Plumbing Question

[ChrisDeVivo]

Hi while I'm not really new to the hobby (had freshwater Aquariums for over 40yrs and a 55gal Saltwater for 10yrs) I always used store bought canister filters on my tanks.....which really didn't work that well, lots of water changes.

Well I took the plunge and bought a 125 gal Mainland tank with predrilled corners and am going to build my own sump and fabricate the plumbing....so I am definitely a newbie as far as this goes.

My question is in looking at plumbing designs on-line in some setup I see an emergency drain line that looks to be at a level higher than the main drain. My Marineland tank came with 2 predrilled holes (1 drain & 1 return) in the overflows in each corner and the supplied drain pipes are both the same length....so with this setup I can't really add an emergency drain unless I make modifications. What is the purpose of the emergency drain and should I think about putting one in?

Thanks for the help...Chris

 

[CafeReef]

For exactly as it sounds, an emergency. Should a snail crawl into your main or some other blockage. The emergency drain allows for your display to still drain into your sump without causing an overflow until you can clear the clog.

 

[EvenFurther]

You could set-up a Herbie drain in each corner overflow. Use a PVC gate valve to tune the siphon line. Run the return over the top.

http://gmacreef.com/herbie-overflow-reef-tank-plumbing-method-basics/

 

[Ron Reefman]

I had the same situation. I decided to bring my return over the back of the tank and even added a siphon overflow so I could drain more and reduce the load on the main drain.

 

[kmbyrnes]

you could set-up a herbie drain in each corner overflow. Use a pvc gate valve to tune the siphon line. Run the return over the top.

+1

 

[NedFlounders]

You could set-up a Herbie drain in each corner overflow. Use a PVC gate valve to tune the siphon line. Run the return over the top.

http://gmacreef.com/herbie-overflow-reef-tank-plumbing-method-basics/

+2

I recently plumbed mine as a herbie overflow and the difference is amazing. Previously it sounded like a gurgling whirlpool. Now with the herbie overflow, it's barely audible.

 

[davehead86]

You could set-up a Herbie drain in each corner overflow. Use a PVC gate valve to tune the siphon line. Run the return over the top.

http://gmacreef.com/herbie-overflow-reef-tank-plumbing-method-basics/

Thats more complicated than it needs to be.
Since he has two holes in each corner it would be more prudent to set it up as a semi Bean-Animal drain system.

one side has a full drain and emergency drain
other side has the second emergency drain and the fourth hole as a return. No need to run it over the back of the tank.

If they dont want that second emergency drain then just plug the hole and have one side just be the return.

 

[kyle.nagel13]

I just set up the same tank with a 55g sump. I stayed with the durso standpipes, and it is nearly silent. I know people have issues with durso's being loud, but the only sound I have is the water coming over the overflows. I can take some pictures of the under tank plumbing if you would like and post them later. I have a split sump set up with a fuge on one side, return in the middle, and skimmer in the main drain section on the other side. I am feeding the fuge section with past of one of the returns. Somebody will probably chime in and say to feed the fuge with a Tee off of the return, but I just installed a ball valve to adjeust the flow and the remaining water drains to the main drain section.