I was gifted a 300 gallon acrylic aquarium 96Lx 30Hx 24D with two inside corner overflow boxes 5"x 5". I wanted to run the bean animal system. I noticed that all three pipes are normally all plumbed in the same overflow box. what would be the best way to run the bean system on this tank. the two 5x5 overflows will only fit one 2" or one 1 1/2 pvc per box unless i drill the side of the overflow boxes and mount the remaining pipes on the side of the overflow. i was thinking of just buying a synergy V3 16" shadow and mounting on the back center wall giving me the bean animal system and using the two interior boxes for 1" returns or something else. I ran a 300 gallon glass FOWLR tank in the late 80s with two 2" drains, one in each overflow box. it was super loud. my priority is silence, emergency drains, and 2500-3500 gpm on my return. my aquarium is blacked out on the back and sides and im able to drill the back and sides of the aquarium if necessary. I have about four feet of room on the sides and back of the aquarium. i will be running a FOWLR tank for the first year or two before switching to Reef to get my tank established and to get caught up on all the forums. ive been out 35 years and getting caught up wth all the new methods, Herbie/Beananimal. I would appreciate all your different ideas and opinions. thank you
Plumbing 300 gallon acrylic aquarium
- Thread starter jmajenn
- Start date
wvned
Well-known member
So there are no holes in the bottom inside of the overflow towers now? If so I would remove them and glue rubble over anything ugly left behind.
Then plumb like any other tank.
I would go bigger than 16' for the overflow on a 300. Or use 2 of the one you mentioned.
I use 2 9000lph pumps on my 240gallon tank.
Then plumb like any other tank.
I would go bigger than 16' for the overflow on a 300. Or use 2 of the one you mentioned.
I use 2 9000lph pumps on my 240gallon tank.
Last edited:
No there are no holes drilled yet inside of overflow boxes. So you would kill/dismantle the interior boxes and just run the exterior overflow, and run a coast to coast overflow box design? Interesting. What 2 or 3 options would you recommend besides synergy shadow. I have not seen any larger than 16" without having to add multiple boxes to make the coast to coast design unless it's made custom? Thanks
wvned
Well-known member
I haven't built a system in several years but they used to come much larger than 16 inches. 2400 gph would be for a 240.
Sorry I do not know what is sold now. Wow, nothing is sold for large tanks now.
I would probably use 2 of the ones you mentioned.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/162233261564?_ They will make you a glue on one any size you want. Remember the bottom of the inside box has to clear the inside of the bulkhead. I had to have an extra deep box made to maintain the water level so it didn't show.
Then you drill the tank and use the bulkheads to hold the rear box on.
My tank is from Customaquariums and I am using their rear box that takes 4 x 1 1/2 inch drains I have 3 in use and 1 emergency.
The holes it came with were too low to use a standard overflow kit so I had to improvise.
Because it came with these
Awful things. I had to get rid of them.
But Ultimate 4 Hole 3600GPH Plumbing Kit - Custom Aquariums On Sale
Mine uses 2 x 2 inch bulkheads into the tank.
It depends on how much flow you want through the sump. Used to be everyone wanted 10X tank volume for Triton method.
Sorry I do not know what is sold now. Wow, nothing is sold for large tanks now.
I would probably use 2 of the ones you mentioned.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/162233261564?_ They will make you a glue on one any size you want. Remember the bottom of the inside box has to clear the inside of the bulkhead. I had to have an extra deep box made to maintain the water level so it didn't show.
Then you drill the tank and use the bulkheads to hold the rear box on.
My tank is from Customaquariums and I am using their rear box that takes 4 x 1 1/2 inch drains I have 3 in use and 1 emergency.
The holes it came with were too low to use a standard overflow kit so I had to improvise.
Because it came with these
Awful things. I had to get rid of them.
But Ultimate 4 Hole 3600GPH Plumbing Kit - Custom Aquariums On Sale
Mine uses 2 x 2 inch bulkheads into the tank.
It depends on how much flow you want through the sump. Used to be everyone wanted 10X tank volume for Triton method.
corvinridge
New member
On a 300-gallon acrylic tank, fitting a true BeanAnimal system into two 5" × 5" internal overflow boxes is going to be very restrictive. Those boxes weren’t designed to handle three standpipes with proper air control, especially when you’re aiming for high, quiet flow. Trying to force it often leads to noise, difficult tuning, and compromised emergency capacity.
Since the back and sides are already blacked out and drillable, an external coast-to-coast overflow is the most flexible and future-proof option. A longer external box (24–36 inches or custom) gives you enough space to run a full-size BeanAnimal with proper spacing between the siphon, open channel, and emergency drain. This dramatically improves surface skimming and keeps the system stable and silent, which directly addresses the noise issues you experienced with older dual-drain setups.
A smart compromise is to leave the internal overflow towers in place but repurpose them for returns only. Running 1"–1.25" returns through those boxes keeps the display clean while dedicating all drain plumbing to the external overflow. This separation makes maintenance easier and keeps the emergency drain truly independent.
From a plumbing design standpoint, the same principles apply as in large residential or commercial systems: straight runs, oversized drains, and redundancy. These concepts are commonly emphasized by professionals at Plumber Singapore and explained clearly on their website when discussing high-flow, low-noise drainage layouts.
Overall, an external coast-to-coast BeanAnimal setup offers the best balance of silence, safety, and long-term flexibility as you transition from FOWLR to reef.
Since the back and sides are already blacked out and drillable, an external coast-to-coast overflow is the most flexible and future-proof option. A longer external box (24–36 inches or custom) gives you enough space to run a full-size BeanAnimal with proper spacing between the siphon, open channel, and emergency drain. This dramatically improves surface skimming and keeps the system stable and silent, which directly addresses the noise issues you experienced with older dual-drain setups.
A smart compromise is to leave the internal overflow towers in place but repurpose them for returns only. Running 1"–1.25" returns through those boxes keeps the display clean while dedicating all drain plumbing to the external overflow. This separation makes maintenance easier and keeps the emergency drain truly independent.
From a plumbing design standpoint, the same principles apply as in large residential or commercial systems: straight runs, oversized drains, and redundancy. These concepts are commonly emphasized by professionals at Plumber Singapore and explained clearly on their website when discussing high-flow, low-noise drainage layouts.
Overall, an external coast-to-coast BeanAnimal setup offers the best balance of silence, safety, and long-term flexibility as you transition from FOWLR to reef.
