Plumbing options for 60 cube

[Tmm87]

Tank is a Deep Blue 60 cube. Has an internal corner overflow with a durso drain and return. Sump will be a trigger sapphire 24.

What's the best way to plumb this? Hard pvc? Flex? If hard any recommendations for fittings and valves? My last tank ran spa hose for the overflow and regular vinyl tubing for the return (not my choice, that's how it was set up when I bought it).

Pictures and explanations greatly appreciated.

 

[Greybeard]

Hi. I no longer own it, but I plumbed a 60 cube a couple of years ago, and replumbed it several times, trying to silence the overflow. Ended up with an external return, and used both bulkheads as a Herbie style drain. Just couldn't get the Durso quiet enough to satisfy myself.

Here's a shot of the outside of the overflow area. Note that I ended up spraying the outside tube flat black, so it didn't stand out so much:

And here's a shot of the final iteration of the under cabinet plumbing:

Main 'full siphon' drain through the gate valve, to the sump's main inlet, sock compartment, etc. 'Trickle' drain direct to the skimmer section. The return lines passed through a bulkhead in the stand, and goes up outside the tank, as pictured above.

Absolutely silent... and with the unions I used, easily servicable. I think the guy I sold it to is still using it in exactly the same configuration.

 

[Tmm87]

I'll have to read up on the herbie. Seems like it could work. I'd need to either make a custom stand (which I had considered) or run the return line out and up the back.

 

[Greybeard]

The stand I built for my cube was a bit odd... Bigger than the tank all the way around, gave me a nice 'shelf' around the tank, which my daughter did in a mosaic tile. By making it a bit larger, it gave me a bit more room under the tank...

Wasn't enough. I replaced it. Bigger tank, sump in a closet behind the tank... same floor location as the cube was in, though. See build thread below

 

[Tmm87]

That looks awesome. I'd love to have a big tank again but space is limited so the 60 is a good size.

 

[Sycoticrealm]

I have a 60g cube also is the durso really that loud. I haven't decided on a sump yet

 

[Biglurr54]

I caught with my durso on my 60 cube (same tank). I made a new drain and raised it do the greater didn't fall through the weir. It made a huge difference. I can hear my rw8 over it. I hard plumbed directly to my fuge with pvc. No valves. Then I used flex tube for the return. Again no valves.

 

[ontop27]

I have a deep blue 56, i turned it to a herbie and ran duel returns over the top. Best thing i could have done.

 

[Tmm87]

Is there any reliable way to quiet down a durso drain? I'd like to keep the tank as close to the wall as possible. So an Herbie could work, but I'd need to leave the tank out from the wall more.

 

[Biglurr54]

Mine is silent and nothing is changed on it. Just raise the drain pipe so the water level is halfway up the weir. Then drill the hole out on the top until the whistling stops. The only sound you'll have will be down at the sump. That can be managed.

 

[Greybeard]

I ran durso drains for years. It was never a problem, until I built that 60 cube. When I put together the cube, I placed the tank about 10 feet from where I sit to watch TV. It wasn't really noisy, per se... but there was a bit of a gurgle sound, and in this environment, it was enough to bug me.

Google 'reverse durso'... This is a change that can be made to the lower end of a durso drain. I did this, it helped, but not enough.
Varying the amount of air allowed into the durso at the top can help, to a point. You can even run a bit of airline tube part way down the stand pipe, that can help as well. Not enough, in my case.
Someone above recommended raising the water level in the overflow box... yes, this helps too. Even if you do switch to a Herbie, limiting the waterfall noise at the top of the system helps. Same on the other end, a long water drop between compartments in your sump can be noticeable.

I played with many different modifications to the durso system... for months, without ever really being happy.

Switched to a Herbie drain... Silence. I could hear pumps hum, but _no_ gurgle or chug, no water flowing noises at all.

 

[Tmm87]

Appreciate the responses. Guess it's something I'll have to think about. If I stick with the stand I have now I'll probably leave the plumbing as is. If I feel ambitious enough to make a new one I'll probably swap to an herbie.

 

[ontop27]

And really to run it over the back you are really only talking about an inch that you have to pull it out from the wall. Well worth it

 

[Biglurr54]

My issue with switching to herbie was that the return over the tank ruins the rimless look. Specially since it wouldn't be symmetrical.

I had the same issue with the sound bugging me when I was watching tv. Now my I hear my powerheads over the durso. I was never able to get a reverse durso to work. I tried allot of different sizes and configurations. My main goal was to stop Bubbles in my fuge area. Nothing really stopped it so now I just have the pipe at the fuge water level and it's just as quiet as the reverse durso.

 

[ontop27]

Personally i think it makes it look cleaner, less power heads in the tank. Im also running 2 mp 10s on the rear wall but nothing on the sides now

 

[riche]

If going with a herbie in the overflow where the durso is supposed to go, at what height do you cut the pipes?

 

[Greybeard]

With a Herbie, you've got two... The main, full siphon drain, with the gate valve for adjustment, needs to be several inches shorter than the other. The trickle drain sets the water column height... however tall it is, is how high the water level will normally be in the overflow chamber. Theoretically, it can be anywhere you want it, but falling water generates noise. In my cube, it was something less than an inch lower than the bottom of the overflow weir.

 

[riche]

With a Herbie, you've got two... The main, full siphon drain, with the gate valve for adjustment, needs to be several inches shorter than the other. The trickle drain sets the water column height... however tall it is, is how high the water level will normally be in the overflow chamber. Theoretically, it can be anywhere you want it, but falling water generates noise. In my cube, it was something less than an inch lower than the bottom of the overflow weir.

Thanks @Greybeard Now did u use 1" pipe for both? Or should I up size to 1-1/2"

 

[Greybeard]

In my 60? 1" for both... The tank was drilled for 1" bulkheads. Upsizing the tube above the bulkhead does little to increase flow.

Here's a pic from below the stand on that old cube, might give you some ideas:

Main drain has the gate valve, trickle drain falls into the ref compartment, and ends ABOVE water level... I want to hear it if it's flowing more than a trickle. The flex pipe is on the return... since this tank was away from the wall, and had a shelf all the way around it, I ran through a bulkhead to get through the stand, even though it exited outside of the tank above. Just gave me a cleaner look, really.