tvdao
Active member
I just bough an used 90g, there are four opening inside the overflow box. I am planning to install one durso pipe and one return. Should I use the other two for a closed loop circulation? Thanks for your help.
Advice on a 90 oceanic tank - Plumbing the overflow box
- Thread starter tvdao
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Krish
RF STAFF
Congrats on the tank!
What size pump are you planning on using for the closed loop? If you are planning on using the overflow box still and plan to use two of the drilled holes in it for your closed loop, that would be something I would probably try to avoid. You are depending on an overflow box with bulkhead sizes only rated to handle about 600gph (if this is a standard All-glass tank/Aqueon) so you will be limited. You max the overflow out trying to pump more water than it can handle and you will start sucking in air possibly and starving the pump burning it up. If you plan to stay under the 600 gph rating with the closed loop then that is fine, but IMO, you'd probably be a lot better off just using one drain from each overflow going to your sump and have your return pump return water through back via both overflows so this way you will get better surface skimming of your tank with water being drained from two seperate oveflows than just one. You can still have your two outputs of flow back to the tank and could use just one big return pump rather than two. Running a closed loop with a pump that doesn't exceed the overflow will be doing the exact same thing with the disadvantage of only having over overflow directing water to the sump so less surface area being covered and less water being processed in the sump.
Just my 2 cents. Hope that made sense.
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Did you get that great deal I saw on CL for $75? That was an amazing deal!
tvdao
Active member
Yes it was. Too bad someone used diamond coated sponges tried to remove coraline agea so now the glass looked like it has pimple all over it. Any suggestion of how to buff them off?
Back to my original question, I guess two durso and two return pipes then, is this sounds right?
Back to my original question, I guess two durso and two return pipes then, is this sounds right?
krisfal
Well-known member
My Closed loop intake runs through my overflow box. It however does not take water from the overflow, rather I have another bulkhead between the tank and the overflow box and the plumbing just runs through the box.
Hope that makes sense, kind of hard to put into words and my drawing skills on a computer, suck
Hope that makes sense, kind of hard to put into words and my drawing skills on a computer, suck
tvdao
Active member
Krisfal,
It makes sense, thank you. Do you have the same concern as the other Krish does? and that the size of the hole isn't big enough to support an external pump, say iwaki 55rlt, and as a consequence fry the pump. I can mitigate the output end by building a manifold to have multiple points of outputs but the input will be limited by the size of the existing hole.
It makes sense, thank you. Do you have the same concern as the other Krish does? and that the size of the hole isn't big enough to support an external pump, say iwaki 55rlt, and as a consequence fry the pump. I can mitigate the output end by building a manifold to have multiple points of outputs but the input will be limited by the size of the existing hole.
krisfal
Well-known member
I was thinking Krish was assuming you were going to have your intake inside of the overflow box, so your volume of water going into the overflow would be trying to support both the sump and the closed loop.
In my system the closed loop is drawing from the tank, not the overflow box, the plumbing just routes through the overflow box.
I don't know that I can advise you on the size of the intake, I am running two 5000gph + pumps for my closed loop, so each is fed by a 2" intake, in hind sight I would have made two intakes for each pump as the suction is strong and I learned the hard way too much for a weak swimmer like a mandarin goby.
Others should be able to chime in on the bulkhead plumbing size vs. pump
In my system the closed loop is drawing from the tank, not the overflow box, the plumbing just routes through the overflow box.
I don't know that I can advise you on the size of the intake, I am running two 5000gph + pumps for my closed loop, so each is fed by a 2" intake, in hind sight I would have made two intakes for each pump as the suction is strong and I learned the hard way too much for a weak swimmer like a mandarin goby.
Others should be able to chime in on the bulkhead plumbing size vs. pump
tvdao
Active member
I recently learned that 2 durso in a single overflow box isn't recommended. Dual Durso Standpipes in One Overflow Chamber so for now 1 durso with 3 returns. Any other thoughts?
krisfal
Well-known member
Check out the herbie method, one overflow controlled by gate valve with second standpipe as backup, very quiet-easy to use set-up with safety back-up
I ran 2 durso for a while, I swapped over to a herbie and man am I so glad I did. The durso was noisy, I know there are ways to silence them but the herbie is so much easier, the only hard part was finding a gate valve and those can be had at ACE hardware.
+1 for the Herbie as i have two overflow boxes and each has a siphon and a durso. At the moment I am 100% siphon for a strange reason and love the quiet.
It turns out that the 3/4" tube is just about the size of a narcosis snail shell. Next time I am back there I will be installing little (4"?) tubes so that the siphon is not flush with the floor of the overflow. Someday I might also add a simple input strainer but I have a particular hate for maintenance problems in hard to reach spots.
It turns out that the 3/4" tube is just about the size of a narcosis snail shell. Next time I am back there I will be installing little (4"?) tubes so that the siphon is not flush with the floor of the overflow. Someday I might also add a simple input strainer but I have a particular hate for maintenance problems in hard to reach spots.
tvdao
Active member
That was a good call with the Herbie. I got completely lost with the BeanAnimal method. Silent and Failsafe Overflow System - Reef Central Online Community
If you read the Herbie overflow thread Beananimal had a problem with only having 1 failsafe and came up with the "BeanAnimal method"
I really like the Herbie, it's working great for everyone I've talked to, silent and not much more difficult than durso.
TJL
copod
I 2nd that on the Herbie style drain, everyone I've talked with has been more than pleased with outcome and ease of use. The only negative would be the cost of those darn Gate Valves, my system uses two of he 1-1/2" Gate Valves and cost almost $50 ea. The silence and the added confidence/security will alleviate some of the pain-in-the-wallet though.
Cheers, Todd
Cheers, Todd
