Overflow Recommendation for New 40 Breeder Build

[ReefGazer]

I've been reefing since the early 1990s.

I am starting a new 40 breeder build and took advantage of the Petco sale on these tanks. I run a mixed reef with lps and sps. Internal flow will be one MP10 on one end and one Ice Cap 3k gyre on the other end. Flow to sump and return to tank will be about 400 gallons per hour or 10x tank volume. Main pump will be a DC variable speed pump. My overall flow goal for this tank is between 30x and 50x tank volume or about 1200gph to 2000gph with random flow that fluctuates throughout a 24 hour period.

My questions are:

1. Would you recommend a herbie style or bean animal? Why?
2. Which manufacturer would you choose and why? (Eshopps, Reef Savvy, Modular Marine, Synergy, Exotic Marine Systems, etc.)

I like the idea of having a cover for the weir and I think the common wisdom is for 1" drains and 3/4" return plumbing right?

Please share your thoughts. Thanks for your help.

 

[CNDReef]

I’m on the same boat as you with the same tank. I’m going to do a Anthony Calfo coast to coast overflow and drill the bean animal on the back. I like the side to side skimming , it takes off all that biofilm that you get on the surface of the water and is the quietest of overflows I’ve ever had.

 

[Crabs McJones]

I have a 40 breeder, and i've been using the Eshopps Eclipse S on it and absolutely love it. Run it herbie style. Its dead silent and never given me an issue. It comes with a drilling template and a drill bit. The only thing you have to watch out for is drilling. The instructions tell you to put the included template on the outside and drill, on a rimmed tank you want to put the template on the INSIDE of the tank, and put it up all the way to the lip of the rim. If you drill from the outside, the rim makes the overflow to low and your water level will be way to low. and drill from the inside out.

 

[Smo]

I am sold on BeanAnimal drain systems. I used an Eclipse L on my 40B frag tank.

My only issue was I didn’t like the tank water level below the upper rim. Seamed too low; despite mounting the overflow as high as I could on the back of the 40B. So I added a thin strip of black acrylic as a sort of flood gate on the weir. It is held with nylon screws threaded into small squares of acrylic (serve as a nut for the screws) on the inside of the overflow.

 

[ReefGazer]

I’m on the same boat as you with the same tank. I’m going to do a Anthony Calfo coast to coast overflow and drill the bean animal on the back. I like the side to side skimming , it takes off all that biofilm that you get on the surface of the water and is the quietest of overflows I’ve ever had.

That's an idea I had not considered. A coast to coast overflow. I wonder if anyone else has done this on a 40B.

 

[ReefGazer]

I have a 40 breeder, and i've been using the Eshopps Eclipse S on it and absolutely love it. Run it herbie style. Its dead silent and never given me an issue. It comes with a drilling template and a drill bit. The only thing you have to watch out for is drilling. The instructions tell you to put the included template on the outside and drill, on a rimmed tank you want to put the template on the INSIDE of the tank, and put it up all the way to the lip of the rim. If you drill from the outside, the rim makes the overflow to low and your water level will be way to low. and drill from the inside out.

Great tip about the drilling height! Thanks for that one. How did you decide to go with the Eshopps Eclipse S?

 

[ReefGazer]

I am sold on BeanAnimal drain systems. I used an Eclipse L on my 40B frag tank.

My only issue was I didn’t like the tank water level below the upper rim. Seamed too low; despite mounting the overflow as high as I could on the back of the 40B. So I added a thin strip of black acrylic as a sort of flood gate on the weir. It is held with nylon screws threaded into small squares of acrylic (serve as a nut for the screws) on the inside of the overflow.

That's what I am trying to avoid...having to make DIY corrections. Why did you decide to do bean animal vs. herbie? Was it the added protection of an additional fail-safe?

 

[Crabs McJones]

Great tip about the drilling height! Thanks for that one. How did you decide to go with the Eshopps Eclipse S?

I saw one on display at a fish store that I visit quite often. And I was looking for around 10x turnover in my tank, the S is rated at 600 gallons per hour so I figured that'd be perfect. Plus the fact that it does come with the drilling template and the drill bit was a big bonus, no guessing drill bit size

 

[ReefGazer]

I saw one on display at a fish store that I visit quite often. And I was looking for around 10x turnover in my tank, the S is rated at 600 gallons per hour so I figured that'd be perfect. Plus the fact that it does come with the drilling template and the drill bit was a big bonus, no guessing drill bit size

Makes sense to me! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

[Smo]

That's what I am trying to avoid...having to make DIY corrections. Why did you decide to do bean animal vs. herbie? Was it the added protection of an additional fail-safe?

It was a 15 minute fix with some scrap pieces of acrylic I had available. (FYI, I did place the template and drill from the inside.)
I went with a BeanAnimal drain system on my DT as well as my frag tank for greater reliability and because I wanted to avoid depending on a constant trickle of flow thru the emergency drain used by Herbi. Also wanted to hear noise should the water rise up to the emergency drain level to tell me I had a problem. This actually occurred on the 40B when some macro algae clogged the full syphon and open channel strainers. Also, I am an engineer so I had to make it more complicated.

 

[Even Further]

I'm running a Herbie on a similar size 37 gallon. Siphon is 3/4", emergency is 1". The globe valve is about 70% closed. Using 1" for the primary siphon seems way overkill on that size tank, considering how much you'll have to close the valve. My return pump is a RO Varios 2 set on level 3, with a high-flow return nozzle (no loc line, 3/4" pipe direct into tank).

I can completely close off the siphon drain line, and the 1" emergency will handle 100% of the flow. The emergency does form a vortex and is loud and burpy at 100%, but it does handle it.

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

I would strongly recommend running a bean style drain through a quality low profile overflow such as the exotic marine systems.

I strongly recommend avoiding the synergy reef shadow. Many users including myself have had serious issues with this product and terrible service from the manufacturer. Here's a thread about it.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/16”-shadow-overflow-noise-when-pushing-flow.494689/