dual over flow set up

[rc.chris]

I have a 125 gallon with two overflows, I also have a wet/dry filter and another sump that my brother in law used as a refugium. What would be the best way to set them up? Connect together and us a single pump or hook each one up to its own overflow and each one have its own pump?

[ericarenee]

First the Trickle filter with bio balls is kinda old tech. They can work but hard to keep clean.The biggest issue is if the power goes out you lose bacteria count Quickly..

I Would most def run them with 1 pump. If one of the pumps fail and you are away. the other pump will still push water over both over flow boxes. Over filling the sump tank that has the dead pump..... This would be a disaster on your Floor.

[rc.chris]

didn't think about that! That is definitely true! Thanks

[ericarenee]

didn't think about that! That is definitely true! Thanks

welcome....:thumbsup:

[JMorris271]

i have a 120 with dual overflows and will be putting in a dual Herbie system. I have already asked all of the questions and that is what I have come away with. Unless yo want to drill a bunch of holes in your tank for a Bean Animal,loose the bio balls and put in the dual Herbies. Easy peasy and only one pump
Dead silent.JMO

[Young347]

I have a 150 gallon and I did not want to have to deal with adjusting a valve or drilling more holes in my tank I use gravety feed on both corners and a return on both corners I also built a silencer for my gravety drain and my aquarium is really quiet I enjoy the little sound it does make of the water going over the overflow boxes

Here is a video of the setup

http://youtu.be/122rq6VqM6Q

[andrek787]

i have a 120 with dual overflows and will be putting in a dual Herbie system. I have already asked all of the questions and that is what I have come away with. Unless yo want to drill a bunch of holes in your tank for a Bean Animal,loose the bio balls and put in the dual Herbies. Easy peasy and only one pump
Dead silent.JMO

I have the same tank. I have been told putting herbie in each over flow is very difficult to get to work, since you have to continuesly balance not just one but two separate drains.

[JMorris271]

I have heard that too but I think difficult is a very subjective word. The options are to do Bean , or remove one overflow. I am going to try to do the dual herbie first and check the curve. I don't really understand why it would be necessary to mess with anything once you have it balanced on setup . What could the variables be with a full syphon and a dry emergency? I will find out how it does during the leak test phase. Live and learn.

[Shawn O]

Couldn't you set up a bean in this tank? Siphon and emergency pipe in one corner and the open pipe and return line in the other?

[JMorris271]

Couldn't you set up a bean in this tank? Siphon and emergency pipe in one corner and the open pipe and return line in the other?

I thought about doing it that way too.
How would you deal with the stagnate water in the bottom of the overflow where the open drain is?
I thought about using a John Guest valve and running a tube off of the return into the bottom of the stagnate overflow to push bottom water up .I may try that if running dual Herbies doesn't work.

[Shawn O]

I thought about doing it that way too.
How would you deal with the stagnate water in the bottom of the overflow where the open drain is?
I thought about using a John Guest valve and running a tube off of the return into the bottom of the stagnate overflow to push bottom water up .I may try that if running dual Herbies doesn't work.

That could definitely work. Although more complicated, and there may not be enough room in the overflow to do it, you could add a T below the top elbow of the drain pipes and run another pipe down to the bottom, thereby sucking water from top and bottom? Not sure if it would work as quietly as a Bean is supposed to, though.

The open drain should be pulling water (10% or so) all of the time, that's why I suggested putting it in with the return line. The emergency drain would be in with the siphon line, giving both overflows water flow. It couldn't hurt to just drill a couple holes in the bottom of the overflow, though this would prevent you from doing any bulkhead work with any water in the tank.

[cincyjim]

I have a 150 gallon and I did not want to have to deal with adjusting a valve or drilling more holes in my tank I use gravety feed on both corners and a return on both corners I also built a silencer for my gravety drain and my aquarium is really quiet I enjoy the little sound it does make of the water going over the overflow boxes

Here is a video of the setup

http://youtu.be/122rq6VqM6Q

I've never heard a tank that quite. Very nice job indeed!

[JMorris271]

That could definitely work. It couldn't hurt to just drill a couple holes in the bottom of the overflow, though this would prevent you from doing any bulkhead work with any water in the tank.

The thing with that is the tank would continuously run into the sump during power failure as the water seeks its' own level and flood.:uhoh2:

[Shawn O]

Isn't the overflow on these just a plastic wall? From what I've seen, of you removed these plastic walls you'd have a couple exposed pipes, going from the bottom bulkheads up to the water's surface. Drilling holes in this plastic wall should just allow water to enter the overflow area from down lower. Some of these overflows have a grill down near the bottom to "keep the water from sitting still and going stagnant", a little advertisement lingo there.

[JMorris271]

I think you are right about the wall of the overflow being plastic.
The way I have understood the purpose of the overflow wall is that it limits the amount of water that can pass into the overflow. If the power is turned off without a screen in place the tank water will flow through the drain until the water level is even with that drains entry level resulting in a flood.

[ericarenee]

I think you are right about the wall of the overflow being plastic.
The way I have understood the purpose of the overflow wall is that it limits the amount of water that can pass into the overflow. If the power is turned off without a screen in place the tank water will flow through the drain until the water level is even with that drains entry level resulting in a flood.

That is true in General Kind alike a dam.. but not on all of them. It depends on the design of the overflow pipe inside /behind the overflow wall.. if the pipe goes to or near the top of the tank where the water over flows into the pipe you can in theory drill the over flow wall is its not a over flow wall just a wall to hide the pipe. If the water level behind the wall is lower then the tank and its over flow pipe is lower then the tank level you can NOT Drill it....