Bean Animal vs Durso for a small frag tank

Joe Batt · Mar 5, 2020

I am building a small frag tank, no fish. The water volume is going to be only around 80 litres (18 gallons) The overflow box is only drilled for 2 x 1 inch pipes.

Am I better to install a Herbie or a Bean Animal but without the emergency standpipe? Would a Bean animal be ever likely to block when it is just in a frag tank and also such a small tank at that?

W1ngz · Mar 5, 2020

2 drains is called a herbie overflow. It's the better choice.

amps · Mar 5, 2020

You'll be fine with a Herbie setup. One full siphon and one emergency. The only issue I've noticed with frag tanks is that they tend to have a ton of light spill and are more likely to develop algae in the overflow pipes. Consider making a small cover for the overflow.

Quietman · Mar 5, 2020

Did you mean Herbie instead of Bean Animal? Very low flow may drive it to Durso as you need to get a full siphon for Herbie to be quiet. Would recommend enough flow to make Herbie feasible.

Peace River · Mar 5, 2020

This may help:

Overflow Boxes and Drain Styles - Durso, Herbie, and Bean Animal

Decide which of the three most common types of drains and overflow boxes is right for you and your tank.

blog.marinedepot.com

Joe Batt · Mar 5, 2020

Quietman said:
Did you mean Herbie instead of Bean Animal? Very low flow may drive it to Durso as you need to get a full siphon for Herbie to be quiet. Would recommend enough flow to make Herbie feasible.

Yes I was wrong I did mean the Herbie vs the Bean as opposed to Durso (brain fog with al the names)

That said would a Durso plus an emergency drain be quieter than a Herbie with the emergency drain?

Quietman · Mar 5, 2020

Joe Batt said:
Yes I was wrong I did mean the Herbie vs the Bean as opposed to Durso (brain fog with al the names)

That said would a Durso plus an emergency drain be quieter than a Herbie with the emergency drain?

Depends. Durso is designed to operate less than full siphon quietly (silently is tougher). Herbie will move tons more water but will not be quiet at all less than full siphon unless you think constantly flushing toilets are quiet

. Herbie will also need periodic adjusting the drain valve to compensate for flow changes from build up of deposits. Durso's will not.

That said, I would recommend you have enough flow to get a full siphon on the Herbie as that will be quieter, easier. Use a reducer to get the 1" down to 3/4 or 1/2 if needed if you have to use smaller pump.