So I'm about to start plumbing my 120. It has the dual internal overflows. I was thinking about running the return over the top of the tank and use both the 1" and 3/4" in the overflows as drains. Would it be better to use a 1" in one and a 3/4" in the other as primary? Not sure if 2 3/4" drains would be enough. Also, any ball valves needed, or can I just run the primary's wide open?
Plumbing 120
- Thread starter cdrewferd
- Start date
I'm not a huge fan of over the top returns, BUT...with your typical RR setup, it would free two drains on both sides for a total of 4. You could definitely do a bean-animal or a hybrid if you used all 4 for drains. Mine is completely quiet! 
If you got full suction with both of your 3/4" you'd be in business. You could then use one of your 1" as the "open channel" and the other 1" as a true emergency so you'd basically have a full bean-animal setup. If any of that makes sense!?!
If you got full suction with both of your 3/4" you'd be in business. You could then use one of your 1" as the "open channel" and the other 1" as a true emergency so you'd basically have a full bean-animal setup. If any of that makes sense!?!
Basically you're two 3/4" lines/drains would be seen as one channel, the full siphon. You'd be using two drains to equal say one of mine. You only need three drains for a true bean-animal. One full siphon, one open channel (just enough water draining in this to coat the walls of the tubing), and an emergency that would go into full siphon as well should something really go wrong.
Now that I think about it, you would probably be much better off doing a Herbie. That's what I had in my reef and it was silent. The only thing you wouldn't have is a true dedicated emergency drain. Honestly, the emergency drain isn't that important unless you were gone for a LONG time. If somethings starts to go wrong, like when my black ice clown clogged in my full siphon, the partial obstruction causes the second channel to gurgle and have issues like crazy, you can't miss the sounds. So that alerts you to an issue way before you need an emergency channel.
SO, you'd basically use your 3/4 inch holes for your returns and on one side use a 1" as a full siphon drain and on the other side use the second 1" drain as the "open channel".
LOL, I have no idea if that made sense either. Hopefully it did. I loved it in my reef. I had two 1 1/2" drains (one full siphon and one open channel) with one 1" return that split to 2 separate nozzles. Completely quiet and great water turnover with the full siphon!
Now that I think about it, you would probably be much better off doing a Herbie. That's what I had in my reef and it was silent. The only thing you wouldn't have is a true dedicated emergency drain. Honestly, the emergency drain isn't that important unless you were gone for a LONG time. If somethings starts to go wrong, like when my black ice clown clogged in my full siphon, the partial obstruction causes the second channel to gurgle and have issues like crazy, you can't miss the sounds. So that alerts you to an issue way before you need an emergency channel.
SO, you'd basically use your 3/4 inch holes for your returns and on one side use a 1" as a full siphon drain and on the other side use the second 1" drain as the "open channel".
LOL, I have no idea if that made sense either. Hopefully it did. I loved it in my reef. I had two 1 1/2" drains (one full siphon and one open channel) with one 1" return that split to 2 separate nozzles. Completely quiet and great water turnover with the full siphon!