I was wondering if anyone could help explain the Herbie overflow setup to me. Pics would be helpful. I read the original thread by Herbie on RC but it is still a little UN clear to me. Is the main drain standpipe 6" below the waterline in the overflow with the emergency drain being a little above the waterline, and the main drain flow controled by a ball valve to match the flow rate of the return pump? Anyone have any details on this or better yet any pics with instructions? I have a 90g that I will be setting up as my first reef ready tank and wanted to convert the standard durso to the quiet Herbie. Thanks!
Easy Herbie setup?
- Thread starter Gdk414
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SDdiver
Community Member
Your best bet is to check out GMAC Reef. That's where I got the info to build mine. The main drain pipe can be 6" or more (all the way to the bottom of your tank) but as they mention, way too much water will drain into your sump and if livestock are stuck in the overflow, lack of water may leave them homeless. Also, its a gate valve, ball valves lack the precision needed for fine tuning. Have you designed your sump? Ensure your sump can handle the water that drains from your overflow, main display and plumbing if power goes out. Good luck, its a very quiet design!
http://gmacreef.com/herbie-overflow-reef-tank-plumbing-method-basics/
http://gmacreef.com/herbie-overflow-reef-tank-plumbing-method-basics/
Thanks that is great info there! I meant to write gate valve too lol thanks for catching that. I will be using a 34" trigger system sump... not sure if the water level in sump varies with the different overflow methods, but I hope I'll be OK with that sump
Higher Thinking
Active Member
Yeah, it sounds like you have everything correct. Here's a short video (albeit not the greatest) that quickly details the setup:
SDdiver
Community Member
Your welcome! Regarding the return line, I used black 3/4" tubing which at that diameter is fairly ridged so no worries of kinking and its so much easier to work with; barb fitting off the return pump and a pair of street elbows to angle into the tank which act like a hook that holds it in place. Hardware store irrigation section sells them in black
also used a section of loc line pipe to drop about 2 inchs below the water line then drilled a small hole right below the water line as to limit the amount of back siphoning from the main display, has been working great for over a year. If your curious about water volume, check out the site below to figure out how much water volume your sump/ chambers hold. Their ratings are usually wrong (a "40gallon" sump can really sometimes only hold 35 gallons or less) so knowing what you have to work with and how much your over flow chamber holds etc is nice to know in case power fails and...you get the picture. Probably more important if your building a custom sump, though you may have adjustable baffles or change things down the road- bookmark it as a reference tool. Good luck 
