Upgrading to a 40 Breeder!

[blank]

After getting frustrated at having multiple nano tanks, I've decided to upgrade to a 40 breeder tank!
So far I painted the back of the tank with Black Krylon Fusion and drilled holes using the drill bit that came in with the Eshopps Eclipse L. Came out flawless Thanks for all the tips! So far I have the following equipment for it.....

- 40 Breeder Tank
- A Kessil a360we in the middle , a160we on the left for the softies/LPS, a Hydra 52 on the right along with the controller for my SPS.
- An Eshopps Eclipse L (Looks Fantastic and comes with the drill bit, template and everything!
- Eshopps PSK - 100h
- Aqueon Proflex Model 1 Sump (a bit small so I'm going to have a 10 gallon next to my display tank to hold all my macroalgae!)
- Mag-7 return pump
- Sears Gate Valves just on the main drain and return line.

My plan is to run Bean animal overflow method. (1 main drain that's pretty close to the bottom, 1 that's a bit higher and 1 that's for emergency).
The main drain closest to the bottom will flow directly to the Proflex sump, but the secondary drain will flow to the 10 gallon refugium right next to the display tank which then will have a bulkhead that also drains into the sump.

I'm using a Entertainment stand so I can't just put a large sump right under it sadly but I think this will work out fine too!

Will post pictures of the set up soon!
Nothing except the overflow and paint is put together so far so any opinions are welcome

 

[Evan West]

Interesting light combo, I would sell the hydra and a160we and get another a360we if it was my choice.

 

[blank]

Interesting light combo, I would sell the hydra and a160we and get another a360we if it was my choice.

Yeahhh I was going to but like. A ton of talk about how kessil's shadowing affecting growth and not having the correct spectrum and etc.etc. I wanted to go with 2 xr30s but out of my price range for now. Maybe a future upgrade.

 

[blank]

Decided to go with a Herbie overflow instead.

 

[blank]

Really an awesome looking overflow.

 

[blank]

Might make the red emergency pipe about a 1/2" taller and the middle pipe also taller

 

[ksfulk]

Yeahhh I was going to but like. A ton of talk about how kessil's shadowing affecting growth and not having the correct spectrum and etc.etc. I wanted to go with 2 xr30s but out of my price range for now. Maybe a future upgrade.

You could just as easily sell the kessils and pick up a Hydra 26, which you could control along with your 52

That aside, looks like the start of a nice tank! A word to the wise - you want your drains to be above the bulkheads that move water from the inside box to the outside box on that overflow, otherwise you are going to get a lot of noise AND saltcreep (even if that box has a lid) from teh water rushing between the two. I learned that lesson with my Synergy overflow. If the drains are too low, you get noise - though I will say it is nerve wracking watching the water in those boxes!

 

[blank]

You could just as easily sell the kessils and pick up a Hydra 26, which you could control along with your 52

That aside, looks like the start of a nice tank! A word to the wise - you want your drains to be above the bulkheads that move water from the inside box to the outside box on that overflow, otherwise you are going to get a lot of noise AND saltcreep (even if that box has a lid) from teh water rushing between the two. I learned that lesson with my Synergy overflow. If the drains are too low, you get noise - though I will say it is nerve wracking watching the water in those boxes!

Haha I know but the growth and coloring on my zoas are SOOO much better when it's under Kessils! Besides, kind of cool to compare the different coloring and growth rates between two different lights!

Also... hmm does that mean I should just get rid of the 2 90 degree elbows and just have 2 straight pvcs? If the main drain is to close to the secondary (height wise) wouldn't there be a vortex that causes gurgling? (something I just read, I'm still new to overflows. only had AIOs)

 

[blank]

Also kind of strange if that's the case and the emergency pipe is just RIGHT above the bulkhead :/

 

[ksfulk]

Also kind of strange if that's the case and the emergency pipe is just RIGHT above the bulkhead :/

I could be wrong, but my experience with this type of overflow is that the water rushing from the inside to the outside of the box makes a gurgling sound, if its covered, you dont hear that noise. Looking at your box, it might be ok for two reasons:

1. My overflow was rated for 2000 gph, and I pushed it right to that limit, Im assuming that yours is not meant for that kind of flow, so perhaps the gentler movement of water wont create that "rush" of water. If those pipes came with the kit, its likely that this is the case, and I worried you for nothing.
2. Your water line will be over 1/2 of the bulkheads (see aqua line), so the movement of water will not cause gurgling, because there is enough air space in the bulkhead to prevent that noise.

Obviously try it out with what you have and then adapt from there. Your return pump, plumbing and other factors will ultimately decide the adjustments you have to make, but my experience showed that once the bulkheads were submerged I was silent.

 

[blank]

Oh yeah, it's way gentler. I have a mag 7 return and this is rated for 1000? + The overflow has a lid , that should help at least a little

 

[enzo]

I have a360w on my 30 breeder directly centered on the tank and first my thought was that was one plenty of lighting. Until I started to fill the tank with corals and now I wish I had two 360's or t5 supplemental's beacause the corners that I thought had enough light are slightly dim. So yah go with with another lighting. But my 360' don't have the corals growth. I know someone going good to say something about that but sorry it's just not happening in my tank. PM me if you want to talk about it I don't want to,steal this thread.

 

[blank]

I have a360w on my 30 breeder directly centered on the tank and first my thought was that was one plenty of lighting. Until I started to fill the tank with corals and now I wish I had two 360's or t5 supplemental's beacause the corners that I thought had enough light are slightly dim. So yah go with with another lighting. But my 360' don't have the corals growth. I know someone going good to say something about that but sorry it's just not happening in my tank. PM me if you want to talk about it I don't want to,steal this thread.

Haha feel free to talk about it on here. How far above from the waterline is your kessil at? and what intensity?

 

[chris31759]

The tank is looking great. You might want to check some of the other 40 breeder threads. @ksfulk is correct on adjusting the heights of the drains. The level of the secondary should be above the height of the overflow bulkheads. Then the emergency should be slightly higher. Also it helps to drill a small hole in the underside corner of the first 90 attached to the primary. This isn't always needed but can help start the full siphon a little quicker on the primary. Make sure that the sump compartments can handle the additional water if there is a power failure. If you have any other questions, I would be more than happy to help. I need to figure out how to save photos at a lower resolution. My frag tank is a 40 with a bean animal overflow from reef synergy with a 20 gallon sump. @TaylorPilot makes some awesome baffle kits and overflows. Unfortunately I learned about his stuff a little to late.

 

[blank]

The tank is looking great. You might want to check some of the other 40 breeder threads. @ksfulk is correct on adjusting the heights of the drains. The level of the secondary should be above the height of the overflow bulkheads. Then the emergency should be slightly higher. Also it helps to drill a small hole in the underside corner of the first 90 attached to the primary. This isn't always needed but can help start the full siphon a little quicker on the primary. Make sure that the sump compartments can handle the additional water if there is a power failure. If you have any other questions, I would be more than happy to help. I need to figure out how to save photos at a lower resolution. My frag tank is a 40 with a bean animal overflow from reef synergy with a 20 gallon sump. @TaylorPilot makes some awesome baffle kits and overflows. Unfortunately I learned about his stuff a little to late.

Thank You! Ok so I'll use the emergency (red) drain as my secondary and place a different one a bit higher than that. I'll also drill a small hole ... on the underside? I always thought it was on the top so that it could let air out? and oo I'll look into his stuff once I set up a frag tank!

 

[blank]

The tank is looking great. You might want to check some of the other 40 breeder threads. @ksfulk is correct on adjusting the heights of the drains. The level of the secondary should be above the height of the overflow bulkheads. Then the emergency should be slightly higher. Also it helps to drill a small hole in the underside corner of the first 90 attached to the primary. This isn't always needed but can help start the full siphon a little quicker on the primary. Make sure that the sump compartments can handle the additional water if there is a power failure. If you have any other questions, I would be more than happy to help. I need to figure out how to save photos at a lower resolution. My frag tank is a 40 with a bean animal overflow from reef synergy with a 20 gallon sump. @TaylorPilot makes some awesome baffle kits and overflows. Unfortunately I learned about his stuff a little to late.

The last drain is about 1/2" from the top of the box. Is this good?

 

[blank]

Also I pressed the red drain too hard maybe? it went in pretty deep. Might just cut a white pvc pipe to size just so it matches lol

It's about a 1/8" under the height of the bulkhead

 

[chris31759]

The emergency is fine at a 1/2" below the box. That is what mine is. You can just add a 1" PVC coupler (Female Slip X Female Slip) to get the height you need. Another option for the primary is to run a 1" low profile strainer (from Marine Depot part # R441012 Lifeguard 1" FIT low profile strainer. ) I didn't need to use this but I know other people that swear by it. This allows a very fast full siphon to be created which helps eliminate any trapped air thus reducing noise. You just need to keep the strainer clean. I run a spears gate valve on my primary and secondary. The goal is to have a full siphon on the primary and a trickle on the secondary. Try to use 45's instead of 90's on the primary when running the lines to your sumps. This reduces the possibilities of trapping air. Another option is using spa flex for the bends. They sell it at Home Depot by the foot. Both the primary and secondary should terminate about an inch below the water line in the sump. I keep my emergency about 3" out of the water. That way if something is messed up, I can hear the emergency making a ton of noise. You will have to fine tune the system based on the amount of water your return pump is pushing back into the tank. You should be able to run the Magnum 7 without any restrictions. Depending on the distance between you overflow and the sump, your overflow setup can easily handle up to 1500 gph. Good luck and keep us up to date.

 

[chris31759]

In my opinion nothing beats a Bean Animal style overflow for safety and low noise. If you do use spa flex, you need to use the multi purpose glue in the red can from Oatley instead of the gold can. There are more expensive glues or cements but the red can works just fine.

 

[blank]

The emergency is fine at a 1/2" below the box. That is what mine is. You can just add a 1" PVC coupler (Female Slip X Female Slip) to get the height you need. Another option for the primary is to run a 1" low profile strainer (from Marine Depot part # R441012 Lifeguard 1" FIT low profile strainer. ) I didn't need to use this but I know other people that swear by it. This allows a very fast full siphon to be created which helps eliminate any trapped air thus reducing noise. You just need to keep the strainer clean. I run a spears gate valve on my primary and secondary. The goal is to have a full siphon on the primary and a trickle on the secondary. Try to use 45's instead of 90's on the primary when running the lines to your sumps. This reduces the possibilities of trapping air. Another option is using spa flex for the bends. They sell it at Home Depot by the foot. Both the primary and secondary should terminate about an inch below the water line in the sump. I keep my emergency about 3" out of the water. That way if something is messed up, I can hear the emergency making a ton of noise. You will have to fine tune the system based on the amount of water your return pump is pushing back into the tank. You should be able to run the Magnum 7 without any restrictions. Depending on the distance between you overflow and the sump, your overflow setup can easily handle up to 1500 gph. Good luck and keep us up to date.

Oh wow thanks, I was planning to put a low profile strainer anyways along with a normal strainer on the secondary just to keep whatever that might fall in there in the box. I'm using a sears gate valve in the main and return pumps, didn't want to spend another 30 dollars on one for the secondary... maybe in a later date. I have a lot of extra pvc so I have no problem cutting another piece to get the exact size! And ah, more 45's.. got it. So I'm going to have my secondary flow into a separate refugium tank and my main will connect to the proflex sump itself (they have their own thing). My only question, is the secondary too low still? (red pipe) It went further into the bulkhead than I thought it would.