Help Me Make a Decision re Overflow Box

[Itchy Trigger]

I'm trying to decide the best way to do my overflow box on my 330g build... The key is disguising it. I plan to use a 1.5" Durso standpipe. The tank is drilled in the bottom. So I have two choices:

1. A full length overflow box, 9" x 6" that is attached to the bottom of the tank with a bulkhead. With this, I could hide the box by having Steve at the Reef Rock store cut lots of flat slabs (with flat backs) that I could build up around the overflow box and essentially turn it into a large pillar.

2. A shorter overflow box, installed with a bulkhead on top of a length of black PVC. See attached pic for a sketch. With this plan, I could just silicone some small pieces of pukani onto the overflow box to cover it as best as I can, and just leave the pipe exposed, or possibly silicone rock rubble to it as well.

I like option 2 because it leaves more room in the tank. But I'm not sold either way... Thoughts?

[mcgyvr]

I will always recommend doing a BeanAnimal overflow.. Durso/Herbie are just inferior..
http://www.beananimal.com/projects/silent-and-fail-safe-aquarium-overflow-system.aspx
BA is really mainly 3 pipes.. one full siphon .. one open channel and one emergency.. It doesn't have to be a "coast-coast" (full length) overflow box with it but when you see how a C2C just pulls all the protein/oil slick off the top of the water you will want it. Also you really only need a valve on the full siphon line and not really all 3 like the article shows.. but it can't hurt.

The added level of safety and the ability to be virtually silent is well worth the extra pipe or 2..
people always seem to complain about noise issues with durso systems and seem to always be dialing down their pumps/diverting flow to attempt to correct it.

Also beware.. many tanks are tempered on the bottom and you can't drill that..

[Itchy Trigger]

I will always recommend doing a BeanAnimal overflow.. Durso/Herbie are just inferior..
http://www.beananimal.com/projects/silent-and-fail-safe-aquarium-overflow-system.aspx
BA is really mainly 3 pipes.. one full siphon .. one open channel and one emergency.. It doesn't have to be a "coast-coast" (full length) overflow box with it but when you see how a C2C just pulls all the protein/oil slick off the top of the water you will want it.

The added level of safety and the ability to be virtually silent is well worth the extra pipe or 2..

Also beware.. many tanks are tempered on the bottom and you can't drill that..



I have heard great things about those. Unfortunately that won't work for this setup as the tank back is flat against the wall. Tank is acrylic, so drilling not an issue. And suggestions for best overflow system with a bottom drain?

[mcgyvr]

BA is still an option.. I tried to point out that its mainly just about having 3 pipes.. thats it.. they can easily go through the bottom if needed just like your durso can. The diagrams just show the "typical" setup but its not limited to that at all.
So I still suggest a BA with C2C..

[Itchy Trigger]

Ah, I see... Thanks - will check those out.

[NanoReefWanabe]

i too would do a bean with a coast to coast on it…problem with your setup (option #2) is you are going to have double the failure points, as you will need two bulkheads for each pipe…not only that but you will need to bring your return pipes up through the bottom as well…which adds more points of catastrophic failure…if you have a leak you lose 300G of water on the floor…

depending on how you want to have your rock work in the tank i would do all four holes (3 drain one return) off to one side of centre to have a more asymmetric look…i would build a box around all four pipes and then have it "T" shaped so as to accomplish a coast to coast at the top but a narrow column off one side…if you wanted you could put one of the pipes (return or emergency) in a smaller box somewhere on the other end of the back side of the tank and establish a smaller pillar of stone to cover it..

[Itchy Trigger]

I'm sure the BA is the best... But I'm thinking I might go for the simpler approach with the Durso (or possibly the silencer that Jeff from LifeReef makes). This will allow me the least amount of obstruction in the tank. For my next big build though, I'll plan the tank around doing a Bean Animal overflow. Thanks for the info!

[NanoReefWanabe]

just remember a durso is loud, inefficient,virtually ineffective, and offers no redundancy or failsafe should something go wrong. that is not a path i would want to go down with 300g of water…in this hobby form really does need to follow function.

[Itchy Trigger]

Virtually ineffective? How so?

[NanoReefWanabe]

in order for it to operate even remotely safely and quietly the flow rate has to be so low it is not overly effective at removing surface water from a tank…

essentially a 1.5" durso will effectively and quietly drain about 150gph, more then that it gets noisy, at a certain point likely around 500gph it starts to flush constantly like a toilet would if you pushed the handle every couple minutes…much more then that it floods your tank, which is clearly not an effective way to drain your tank…

to each their own…i actually have a single 1.5" durso on my tank…but it is a 5g vase, there is no more room for more drains, and the return pump is a maxjet 1200 so i get about 100gph to the tank or less…the drain on my tank is silent…however should something ( i have no idea what) clog my drain i will have about three gallons of water on the floor, which all-be-it a mess is nothing like what you would incur, should your single drain clog (dead fish, large snail or crab etc..)

[Itchy Trigger]

I certainly believe you re the bean animal being great. I had dursos on a 270g fw tank years ago and they were quite silent once I dialed them in (with a pretty high flow rate too). I think the noise most people talk about comes from the sump. And the sump for this tank will be on the other side of the wall in the next room.

I think you're mainly encouraging the BA for safety reasons, which I certainly appreciate. :) I guess it's possible a fish could jump into the overflow box, die and then clog the drain. But couldn't I put some sort of mesh over the top of the overflow box to prevent anything from jumping or climbing in?

[azjohnny]

I have a 1.5" drain on my 180 with a Maggie Muffler ( running about 1000gph) and its pretty quiet

[Itchy Trigger]

I have a 1.5" drain on my 180 with a Maggie Muffler ( running about 1000gph) and its pretty quiet

I feel like I should get that one based on the name alone! :thumbsup:

[azjohnny]

They are pretty simple, it slides on top of the PVC pipe, not as quiet as a full siphon but IMO good enough
http://www.aquacave.com/maggie-muffler-quiet-overflow-box-standpipe-cap-fits-any-1-5-standpipe.html?fee=1&fep=1842&utm_source=Google%20Paid%20Search&utm_medium=CPC&utm_campaign=Google%20Paid%20Search&gclid=CPSuyuOCncACFRMLMgodxV8AFg

[Itchy Trigger]

Cool - will definitely consider the MM. Has anyone tried the silencer that Jeff makes at LifeReef? He's making my sump, protein skimmer and overflow box, and said he could do the silencer too for $19. His looks more or less like a Stockman, but I've bought his stuff before and it's always really nice.