New Swiss 1900 liter (500G) Build

Ashir Parekh

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I think it is more important for the width of the overflow to be as wide as can be so that you are skimming to the maximum surface area. Depth should not be, but i am no expert what so ever. Just common sense i suppose. i guess maybe extra depth is some sort of fail safe that i am unaware off? but then again that is what the emergency drain is for. If you look at all the modular designs the depth is short as possible. Look at modular marine or exotic marine or synergy overflow as a sort of baseline.
 

crusso1993

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The aquarium build looked like a job well done!

And I must say you possess some outstanding supervision skills too! ;)

Edit; I forgot to ask what they used for spacers between the panels?
 
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I think it is more important for the width of the overflow to be as wide as can be so that you are skimming to the maximum surface area. Depth should not be, but i am no expert what so ever. Just common sense i suppose. i guess maybe extra depth is some sort of fail safe that i am unaware off? but then again that is what the emergency drain is for. If you look at all the modular designs the depth is short as possible. Look at modular marine or exotic marine or synergy overflow as a sort of baseline.

The overflow will be the entire width (front to back) of the right end of the tank: 70cm less the thickness of the front and back pane (2.4cm each) so 65.2cm long.

I tend to agree about the depth. I don't think that the depth makes a difference to the flowrate down the siphon... at least instinctively I don't see why?
 
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I would go 2 cross braces, spread any potential light disruption.

Yes, that's what I was thinking. The difficulty with 2 cross braces will be in the beginning, getting in and out of the tank to place the aquascape. But after that full access shouldn't be necessary very often.
 

najer

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Yes, that's what I was thinking. The difficulty with 2 cross braces will be in the beginning, getting in and out of the tank to place the aquascape. But after that full access shouldn't be necessary very often.

Could they or at lest one be added after you have scaped it?
 
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The aquarium build looked like a job well done!

And I must say you possess some outstanding supervision skills too! ;)

Edit; I forgot to ask what they used for spacers between the panels?

These:

spacer.JPG
 
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Laith

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I've researched pretty extensively on the Bean Animal drain "system". I know that there are many variations of this out there.

In designing how the drains will be in my overflow box, I've been concentrating on finding a way to have upside down Us on the main siphon and the open one. If I plan on having a spare bulkhead for another siphon that means I could need three upside down 40mm Us. 40mm Us made out of two 90 degree bends take up A LOT of space. The only way I can do that is to have a wide box and place them partially across the width of the box. Having them in a line along the length of the box takes up more room than I have.

So then I've been thinking: why the upside down U? I can't seem to find a clear answer to that. Obviously it allows for a shallower overflow box because it avoids vortices as water is sucked down the siphon... but are there other reasons? if the box is deep enough so that vortices are not created and you have either an open bulkhead or a bulkhead with a short straight standpipe in it, what would keep that from working well?

I could keep my overflow box narrow, make it 25cm deep and that should also be whisper quiet?

Tell me what I'm missing... :)
 

lavoisier

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I'm not quite visualizing how upside down Us are saving you space. Nonetheless, the Bean Animal is a proven animal ;) and though you may be able to logically vary it, in real life you may lose some of its silent functioning or worse its fail safes. You'll have to run the numbers but would 32mm pipe work and save you enough space? I'll be interested in your solution.
 
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I'm not quite visualizing how upside down Us are saving you space...

I meant the opposite: they use up a lot of space. So why have them if you can have the overflow box deep enough that just the open bulkhead or short standpipe will become a siphon without creating a vortice?
 
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I think you will lose the silence and the fail safe nature of the Bean Animal...but I could be wrong.

I don’t really see why:

- Noise in the drains is caused by air mixing in with the water as it goes down the pipe. A full siphon, however it’s achieved, doesn’t make noise.

- The fail safe is still there: the second “trickle” drain can become a siphon and the the third emergency drain set at the level of the DT water level. This won’t change.

:)
 

crusso1993

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I don’t really see why:

- Noise in the drains is caused by air mixing in with the water as it goes down the pipe. A full siphon, however it’s achieved, doesn’t make noise.

- The fail safe is still there: the second “trickle” drain can become a siphon and the the third emergency drain set at the level of the DT water level. This won’t change.

:)

Have you considered putting a "U" on the secondary drain only? This is the drain that would make the noise as the first drain has a full syphon.
 

Mortie31

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I don’t really see why:

- Noise in the drains is caused by air mixing in with the water as it goes down the pipe. A full siphon, however it’s achieved, doesn’t make noise.

- The fail safe is still there: the second “trickle” drain can become a siphon and the the third emergency drain set at the level of the DT water level. This won’t change.

:)
As long as there is enough water depth over the standpipe they will be silent, mine are, I have a standpipe in my internal weir. The main disadvantage I have is if the return pumps are switched off more water volume will drain into my sump as you obviously don’t have the siphon break until the weir water depth reaches the standpipe.
 
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Laith

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As long as there is enough water depth over the standpipe they will be silent, mine are, I have a standpipe in my internal weir. The main disadvantage I have is if the return pumps are switched off more water volume will drain into my sump as you obviously don’t have the siphon break until the weir water depth reaches the standpipe.

Yes, you do need to count on more water draining but the sump I will have can handle that.

Have you considered putting a "U" on the secondary drain only? This is the drain that would make the noise as the first drain has a full syphon.

That's a possibility. But does the secondary drain make noise? I understand that the system needs to be set so that there is only a trickle of water going down the sides of that drain. That shouldn't be noisy I would think, as long as the end of that drain is underwater in the sump...

Maybe I'll plan the bulkheads in a way that I can add an upside down U on the secondary drain in case it is necessary. None of the standpipes are going to be glued in so I can change things around.

Ok, I'm more convinced that as long as the depth of the box allows an open standpipe/bulkhead to become a full siphon without creating any vortices then there is no need for the upside down U. :)
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

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