Overflows

[jmr1955]

Can anyone tell me if a bean animal style overflow will work with a bottom drilled 125g rr tank. I cannot go out of the back of the tank bc it will be against a wall. If not what are some suggestions as to what kind of overflow would work that is quiet and able to perform well with that size tank

 

[BigHildy53]

Are the holes drilled already? If so, how many? Look up durso and herbie.

 

[nervousmonkey]

Yes, it would work; how many holes are there? If there are only 4, you might want to think about an herbie. +1 to Hildy on that advice. Those are super quiet and safe also; I'm running an herbie on a Red Sea 135 and it's just as quiet as bean animal on a 60 frag tank a room away (red sea uses herbie style overflows on all their systems, they work well). You'll just have tall pipes, same as with any other overflow set up with drain holes on the bottom. Will you have the ability to drop the drains down through your stand as well as the room to put in a gate valve on one of the lines and unions on all three drains?
The only reason why I say you may want to think herbie is not because a bean animal won't work, it's to utilize all the drilled holes that are there. Don't underestimate how nice it is to have two holes for returns. If you only have 4 holes drilled and you put in a bean animal, you are literally wasting a hole as the emergency won't be used at all, and you'll only have one hole for the return, which is a serious pain.... Either way, if you want to go beanie, it's the same as putting in any other overflow drainage system.

 

[jmr1955]

Thanks for the advice. No the holes are not drilled yet and I would like two returns on the tank just to improve water movement on the surface to prevent possible dead spots. I like the herbie but how often if ever would the pipes become restricted and or how often does the valve have to be adjusted. From what I've read the bean animal is kind of set it and forget and I don't mind the redundancy for safety that's kinda the way I am overbuild just in case, however I feel like 5 holes in the tank is excessive

 

[nervousmonkey]

Thanks for the advice. No the holes are not drilled yet and I would like two returns on the tank just to improve water movement on the surface to prevent possible dead spots. I like the herbie but how often if ever would the pipes become restricted and or how often does the valve have to be adjusted. From what I've read the bean animal is kind of set it and forget and I don't mind the redundancy for safety that's kinda the way I am overbuild just in case, however I feel like 5 holes in the tank is excessive

5 holes isn't bad, although if they aren't drilled yet, have you thought about a ghost overflow from Synergy Reef? @mixer911 can probably help here, as his build skills are immaculate. Then you have much more flexibility in your tank. Does the tank have the cover in the corner/middle or where ever, and you are just thinking about drilling in the bottom there? You also don't have to drill the bottom; you can still drill holes in the back wall of the tank. If you have the cover already in place, maybe Rick can help with using a modified ghost overflow where you don't need the front part. If you don't already have the cover with teeth in place, then I would highly recommend drilling two holes in the backwall that come with the ghost template, and two holes at the ends of the back wall for returns. If you don't want the ghost or can't afford it, there are still other ways to drill your tank so you don't have to deal with holes drilled into the bottom. In any case, you definitely don't need to drill 5 holes in the bottom; for the returns, just drill the back wall on the sides for returns and use your choice of eductors, loc-line, etc for return flow. Then you only have 3 holes for the overflow, much more manageable and less intimidating.

The bean animal is just like the herbie in terms of set it and forget it. Since both have a gate valve on the siphon drain, if you keep the return flow back into the tank constant, it will be set and forget. If you change it, for example you have a manifold off the return with reactors connected, and you need to disconnect a reactor, and have to turn off the flow to that reactor, it will add more flow into your tank, which will of necessity cause you to open the gate valve some, and then close it back down when you open your manifold again. It's all a matter of preference and I prefer a bean animal, but there are some great herbie options out there.

Don't worry about 5 holes in the tank, there are tanks with way more than that. As long as you have a professional do it, or make sure the holes are not drilled too close to one another, you'll be fine.

Cheers!

Lloyd

 

[jmr1955]

Thanks nervousmonkey for all the info. Truth is I'm pretty new to the hobby and only get info from what I read on the internet and talking to lfs. I have been looking at different companies for the tank and while expensive I like reef savvy bc this will be the last tank I put in my living room (barring a disaster) so I want something that looks nice and has the piece of mind of good quality construction, but am open to good options/opinions. I like the ghost overflow but like I said the tank is going against a wall that I cannot cut into to run plumbing. And I was under the assumption that the ghost overflow needed to stick out the back. So I guess to the point I can have the holes drilled on the bottom or back I just want low profile as possible with max capability bc I'm also going for a rimless tank and don't want pipes and tubes sticking out. How would I get ahold of mixer911 to speak with him about some options. Thanks again

 

[nervousmonkey]

Cool, welcome to the hobby!!
The Synergy Reef Ghost overflow does require a couple inches of room in the back but the plumbing goes down from there so you'll be fine with the tank against the wall. You aren't going to put the tank glass flush against the wall anyway. The Ghost overflow looks awesome on a rimless tank. It doesn't take a lot of room at all, performance is amazing; you can pump a lot of water through it depending on the diameter of your plumbing. Now that I know what your goals are, I'd really recommend the ghost. You will start your reefing career with the best there is. Only two drilled holes for the ghost and then two for the returns. I believe that @john.m.cole3 has just built some cool tanks and has some pictures of the returns and drains to show you how much space will be taken up on the back side. Don't worry about that; I think it looks awesome to see the plumbing, especially if you plan it out and get colored pvc or paint your plumbing. It can look really nice with some thought. As far as getting hold of Rick, I'd contact him via the contact us page on Synergy Reef. Or we can try @mixer911 here to let him know you want to buy his stuff and have questions. If he doesn't reply that's ok, he's running a business, which is why I say contact him at his business. Let's let John talk about how he's plumbed the tanks he's recently done.

 

[john.m.cole3]

Hey guys, thanks for the tag senoir Chongo. I've installed the original ghost overflow and 2 of the eshopps units. They only stick out of the back about 3 inches for the plumbing. Are you finalized on a tank size? I know you are wanting to go rimless. Lots of reefers are making a cusrom wood panel painted to match there stand that they just prop up along side the tank to cover up the plumbing. I prefer that style overflow bc it takes up close to no room in the tank unlike those large overflow stacks. But I also see your point at having the tank flush up against the wall. I like a little space back there in case I drop something or a fish decides to go carpet surfing. Let me know if I can help out more. I broke my phone with those pics on it, but I can probably find them somewhere in cyber space.

 

[john.m.cole3]

this is the ehopps bean animal style overflow with dual returns