hard to tell with the picture but if the bottom of the bulkhead that will be the emergency is only 1” or so below the top of the overflow box then u may be able to get away with putting only a strainer on both of the bulkheads with no 90’s. If it’s close u can always set it up with no 90’s & if u find that the waterfall coming into the overflow is making noise u could always add a 90 so u can bring the water level up inside of the box.

Its usually best to start with the valve fully open when u start it up for the first time. More then likely with the valve fully open the overflow ox will be pretty empty. So u close the valve until the water level starts to rise in the overflow box & is above the syphon bulkhead. Once u get it to that point keep a eye on the end of the pipe in the sump. If it has bubbles coming out then the syphon hasn’t purged the air yet so the syphon hasn’t kicked in. When it purged the air & the syphon kicks in it will probably drop the water level inside of the box again. If it does it means u need to close the valve more. The idea is to make sure the syphon kicks in which would be when no bubbles are exiting the pipe in the sump, & once it does get the water level stable inside of the box. Once u get to that point u can eighther close the valve a little to raise the water level inside of the box or open it some to lower the water level. U use the valve to set the water level inside of the box to where u want it

[Xxxtremewv]

Good deal, thanks for the information guys, I appreciate it!