Question on Reef Ready Tanks

[fishgate]

I have a 125g megaflow reef ready tank. The overflows are very large (volume). I am concerned about the bottom of them getting stagnant. With the water flowing over the top, and the drain opening also being at the top, does this give enough turbulence to circulatge water at the bottom?

Also with my new setup, I am going with 1 full-siphon drain, 1 open channel and 2 returns (1 in each overflow). So basically with the usual setup for these but with one side balanced to have way more water draining. I don't think I need an emergency channel since my system is already designed to be able to contain water pumped up or down in the event of a power outage or drain blockage. And this is where the above question comes into play. I will have some water draining as I will balance the two sides to have more than a trickle, but not 2 full siphons. Just curious if anyone has gone this route.

[Brando457]

The water flows over the top then pushes down and then flows over into the drain. I've never had issues of stagant water as long as you have a return that matches the drains well.

Fill the tank and watch the overflow you'll see the water pushing in and down then out the drain.

On my tank every time I did a water change I would throw a powerhead in my overflow because you will get some detrius on the bottom.

[ziggy2]

The design has been around for years. I believe they have proven it out, time and time again.

[fishgate]

The design has been around for years. I believe they have proven it out, time and time again.

The design is not to run the drain at just a trickle. I am running it outside of design.

[nereefpat]

I believe there is only one way to do a Herbie on a reef ready tank. This is to do a Herbie on both sides and run the returns over the top.

You may be able to do what you are describing, but I believe you would have to connect the two overflows somehow. And obviously make sure the one full syphon can handle the return pump.

[zeemofree]

I have a 125g megaflow reef ready tank. The overflows are very large (volume). I am concerned about the bottom of them getting stagnant. With the water flowing over the top, and the drain opening also being at the top, does this give enough turbulence to circulatge water at the bottom? Also with my new setup, I am going with 1 full-siphon drain, 1 open channel and 2 returns (1 in each overflow). So basically with the usual setup for these but with one side balanced to have way more water draining. I don't think I need an emergency channel since my system is already designed to be able to contain water pumped up or down in the event of a power outage or drain blockage. And this is where the above question comes into play. I will have some water draining as I will balance the two sides to have more than a trickle, but not 2 full siphons. Just curious if anyone has gone this route.


If you are doing a Herbie one drain has to be a backup, if your drain gets clogged it will overflow your main, you really only need one return line and flow in the tank is usually from power heads of some soert

[fishgate]

If you are doing a Herbie one drain has to be a backup, if your drain gets clogged it will overflow your main, you really only need one return line and flow in the tank is usually from power heads of some soert

My tank will not overflow without a backup. My tank can take the sump volume should the drains get clogged and the sump can take what would drain down in the event of a pump outage.

I am not talking about flow in the tank, I am talking about flow in the overflow compartment. :headwallblue:

[fishgate]

I believe there is only one way to do a Herbie on a reef ready tank. This is to do a Herbie on both sides and run the returns over the top.

You may be able to do what you are describing, but I believe you would have to connect the two overflows somehow. And obviously make sure the one full syphon can handle the return pump.

Thanks I have thought of this but I don't need that amount of flow. I could I suppose crank the drains way back to what I need. This is what I had initially thought of doing as I like using over the back returns since I can create my own custom return pipe for even flow distribution. This idea is still a contender.

[Shawn O]

Two full siphons (throttled by a ball or gate valve) and two opens. One on each side.

[HippieSmell]

You'll be fine. It won't become anoxic and nothing is living in there anyway.

[Sk8r]

NEver rein back a drain---put an adjustable valve on the return hose (with a potent pump!!!!) but never impede a drain line in any way.

[nereefpat]

NEver rein back a drain---put an adjustable valve on the return hose (with a potent pump!!!!) but never impede a drain line in any way.

To be clear you mean an emergency drain, yes?

[fishgate]

NEver rein back a drain---put an adjustable valve on the return hose (with a potent pump!!!!) but never impede a drain line in any way.

?? This is how Herbie and Bean are both designed to work. They are tuned via a valve on the drain side. Conventional wisdom says not to I know, but realistically, most return pumps cannot keep up with a full siphon drain so it isn't possible to tune the system on the pump side. I suppose I could get a more powerful pump, but that would be overkill I think. I also will disclose that I had a clownfish jump into my overflow and get sucked down the full siphon drain metered with a gate-valve. It got stuck in the gate valve. When I opened it up, it flushed it right out, unfortunately dead. I would have survived if the valve wasn't there or was all the way open. :sad2:

[zeemofree]

My tank will not overflow without a backup. My tank can take the sump volume should the drains get clogged and the sump can take what would drain down in the event of a pump outage. I am not talking about flow in the tank, I am talking about flow in the overflow compartment. :headwallblue:


So basically you are talking about something that doesn't matter at all

You always should have a backup, if your sump runs dry I won't be good either, a DC Punp can be a better option to control flow

[homer1475]

NEver rein back a drain---put an adjustable valve on the return hose (with a potent pump!!!!) but never impede a drain line in any way.

Both Bean Animal and Herbie drains have a gate valve on the drain to tune the drain to the return. You would have to WAY oversize a return pump to be bale to keep up with a full siphon drain.

The Herbie Overflow Method is a simple, proven plumbing setup that’s been around for many years. At it’s most basic, it consists of 2 standpipes in an overflow; a main drain regulated by a valve that runs as a siphon, and a separate unrestricted “emergency standpipe”.

[johnike]

You'll be fine. It won't become anoxic and nothing is living in there anyway.

You haven't seen my overflows!
Whole lot of stuff going on in there.

There is a 3/8" or so of an unintended sand bed in all three.

[Sk8r]

Interesting---glad to have the info. I have a 'silent' downflow, but of the older typical one-up one-down pattern...just that the water is deep in there, so there's no loud waterfall.

[UTCReefer]

The bottom of my overflow is a disgusting lump of muck.

[JamesHolt]

You haven't seen my overflows!
Whole lot of stuff going on in there.

There is a 3/8" or so of an unintended sand bed in all three.

The bottom of my overflow is a disgusting lump of muck.

I didn't glue my overflows into the bulkheads to prevent this. Just reach in and pull one out, the waterfall will push everything down the drain..

[johnike]

I didn't glue my overflows into the bulkheads to prevent this. Just reach in and pull one out, the waterfall will push everything down the drain..

Note to self: Pull tubes to drain muck.
Thanks James!
:fun2:

[HippieSmell]

How do y'all get so much muck in your overflows? Maybe I haven't left a tank running long enough between upgrades.

[JMorris271]

My tank will not overflow without a backup. My tank can take the sump volume should the drains get clogged and the sump can take what would drain down in the event of a pump outage.

How big is your sump? It must be quite small or you are running a low water level in the DT if the main tank can handle all of the return flow from the sump should your drain becomes clogged. I know it must not be if as you said,the sump can hold the water when the pump is off.
Have you tested these sanerio's?

[JMorris271]

I didn't glue my overflows into the bulkheads to prevent this. Just reach in and pull one out, the waterfall will push everything down the drain..
Good trick. Thanks.

[fishgate]

How big is your sump? It must be quite small or you are running a low water level in the DT if the main tank can handle all of the return flow from the sump should your drain becomes clogged. I know it must not be if as you said,the sump can hold the water when the pump is off.
Have you tested these sanerio's?

It is a 40b sump. The return section is sized to be just big enough to hold the return pump (eheim 1262). The most water that would be pumped up is less than 2 gallons. The 125g tank can handle that. I have tested all failure scenarios. Draining down from the tank is tested all the time when I clean it and turn the pump off.

I reality, with 2 independent gravity fed drains, there is really no chance I'd ever have a scenario where the drains both failed at the same time. Statistically, I suppose it is possible, but in practice, this situation would never occur.