Maintaining water level in the sump

I don't know why everyone feels they need an emergency or second overflow. Reefs have had single overflows and standpipes for decades with zero issues. My present 100G has a single 1" Stockman standpipe in an internal overflow and has never once been an issue in the 10+ years it has been in operation. I don't have nor do I want a second overflow and see no need for one. It just seems to me like everyone is complicating a very simple siphon and asking for trouble in many cases instead of keeping it as simple as possible with fewer potential failure points. Just my $0.02.

 

It depends on the system. If there is an extra hole you can do a bean animal which requires an emergency. That's the only way you can have a valve on the pipe coming down.

 

to add to having a second backup overflow...my 90 recently overflowed from the top because of a fat snail chillin in the overflow pipe. Lessons learned?...for one. if you run your overflow to it's max flow capability, any little thing in there will reduce the drain flow and your pump will overcome the drain. Second, I now realized that I don't need as much flow going through the sump for a 1" overflow. So I dialed back the pump output by more than half and now the overflow is working much quieter and has cushion incase debris goes in there again. So a second drain isn't really necessary as stated above and tanks been running for long periods of time with just one overflow and no issues.

 

ok, haha sorry guys but you are all talking over my head. I have no idea what most of that stuff is. Sorry but I am unable to post any pics right now but what is the single overflow? I just have two drain pipes draining into the section of my sump where my skimmer is and then it goes through the central section (no refugium set up yet because I want to get it set up and stable first), and then the last section is where my return pump is and it is connected to a 3/4 in return hose that has a tee to the two return bulk heads. Also my drain and return bulk heads are on the top of the back wall of my tank instead of on the bottom of the tank. I have read the melvsreef page a few times but I am still confused as to what the overflow is and what exactly a standpipe and what not is? Thanks guys, sorry for the confusion.

 

The reason I mention the emergency drain is because many people buy tanks second hand and there are quite a few custom tanks out there where people had the overflows custom made for herbie and bean animal overflows. Those are silent overflows that require an emergency drain if you put a valve on the drain... which is what makes it silent. They require 3 and 4 holes respectively.
Also people are reading things on the internet and may incorrectly install a ball valve on the drain thinking they are installing a Herbie and don't really have the holes for it. That's why I ask for a photo.

Most tanks come with a standard overflow for durso/ stockman.
It has two holes. One is the drain and one for the return. You don't ever want to put a valve on the drain for these. These overflows always have some sort of noise.

One of the nice things about this hobby is it has progressed. There is more than one way to skin the overflow cat. The Herbie and Bean animal systems were created to make the drains silent. And they are that.

Standard Durso/ Stockman:
Two holes
Has noise

Herbie Overflow:
Three holes. One return, One with valve on drain and one emergency.
Silent but not has safe
NEW plumbing method for an ULTRA QUIET REEF TANK!!!! LONG !!!! - Reef Central Online Community

Bean Animal overflow:
Four holes. One return , One full siphon, One standby siphon and one emergency drain.
Totally silent and very safe.
BeanAnimal's Bar and Grill - Silent and Fail-Safe Overflow System

I run a bean animal system. Totally silent.

Aquarium manufacturers will probably continue to make standard overflows because they are simple and easy for someone that doesn't want to mess with the extra things required for a totally silent system.

 

do you have a built thread with pics of setup?

 

I will beg too differ with you on the noise with a Stockman, mine is totally silent.

Drill the hole out large enough for a piece of airline tubing to fit snugly then slowly lower the tubing down until the overflow flow actually increases and the sound goes away completely since it now has an efficient mixture of air and water for a more laminar flow. Works like a charm.

 

You are lucky then. Most of the time if there is air in the system it induces noise.
People are not going through all the hoops to create bean animals for nothing.

 

Not lucky, its a good sound design.
The Stockman is almost impossible to clog or plug too with its 2" coupling shrouding the 360 degree openings, nothing can get in there.

 

Durso works great for me.
Bean is interesting and so is the stockman.
For me only thing I really hear is the water going into the overflow not the durso.