NEW plumbing method for an ULTRA QUIET REEF TANK!!!! LONG !!!!

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This system do not work for me i have large tank with two overflows in both side of the tank .
The high flow in my tank will shift from right to left every six hours .
So one of the overflow boxes will be full to the top with water and the other empty every six hours ....now you see this system is not for everyone.
I small tank with a single overflow , or a tank with a low steady flow will work and it will be very quiet.

 

[nattydread]

Great idea!

m working with 4 holes, and 2 megaflow kits. 2 returns and 2 drains. The drains have an adjustable standpipe. I took off the U shaped pvc that forms the durso and adjusted to Herbie reccomendations.

Anyone try this with the AGA megaflow kits. I cnat seem to see the added risk if the standpipes shifted. If the emergency drain slid lower, no risk, and the primary could not slide up.

Seems like an easy mod.

Thoughts.

 

[nattydread]

Great idea!

m working with 4 holes cneter overflow, and 2 megaflow kits. 2 returns and 2 drains. The drains have an adjustable standpipe. I took off the U shaped pvc that forms the durso and adjusted to Herbie reccomendations.

Anyone try this with the AGA megaflow kits. I cnat seem to see the added risk if the standpipes shifted. If the emergency drain slid lower, no risk, and the primary could not slide up.

Seems like an easy mod.

Thoughts.

 

[nattydread]

Seems to be working. Those adjustable standpipes on the megaflow kits are perfect. They are even 1 1/2 at the top, wich I believes adds more head presure. I am using a ballvalve, but I have ordered a gate valve. I have it closed approx 1/4. My return is a Sedra 9000, rated at 900 gph. With headloss Im at around 700 gph. The point being, allthough rated at 600 gph, the 1" drain, when used according to this method, pulls more than 600 gph. Probably around 900 gph. I am not a rocket scientist, but I believe without the air, you boosting the drain capacity.

Once again, I have two 3/4 returns, and 2 1" drains. Using 1 for drain, 1 for backup.

Night and day compared to the durso's, and the sump noise and bubbles have been SLAYED!

 

[crazy loaches]

Oh well, found this thread just after completing my first overflow equiped aquarium. And I've already ripped out and re-done some of the plumbing and really dont want to do it again. I'm using durso style intakes and a capped T on the outflow in the sump. About the only noise I hear now is actually inside the drain plumbing... I can hear water & air rushing down the pipes - seems mostly comming from the bulkhead area. But its not very loud and when I finally finish my stand (put doors on it) I hope to make it even quieter.

I'd love to try this out but I've already plumbed the returns through the bulkheads (so I dont have the extra bulkhead for emergencey). And I used ball valves on the drains. Maybe next time.

 

[jacmyoung]

Just an update, it has been nearly 2 years since the use of this system, without any emergency drain, and haven't had to even adjust the valve for the last 6 months.

The water level in the overflow box does go up and down, yet the drain and the return pump/pump chamber all work together to self-regulate the flow surprisingly well.

The only catch is my system does not use an auto-topoff. If auto topoff is used it may not self-regulate correctly.

 

[siskiou]

In my experience, it doesn't self regulate with 2 overflows, and I have to adjust the valves quite a bit.

Sometimes it stays reasonably steady for a week, but whenever I have to turn off the return pump (water changes), I have to start dialing it in from ground zero.

I'm going to try putting a stockman pipe into one of the overflows (on the emergency drain) and see if it helps to kill the noise it makes when the emergency drain is in use (it always is a little bit, since otherwise the water level slowly goes down and then gets very noisy. I can never hit the sweet spot for long with both overflows).

 

[rdmpe]

I wonder if you could get the two overflows to be more consistent by somehow connecting the drains together to allow them to balance?

 

[siskiou]

I'd love to hear from others who have tried the Herbie method with two overflows!
I'll see if I can rig something up and see if connecting the drains works.
Thanks for the idea!

 

[funkyman]

My experiences have been the same as siskiou's, although I'm more than happy with the system. It was 2 years in October that I've been using it.

 

[siskiou]

funkyman,
how do you deal with the fluctuating levels and keep the ensuing noise (either from level getting too high and gurgling into the emergency drain, or from getting too low) to a minimum?

 

[ret25yo]

my sytem is dead silent (not kiding) i have to see the water to know it flowing.... I utilize 2x1262 for return pumps my drain is
2x 1.5" - to gate valves with a 1.5" backup drain.
the only thing i can hear is my skimmer ATI bubblemaster 250

 

[KAiNE]

I have dual inch and a half drains merging into a 2" pipe with a 2" gate valve. Been running this for about 3 years now.
At first it drove me crazy because it killed the noise of 3200 gph going through the overflows but the fluctuation was so much that my ATO no longer worked.
At this point i really dont worry about the flux anymore.

What kind of flow rate are you pushing?

 

[ret25yo]

i'm pushing 1800 through my sump / refugium

total water flow in tank is
2x 6100
2x 900 gph (1262)
and a single dart for now close loop

expantion room for one more (as you can see)

 

[KAiNE]

For months I tried to figure out why it fluctuated so much... it was usually low in the mornings and higher in the evenings, at least during that summer. Since then I have seen it low in the evening... etc.

My best guess is barometric pressure. I started "auto" toping off another way and no longer care about the flux... but that me.
I hardly ever adjust the valve, its usually the screens getting dirty that causes mine to overfill and the emergency drain to get used.

 

[funkyman]

When I have to make an adjustment, it's very small. I normally only have to move the gate valve knob 1/4" - 1/2" either way. I don't have to touch it again until I turn the return pump off for some reason, usually at feeding time.

 

[robertifly]

I also never have to touch a valve unless it has been powered down like funkyman and that is just to get the flow started good in the drain and that's just to keep from listening to all the water going down the emer. drain. Usually just open valve a full round to get it going faster, it will pick it up by itself like in a power outage but then I'm mot home to here if I am I turn give the valve a turn. My drains are both 1.5" and the reg. drain is t'd off to feed the reguim.

 

[jacmyoung]

If the fluctuating water level is an issue, consider making the drain pipe shorter so you have more vertical space for the water level to rise and fall without sucking air into the drain and causing noise.

My drain pipe stands half way in my overflow with a screen on top, simplest arrangement you can get, and tolerates the water up and down very well. The noise first comes from the waterfall splash if the water level is 6" or more below the top of the overflow box, yet still no comparison to the noise from if the drain is sucking air, and since my tank top is covered with glass the noise is further dampened. I have yet got to the point that my drain would suck in air before the water in the overflow self-regulated to a higher level.

Another reason for the success maybe that my return pump chamber in the sump is very narrow and tall, my return pump fits just all the way down the chamber, and there again is about a good 6" of vertical water level change before the pump will suck in air. So I basically have 6" head pressure play on each end to work out between the two of them for auto adjustment.

 

[trmiv]

I've been using this method on my new 65 because the AGA megaflow (more like megaphone!) was so frigging loud. I was amazed how quiet it was the first time I tried it, and it appears to work great. I only have to do minor adjustments maybe once a week.

 

[yankeereefer]

I've been working on a tank for a couple days now -

I drilled the bottom glass for a durso and man is it noisy - I can't get the water adjusted right with the cap-

I don't have enough room in the overflow box for a 2nd standpipe - Will this still work if I drill a primary drain on the back wall (inside the ofb)?

I think it will so long as my water level in the box is between the primary drain and the bottom of the durso intake.

Thanks in advance!