Bean Animal question

[Fizbang]

Hey folks,
I just picked up a used Custom 75G Drilled tank. The person had a bottom to top overflow with a weir, single 1" drain and 3/4" return inside the overflow. It was a dirty tank and when I got it home and started cleaning I noticed it had 2 more holes drilled in the bottom for 3/4" sized bulk heads and these are outside the overflow. My question is 2 fold. I would like to put the main drain, and the secondary durso inside the overflow and use one of the outside holes for the emergency drain, and the other for the return. Question 1 is it ok for the Durso and Emergency drain to be 3/4 or do they need to be drilled out to 1"? Question 2 Is it ok for the emergency drain to be outside the overflow? In my mind the Emergency drain could be anywhere in the tank as its just there to keep it from overfilling. Up until now all my tanks have been AIO so I am new to the remote sump thing.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

If it were me... 3/4 drain for the full siphon, 1" for the overflow and no emergency drain. Plug the other holes with a bulkheads... because it will look silly to have a tube just sticking up in your aquarium and you don't REALLY need an emergency drain. that 1" line would suck anything down it.

Just me though, now someone will post that you ABSOLUTELY need an emergency drain even though most takes since the dawn of man only had durso systems. got a pic by chance?

 

[Fizbang]

No pic yet. I forgot to take one today. I like the idea of having the emergency and since the hole is already there....well I thought, why not.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Is it a glass or acrylic tank? If it’s glass, I would consider removing the existing box and replace it with one big enough to cover all four holes. Just an alternative.

 

[Fizbang]

Is it a glass or acrylic tank? If it’s glass, I would consider removing the existing box and replace it with one big enough to cover all four holes. Just an alternative.

Its glass (overflow is acrylic) and I am considering that option. Mainly need to know if those drain sizes are good or if they need to be enlarged.

 

[Scratch08]

Its glass (overflow is acrylic) and I am considering that option. Mainly need to know if those drain sizes are good or if they need to be enlarged.

3/4" drains will be fine. Thats what I use on my 75 .

 

[Fizbang]

Here is the tank in question.

 

[W1ngz]

you don't REALLY need an emergency drain.

... until you really DO need an emergency drain.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

ohhh. A full depth acrylic overflow mounted to glass with silicone. That is kind of scary. Acrylic does not bond with silicone very well, if at all. It is a very oily substance (acrylic).

If it were my tank, I would get a piece of thin glass and silicone over all the holes on the bottom and then drill and install a ghost overflow on the side up high.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Fizbang]

ohhh. A full depth acrylic overflow mounted to glass with silicone. That is kind of scary. Acrylic does not bond with silicone very well, if at all. It is a very oily substance (acrylic).

If it were my tank, I would get a piece of thin glass and silicone over all the holes on the bottom and then drill and install a ghost overflow on the side up high.

Just my 2 cents.

Im going bare bottom so that really wouldn't work for me.

 

[Scratch08]

Im going bare bottom so that really wouldn't work for me.

I think I would just replace that overflow with one that would cover all the holes and run all your pipes through it, strictly an aesthetics thing for me. Just be cautious removing the piece of glass over the 2 holes that are currently outside of your overflow to avoid cracking the bottom of your tank. I dont think there is really any issue with using silcone to hold an overflow in place, not like there is any really pressure on it, plus, if it didn't work there wouldn't be tank manufacturers doing it. There are other adhesives out there that can be used to hold it in place if you're worried about holding an overflow in place, a little reasearch on google, or on here, should do the trick.

 

[TDEcoral]

Just do a Herbie drain set up.

 

[User1]

Just me though, now someone will post that you ABSOLUTELY need an emergency drain even though most takes since the dawn of man only had durso systems. got a pic by chance?

Well, you sort of drew a red line. Bean Animal's design requires a primary, secondary, and of course....an emergency. Set up per his instructions. If you vary at all from it then it is no longer a Bean Animal. It is that clearly defined.

I wouldn't argue with your statement though because you called out the Durso system. I've used it. Probably didn't have it set up properly but it was loud at times and water level was a bit more erratic. I'm currently using the Bean Animal and I have to say it is so much better. But as I noted first the Durso in my case may not have been used properly. Never had a flood...

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

I feel you. A bean without an emergency drain is just a herbie. The durso is loud because it is simply one tube. I have emergency drains on my tanks, but in 8 or 9 years they have never seen water.

 

[Fizbang]

To further the plumbing questions, is it better to have the drains come straight down into the sump and have the return piping go across the stand from the other end of the sump or vice versa?

 

[RocketEngineer]

Straight drains are best IMO.