Reef Discussion

[Wallypops]

Have many questions (most if not all are very beginner questions) who out here can help?

I have a 2 foot tank and want to make this for it!

This is what I know so far, hmmm,....not very much except that this is the best overflow!

It needs three stand pipes?
I need to build a weir?
Only one needs a valve?
It'll need 3 holes for the outlets?
One for the inlet?
Need to workout the flow rate?

But then what does it all connect to in the sump?


Help!

 

[MagicJ]

Hi @Wallypops and welcome to The Reefuge.

This should help with most of your questions - http://www.beananimal.com/projects/silent-and-fail-safe-aquarium-overflow-system.aspx

It is not ideal to just refer you to a web site but, in this instance, it is the source of the system and provides a lot of information. If you still have some questions, feel free to ask.

But, this system can take up a fair bit of room, something you don't have a lot of in a 2' tank :rolleyes

 

[Wallypops]

Thanks, yep I have seen this site but there's just so much out there! I have also seen this as well

RexboxNanoreef on Google Apparently I cant post links yet!

I've asked around and I guess first I want to know if I can use the exact same dimensions and equipment Bean uses or do I adapt it and make it smaller to fit and if so how much smaller?

Also After browsing around and seeing that you can buy something much bigger and better quality for the same price through gumtree, Facebook pages, and forums $654 all up I got my total 'Beginner Reef Tank setup', which only came with this 2foot tank. I have decided to go it alone, aim high and try to do things myself in order to not get ripped and also make better decisions.

So I guess my question is also what are my options is this a good idea? What is the better next step to improving my system as I want to upgrade from a hang on back filter I got that seems to be doing a great job but ultimately it would be great to have a tidy display tank I think from what I have seeing around the net

 

[Wallypops]

L

 

[shaidas]

Why get a elephant gun to shoot a rabbit :-) .. IMO while bean animal is the rolls royce, nothing wrong with a BMW. Id start with a simpler design and move to bean animal when you expand which you will :-)

 

[slin1977]

If you are in Sydney you can check out my animal.

 

[slin1977]

Why get a elephant gun to shoot a rabbit :) .. IMO while bean animal is the rolls royce, nothing wrong with a BMW. Id start with a simpler design and move to bean animal when you expand which you will :)

No man- bean is the only one to run my friend.

When I decide to get up today I'll take the time to explain a few principles of bean.

 

[slin1977]

This photo shows the height of the full syphon on the left. The ball valve is adjusted so that the water backs up to the top. The excess water is drained away by the middle stand pipe and the emergency drain on the far right. Notice the heights of each pipe tee junction.

In this photo the full syphon is on the left and the durso standpipe is on the right.
The durso takes the excess water when the full syphon ball valve is throttled back causing the water level to reach the top of the full syphon tee as seen by this photo.
Notice the durso standpipe has a air bleeder , this is to prevent a syphon happening in normal operating conditions.
Mine is set up so there is an air gap between the water and this pipe of 5-10mm This means that the air pipe is 5mm higher than the top of the waterline as shown in the above photo.

This air bleeder will turn the durso into a full syphon during start up as the water level goes higher it cuts the air off and immediately creates a syphon , the water quickly drains to the point where an air gap is created between the air bleeder and water.

Emergency left
Full Syphon middle
Durso drain right.

Simple Stuff !!!

 

[slin1977]

And the fourth pipe on the far right is the return pump to the tank. That one has a little ball valve to feed a reactor off it.
The other two horizontal pipes are the flow and return to the chiller.

You will need to get these fittings together so you can plan your weir dimensions and the stand pipe set out.
My sump was designed to fit under this set out.

 

[Ben Daley]

Thanks, yep I have seen this site but there's just so much out there! I have also seen this as well

RexboxNanoreef on Google Apparently I cant post links yet!

I've asked around and I guess first I want to know if I can use the exact same dimensions and equipment Bean uses or do I adapt it and make it smaller to fit and if so how much smaller?

Also After browsing around and seeing that you can buy something much bigger and better quality for the same price through gumtree, Facebook pages, and forums $654 all up I got my total 'Beginner Reef Tank setup', which only came with this 2foot tank. I have decided to go it alone, aim high and try to do things myself in order to not get ripped and also make better decisions.

So I guess my question is also what are my options is this a good idea? What is the better next step to improving my system as I want to upgrade from a hang on back filter I got that seems to be doing a great job but ultimately it would be great to have a tidy display tank I think from what I have seeing around the net

Before getting too involved in retrofitting a bean animal drain, be aware that the vast majority of would-be reefers will either quit the hobby or upgrade within the first year. First tank = either "training tank" or "first and last".

If this is your first tank, I think you should aim low rather than high - save your money while you get a feel for the hobby as it can be very expensive.
As an example your $654.00 would cover the price of a high-end powerhead and a low-end cheese burger :)

My recommendation is if your tank is not already drilled with a sump, to sell it and put the money towards a second hand reef ready (eg drilled) tank that includes a working overflow and sump.

If you want to proceed with retrofitting a bean animal to your setup:

• IMO scale down the plumbing on a 2' tank to 20mm or 25mm depending on the turnover you want.
• Plan what kind of overflow box/weir you want (coast to coast / box) and where it will be placed (rear/corner/side) (internal/external)
• Plan how the return line will feed back into the tank
• Plan how the drains and return will connect with the sump and how you will support their weight
• Source all the pipe, fittings, bulkheads, glues, acrylic, and tools that you'll need to do the job
• Purchase the items from the previous point
• Drill the tank and install everything

 

[Wallypops]

Before getting too involved in retrofitting a bean animal drain, be aware that the vast majority of would-be reefers will either quit the hobby or upgrade within the first year. First tank = either "training tank" or "first and last".

If this is your first tank, I think you should aim low rather than high - save your money while you get a feel for the hobby as it can be very expensive.
As an example your $654.00 would cover the price of a high-end powerhead and a low-end cheese burger :)

My recommendation is if your tank is not already drilled with a sump, to sell it and put the money towards a second hand reef ready (eg drilled) tank that includes a working overflow and sump.

If you want to proceed with retrofitting a bean animal to your setup:

• IMO scale down the plumbing on a 2' tank to 20mm or 25mm depending on the turnover you want.
• Plan what kind of overflow box/weir you want (coast to coast / box) and where it will be placed (rear/corner/side) (internal/external)
• Plan how the return line will feed back into the tank
• Plan how the drains and return will connect with the sump and how you will support their weight
• Source all the pipe, fittings, bulkheads, glues, acrylic, and tools that you'll need to do the job
• Purchase the items from the previous point
• Drill the tank and install everything

Too kind Ben there's a lot to weight up and I was actually thinking of trading in to see what I would get for my set up, I've seen so many different prices for so many different things like.

The other day I saw an ad on gumtree selling a 4' tank for 30 dollars and a while back I saw another a 4' with a bunch of ad ons and a neat stand for 200, which is just a bit gutting when I spent a fair bit on a 2' footer. Albeit I have learnt a lot and am pretty into the hobby.

Just gotta keep myself in check or the wife will probably feed me to the fish.

 

[MagicJ]

If you are in Sydney you can check out my animal.

@Wallypops you should take Nils up on his offer - you won't see a better set-up bean overflow system than this :)

 

[Wallypops]

@Wallypops you should take Nils up on his offer - you won't see a better set-up bean overflow system than this :)

Yep I'ved PM'd and hope to hear from him soon, wasn't sure how the whole side discussion on the forums goes and what the protocols are and stuff.

Thanks matey

 

[Ben Daley]

Too kind Ben there's a lot to weight up and I was actually thinking of trading in to see what I would get for my set up, I've seen so many different prices for so many different things like.

The other day I saw an ad on gumtree selling a 4' tank for 30 dollars and a while back I saw another a 4' with a bunch of ad ons and a neat stand for 200, which is just a bit gutting when I spent a fair bit on a 2' footer. Albeit I have learnt a lot and am pretty into the hobby.

Just gotta keep myself in check or the wife will probably feed me to the fish.

Don't get too concerned about the money you've spent on your tank - the glass box is the cheap part.
An option if you're looking at second hand gear is to buy whole systems and on-sell the gear you don't want to offset the cost of what you keep.
There's a good video from Miss Saltwater Tank about it here:

When I set up my first bean animal, knowing the following would have helped me a lot:

There are different standards of plumbing pipe (metric and imperial). Metric and imperial standard sizes are incompatible, so be sure of what you're buying (especially if you get parts from overseas). Australia uses the imperial standard, but labels it with a metric trade name. What this means is "25mm" pipe in AU is actually the same size as 1" imperial pipe, and it is a completely different size from 25mm metric pipe from China or the EU. AU and US pipe and fittings are compatible except for the threads; Australia uses BSP while the USA uses FPT.

If you've followed US tutorials for the bean animal, you'll typically see gate valves used to throttle the full siphon. It's very difficult to source these locally so many local reefers substitute it for a high quality ball valve. They can also be ordered from the US (spears gate valve), but it shipping can be expensive.

 

[slin1977]

Mine is 25 mm pipe to the sump and a 20mm return to the tank.

 

[ReeferRob]

One thing to ALWAYS keep in the back of your mind is that NOTHING good ever happens fast in a reef tank. A large volume of water is easier to manage and suffers less swings than a smaller volume of water. If you have the space and the funds, the 4 footer is the way to go, especially for someone who is new to the hobby. Don't get me wrong, I love my little 130 litre tanks, but I like my 500l 4 footer even more.

All of my overflows are on the outside of the tank, which is another alternative. I've seen a few Bean Animals done that way.

 

[Wallypops]

Don't get too concerned about the money you've spent on your tank - the glass box is the cheap part.
An option if you're looking at second hand gear is to buy whole systems and on-sell the gear you don't want to offset the cost of what you keep.
There's a good video from Miss Saltwater Tank about it here:

Cheers for the video, I watched it sometime ago actually, and have been trying to find ways to make money from the hobby the other day I got a monster 5' tank for very little money. When I get around to it I'll clean and hope to make some cash from it.

I also got some dry rock hanging around not doing much that I got for cheap and am getting a sump, which I hope to use for very little money also.

 

[Wallypops]

Ok so I got a 4 footer and had some help from a fellow reefugee in my area, this is what we thought but would like to get your opinion. Put this together in my iPad just then. So hope this makes sense, I still haven't had a chance to go up to Nils to check out his Bean. Expecting a baby in the next two months plus we are moving house. But still got the tank in the works. Thanks for the help in advance.

 

[Wallypops]

No man- bean is the only one to run my friend.

When I decide to get up today I'll take the time to explain a few principles of bean.

So whats your thoughts of the basic plans I put at the end of the thread?