75g and 40g sump finally done! Bean Animal overflow

[rickztahone]

I must say, they weren't lying when they claimed that this overflow system is really quiet. I couldn't be any happier.

Here is the build thread for the Bean Animal overflow if interested:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?117743-75g-Acrylic-tank-w-40g-sump-(Journal-build-thread)

Here's a vid showing the finished product:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkVgAT0tLfI

Updated with a clog demo. Much better sound on this video!

https://youtu.be/3HK4TBUB4Oo

I could not have done it without my helpers:
88877
88878

This is how the tank is supposed to eventually look like with the driftwood in there. That won't happen until they grow out to about 5"+
88876

I'm adding my build thread here for easier accessibility:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?117743-75g-Acrylic-tank-w-40g-sump-(Journal-build-thread)

[alcastro]

That's very nice and clean just like your other projects, i guess that's your trade mark the clean look, why don't you leave the driftwood in,

[rickztahone]

That's very nice and clean just like your other projects, i guess that's your trade mark the clean look, why don't you leave the driftwood in,

Nah, just an added variable when raising little ones

[Second Hand Pat]

Nice Ricardo, very clean and quiet. It is going to be a killer tank. :D
Pat

[Kirbs]

Your tank looks awesome!

Thanks for the video tutorial on how it all works. I was never sure how a sump system operates. I'll have to give it a try some day.

[farebox]

I've been following this build from the start, totally blown away with your completion. Really lovin' the tank and setup of the overflow/sump. Now looking forward when you stock the tank( bet your kids can't wait too). Nice job my friend, sit back and enjoy it!

[rickztahone]

Nice Ricardo, very clean and quiet. It is going to be a killer tank. :D
Pat
Thanks Pat. I was really surprised how quiet it is. I fixed the last line (open channel) and made it longer. Made it even quiter.


Your tank looks awesome!

Thanks for the video tutorial on how it all works. I was never sure how a sump system operates. I'll have to give it a try some day.
No problem. I love sharing builds for that reason alone. To be honest, I was extremely apprehensive when I made the decision to go sump. I had never used one but loved the benefits they offer. I decided to go all DIY for 2 reasons, 1, I'm cheap and 2, I'm really cheap, lol, jk. 2, I love learning new things. Now that I know how to work with acrylic, I can do other things completely unrelated to aquariums. Thanks for dropping by. If you have any questions, let me know.


I've been following this build from the start, totally blown away with your completion. Really lovin' the tank and setup of the overflow/sump. Now looking forward when you stock the tank( bet your kids can't wait too). Nice job my friend, sit back and enjoy it!
Thanks! Thank you so much for recommending Swiss tropicals. Although I didn't go with vertical style with them, I hope now you see why I couldn't with this type of overflow. If you notice, the first section is an over which keeps the full siphon line completely under water by ~1" and doesn't fluctuate.

Thanks for following along!

[Trevor W]

Turned out great! Sump turned out nice as well.

[rickztahone]

Turned out great! Sump turned out nice as well.

Thanks Trevor. I must admit, when it was plug in time, I was a bit nervous, lol.

[rickztahone]

After reviewing the video, I must say, the AC in my room got picked up by my boom mic WAY too much, and of course you can here my son in the background yelling at the tv, lol. I will record another video with less noise hopefully. Stay tuned.

[jawfish]

Wow, this turned out really nice. I've been following your adventure, and it was great to be able to see the whole process. love the background and pale bottom.

as for doing DIY because of being cheap, come on this is not true !!! Your distributing the budget. Less money on equipment means more money for Discus :D
Plus the sad truth is a lot of time you can't find what you really want :antlers:

I hear you about being apprehensive, this is why DIY treads are so great, you see another doing it and then you build up the courage to do it yourself, it least it's my case. Thanks for sharing.

acrylic is one of those things that I haven't work with yet.

I'm looking forward to seeing it with some discus in it.

Cheers,

Fred

[rickztahone]

Wow, this turned out really nice. I've been following your adventure, and it was great to be able to see the whole process. love the background and pale bottom.

as for doing DIY because of being cheap, come on this is not true !!! Your distributing the budget. Less money on equipment means more money for Discus :D
Plus the sad truth is a lot of time you can't find what you really want :antlers:

I hear you about being apprehensive, this is why DIY treads are so great, you see another doing it and then you build up the courage to do it yourself, it least it's my case. Thanks for sharing.

acrylic is one of those things that I haven't work with yet.

I'm looking forward to seeing it with some discus in it.

Cheers,

Fred

Thanks Fred, and in turn, I will follow your DIY adventure and see if I ever build up the courage to make a plywood tank.

[Discus-n00b]

Looks good! Hurry up and put fish in it! ;) haha just kidding. Can't wait to see it stocked though!

[rickztahone]

Looks good! Hurry up and put fish in it! ;) haha just kidding. Can't wait to see it stocked though!

You and me both! Now, go buy a tank and put a Bean Animal on it! :)

[alcastro]

Rick did you get your water source figured out

[rickztahone]

Rick did you get your water source figured out

yup. It isn't pretty, but rather than run a copper line from the front yard through the side of my house and welding a valve on it, I decided to take the easy route, and simply buy a 25ft hose and call it a day! Lol. So yes, I do have good water (tap) now, but there will be some back and forth :)

[alcastro]

Great

[uarujoey]

Nice job!

[rickztahone]

Nice job!

Thanks Joey. I channelled my inner DIY'er! I made all the acrylic welds after seeing your videos. Gave me some confidence. System is working flawless.

I have a build thread in OP if interested.

[uarujoey]

Thanks Joey. I channelled my inner DIY'er! I made all the acrylic welds after seeing your videos. Gave me some confidence. System is working flawless.

I have a build thread in OP if interested.


Awesome job, and congrats on a successful build. Confidence is 90% of any build! In most cases, its a big reason holding people back from big builds like this one.. Confidence and know how can be dangerous though!.... I come up with any excuse to build new big systems far too often. ha

[Discus-n00b]

Awesome job, and congrats on a successful build. Confidence is 90% of any build! In most cases, its a big reason holding people back from big builds like this one.. Confidence and know how can be dangerous though!.... I come up with any excuse to build new big systems far too often. ha

Ain't that the truth. You do some fish DIY and then you start looking around on what to apply it to next. It's never ending! Maybe it's a good thing I have limited space at the moment.

[rickztahone]

Awesome job, and congrats on a successful build. Confidence is 90% of any build! In most cases, its a big reason holding people back from big builds like this one.. Confidence and know how can be dangerous though!.... I come up with any excuse to build new big systems far too often. ha
I hear you bud. Luckily for me, my DIY build is done for now. Tweaking things here and there, but for the most part it is all set and forget for now.


Ain't that the truth. You do some fish DIY and then you start looking around on what to apply it to next. It's never ending! Maybe it's a good thing I have limited space at the moment.

I have very limited space which is why I went for a 4ft tank, haha.

[Eddie]

Wicked set-up!

[rickztahone]

Thanks Eddie. It is working out great still. Haven't had one problem.

[dghby]

nice setup Ricardo, I may steal some of your ideas when I combine my 2 75gl tanks into a bigger system this winter. well done.

[rickztahone]

Just as an FYI, I will be uploading a pretty cool video I made this morning. It shows the Bean Animal overflow in action with a simulated clog. It is roughly 10 minutes long but it gives you a great idea of how great this overflow system is. Stay tuned later today to check it out.

[rickztahone]

As promised, here is the video:


https://youtu.be/3HK4TBUB4Oo

If you click on the bottom right on the button that says "watch on YouTube", you can get a better higher quality video, and I believe the audio is better as well.

I hope you enjoy.

[gordo33]

Rick , congrats on your amazing sump project. I learned a ton from reading through your sump journal. Thanks for sharing your journey especially all the great references/links. Looking forward to updates
I am considering a sump and posted a ? in the DIY tanks and equipment section. I would appreciate your feedback.

[rickztahone]

Rick , congrats on your amazing sump project. I learned a ton from reading through your sump journal. Thanks for sharing your journey especially all the great references/links. Looking forward to updates
I am considering a sump and posted a ? in the DIY tanks and equipment section. I would appreciate your feedback.

I will look for it shortly. Thanks for following along.

[Debow]

Rick,

I finally watched your video on your over flow with a demonstration of a clog and I noticed that there are no bubbles coming from you're main siphon on mine I have bubbles lots of them. I am using the hofer gurgle buster. And If i run the ball valve on 3/4 open I get loud rushing water noise Granted I am going the the basement to the sump but I would thing it would be quieter.

[rickztahone]

Rick,

I finally watched your video on your over flow with a demonstration of a clog and I noticed that there are no bubbles coming from you're main siphon on mine I have bubbles lots of them. I am using the hofer gurgle buster. And If i run the ball valve on 3/4 open I get loud rushing water noise Granted I am going the the basement to the sump but I would thing it would be quieter.

I've adjusted my gate valve, and I can make my open channel line expel a lot of bubbles, however, the key is to only let a trickle of water down that line, hence the small amount of bubbles. Maybe an adjustment is in order?

[Debow]

Ya, I have done that but I'm concerned about turn over rate I have never really known the flow rate or how much needs to be turned over. If it turn it down to a trickle and it has light output is this ok? I need schooling on this subject.

[rickztahone]

Ya, I have done that but I'm concerned about turn over rate I have never really known the flow rate or how much needs to be turned over. If it turn it down to a trickle and it has light output is this ok? I need schooling on this subject.

well, the open channel isn't the concern, however, let me back up here, you ARE running a Bean Animal overflow right? Because if you aren't, then we are talking about two different setups here. If you are, then the open channel does not serve anything to the output of the filtration. The siphon is the one that controls the huge portion of moving water and this of course all ends up in your sump which gets returned by the pump, the pump being the sole driver of the GPH of the whole system.

Did I clear that up or did I confuse you further?

[Debow]

I do not have the Bean I have this one 91825 I do not have a emergency pipe. only one drain gong to the sump that has a ball valve on it.

[rickztahone]

I do not have the Bean I have this one 91825 I do not have a emergency pipe. only one drain gong to the sump that has a ball valve on it.

You understand the risks of not having an emergency? Either way, the Bean Animal setup was created with one thing in mind, silence. When you run a herbie or other type of systems, they tend to be louder because the main line is handling all the pass through water. How long have you had it setup? Do you have a pic of your overflow?

[Debow]

I will get you a picture tonight I have had the tank running from March to now. The tank originally came with a Durso stand pipe.

[rickztahone]

I will get you a picture tonight I have had the tank running from March to now. The tank originally came with a Durso stand pipe.

The key is consistency. If you have that, I'd probably advocate the ol' adage, "if it isn't broken, don't fix it".

[rickztahone]

Devon, did you ever figure out your setup?

[Pardal]

Ricardo nice set up. I find your thread kind of late. I notice was almost about the same time that I was working in my Herbie style.
I like yours much better, nice biotope looking set up!

Julian

[Jack L]

my herbie setup is completely silent

unless there is something wrong and its sucking air or epipe is engaged, but that is by design.

good write up on herbie

http://gmacreef.com/herbie-overflow-reef-tank-plumbing-method-basics/

[BobB]

Thanks for the great video! I have seen a similar overflow system when I had a Saltwater tank it was quite nice and quite expensive. The name of the system escapes me right now. But thanks for a great post and video!

[rickztahone]

Thanks for the great video! I have seen a similar overflow system when I had a Saltwater tank it was quite nice and quite expensive. The name of the system escapes me right now. But thanks for a great post and video!

No problem. Mine is all DIY, but there are companies that sell the complete overflow system

[rickztahone]

https://youtu.be/E0FYH1jE3pQ
go to time 1:42. The discus swimming away from my hand off to the right is the one I am talking about. That is one tall discus!

[noinoi24]

I really appreciate this post. I myself will be doing similar to this on my 120 gallon. Now my question is, which part sets the water height? And the overflow, I was thinking of designing a reversed one where the water enters from the bottom so it acts as a poop cleaner. Do you think that it's possible? What size of bulk head will be good? Thanks for the info. 97676

[rickztahone]

I really appreciate this post. I myself will be doing similar to this on my 120 gallon. Now my question is, which part sets the water height? And the overflow, I was thinking of designing a reversed one where the water enters from the bottom so it acts as a poop cleaner. Do you think that it's possible? What size of bulk head will be good? Thanks for the info. 97676

I don't see how getting fed through the bottom would actually work unfortunately. In all my research I have never come across that. However, to your first question, the thing that dictates your water height is the gate valve on the main siphon. When you leave the main siphon wide open, it will drain almost all the water, you dial the valve back until it maintains an even water level and doesn't go to the emergency pipe.

[noinoi24]

Take a look at this DIY. This is the idea of how I wanted my underflow feed

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?91354-55-Gal-Aquarium-in-Wall-diy-sump-stand-overflow-lighting-diy-everything-lol


http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?113394-120-Gal-Aquarium-build-Diy-sump-stand-overflow-LED-lighting-and-full-auto-WC

[noinoi24]

Here's the idea that I'm trying to do Rick:

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?113394-120-Gal-Aquarium-build-Diy-sump-stand-overflow-LED-lighting-and-full-auto-WC

[rickztahone]

I see. It is still an overflow for all intents and purposes. I do remember that thread, I followed it closely for a long time. That definitely would work for what you want to achieve. A power head may be needed in order for the feces to be "ushered" in to that overflow

[noinoi24]

I wonder if this will really get rid of the feces or should I say get rid of the vacuuming? Any thoughts?

[rickztahone]

I wonder if this will really get rid of the feces or should I say get rid of the vacuuming? Any thoughts?

The feces will still be in your system. You still need to remove it somehow. Personally, I like to remove it myself from the tank floor rather than from filter socks. YMMV

[noinoi24]

Thank you! I'll take your advice... I wonder how much it'll cost me for the set-up?

[rickztahone]

Thank you! I'll take your advice... I wonder how much it'll cost me for the set-up?

PVC is relatively cheap. You would have to drill your tank though

[Ryan925]

Hey Ricardo I have a quick question for you.

I am currently planning my sump for my 75G. I am planning to use the Poret foam as you have. I haven't used it before so not too familiar with it.

I was thinking of stacking 4 sheets the 10,20,30,45 ppi

I assume most debris should be caught in the upper layers. How much risk do I have of the 45 getting clogged?? How often do you clean yours?? Trying to avoid cleaning it daily or even weekly for that matter.. I wouldn't mind terribly to clean weekly but if it can last longer that's what I'd prefer. Trying to pack as much media into this thing as possible with as little maintenance as possible.

Thanks in advance

[rickztahone]

Hey Ricardo I have a quick question for you.

I am currently planning my sump for my 75G. I am planning to use the Poret foam as you have. I haven't used it before so not too familiar with it.

I was thinking of stacking 4 sheets the 10,20,30,45 ppi

I assume most debris should be caught in the upper layers. How much risk do I have of the 45 getting clogged?? How often do you clean yours?? Trying to avoid cleaning it daily or even weekly for that matter.. I wouldn't mind terribly to clean weekly but if it can last longer that's what I'd prefer. Trying to pack as much media into this thing as possible with as little maintenance as possible.

Thanks in advance

I would ditch the idea of 45ppi to be honest. I only have 10ppi and 20ppi I believe and it works perfectly.

This stuff is made out of some great materials. I do not rinse my poret foam as often as you would think or as often as most might suggest. I rinse it every 2 months or so. The reason I do this is simple, it is very difficult for me to access it often. So, keep this in mind when making a sump. Accessibility is a huge factor when planning out your maintenance.

With that said, I have another little compartment that holds filter floss. This filter floss captures the huge majority of debris. I clean the filter floss very often, like every other day or every 3rd day.

When i fed BH 2x's per day I would put new filter floss daily.

Go with swisstropicals for the foam and you wont regret it.

[farebox]

I second that recommendation, have 20ppi and 30ppi in my sump. Hadn't had to clean in over 3months now. I run a cut to size piece of 45ppi as the pre-filter(mechanical) in the suspended plastic tray over the K1.

[Ryan925]

I would ditch the idea of 45ppi to be honest. I only have 10ppi and 20ppi I believe and it works perfectly.

This stuff is made out of some great materials. I do not rinse my poret foam as often as you would think or as often as most might suggest. I rinse it every 2 months or so. The reason I do this is simple, it is very difficult for me to access it often. So, keep this in mind when making a sump. Accessibility is a huge factor when planning out your maintenance.

With that said, I have another little compartment that holds filter floss. This filter floss captures the huge majority of debris. I clean the filter floss very often, like every other day or every 3rd day.

When i fed BH 2x's per day I would put new filter floss daily.

Go with swisstropicals for the foam and you wont regret it.


I second that recommendation, have 20ppi and 30ppi in my sump. Hadn't had to clean in over 3months now. I run a cut to size piece of 45ppi as the pre-filter(mechanical) in the suspended plastic tray over the K1.

Thanks. My design will start with the poret then flow through some bio media, next a fluidized K1 section, then another bio. Looking for good mechanical to avoid debris in the other sections

[100fuegos]

Thanks. My design will start with the poret then flow through some bio media, next a fluidized K1 section, then another bio. Looking for good mechanical to avoid debris in the other sections



You are over complicating it. All you need is poret foam. Use various ppi from 10 to 30 and nothing else.

103899

This is a very bad and quick picture from my mechanical and biological chamber in my sump. All in one, poret foam only. The first one is emerged and acts as mechanical. I take it out like once a month and hit hard against a wall, I do use a pre filter in the sump intake though it is made of 10 ppi poret foam too. There is a big bag of pumice stone under the foam and like 2 1/2 inches of pfs in another chamber but I feel all that is not needed.

[Ryan925]

You are over complicating it. All you need is poret foam. Use various ppi from 10 to 30 and nothing else.

103899

This is a very bad and quick picture from my mechanical and biological chamber in my sump. All in one, poret foam only. The first one is emerged and acts as mechanical. I take it out like once a month and hit hard against a wall, I do use a pre filter in the sump intake though it is made of 10 ppi poret foam too. There is a big bag of pumice stone under the foam and like 2 1/2 inches of pfs in another chamber but I feel all that is not needed.

So you're saying you use the poret for both bio and mechanical correct? I read on the Swiss Tropicals site that they say to take the foam out on the driveway and hose it down to clean and that still won't kill the BB on it

[100fuegos]

So you're saying you use the poret for both bio and mechanical correct? I read on the Swiss Tropicals site that they say to take the foam out on the driveway and hose it down to clean and that still won't kill the BB on it

Yes, that foam in the picture supports 17 full grown adults plus I feed my beef heart mix twice everyday. I used to clean that first layer of 10 ppi foam with a garden hose but there is really no need to. All it needs is a few hits against a wall once or twice a month. In the other hand it does not support a great deal of the bb compared to the rest of the layers immersed.

[Jack L]

So you're saying you use the poret for both bio and mechanical correct? I read on the Swiss Tropicals site that they say to take the foam out on the driveway and hose it down to clean and that still won't kill the BB on it

poret is all you need
it seems like mine needs cleaned about every 6 months, and i whack it on the driveway, hit it with the hose and thow it back in, all was fine. there is enough BB to regenerate.

[Jack L]

toward the bottom of this page you can see how i have my sump for reference, FYI. the matrix is there only because i bought it and if it wasn't there it would be on a shelf cluttering up shelf.
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?120839-Jack-s-140/page2