Thoughts on the 'Maggie Muffler' as an internal standpipe to avoid overflow box?

[Seancj]

I'm looking ahead at my next tank upgrade and thinking about overflow/drain plumbing. I want to avoid an internal overflow box as I find them unattractive and they take up space. I want to avoid an external overflow box as I need to keep this tank as close to the wall as possible to appease the wife. I am thinking about simply installing internal standpipes with Maggie Mufflers on top for the drains as standpipes take up less space and could be less visually distracting.
I would be grateful for any first hand experiences with the Maggie's in terms of flow and noise. Would they be a good choice for my potential application?
Thanks in advance!

 

[MarineandReef Jaron]

I love Maggies but I don't think you will be happy. If you install the mufflers without a weir you will get 0 surface skimming and will have lots of scum build up on the surface of the aquarium. You will need some kind of weir. I know you really don't want it but I would still recommend a small internal weir. It could be very small like only 4inx4in but I think you will be much happier with one.

The 1in Maggies can handle around a return pump rated at 600 GPH but they are pretty loud at that flow rate. The larger Maggies can handle return pumps up to about 1000 GPH but they are pretty loud at that flow rate. With a return pump less than 500 GPH the 1in are reasonably quite and the 1.5in is reasonably quiet with pumps rated under 800 GPH. This is based on my LFS days doing many installs with Maggie Mufflers. I never put on a flow meter to tell you exactly what flow was going through them I just learned that using a return pump rated for 800 GPH with a 1.5in Maggie was quiet enough that no one ever complained, likewise for the 1in Maggies.

As a hobbyist, I can tell you that even though no one complained about using a Maggie alone it is still nowhere near as quiet as using a Herbie or Bean Animal style drain.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

I had a Maggie on a inch and a quarter I believe, I did not have a ball valve on it I had a single internal overflow, I found it difficult to use, it could not handle a lot of flow, minimal at best.

 

[Seancj]

I love Maggies but I don't think you will be happy. If you install the mufflers without a weir you will get 0 surface skimming and will have lots of scum build up on the surface of the aquarium. You will need some kind of weir. I know you really don't want it but I would still recommend a small internal weir. It could be very small like only 4inx4in but I think you will be much happier with one.

The 1in Maggies can handle around a return pump rated at 600 GPH but they are pretty loud at that flow rate. The larger Maggies can handle return pumps up to about 1000 GPH but they are pretty loud at that flow rate. With a return pump less than 500 GPH the 1in are reasonably quite and the 1.5in is reasonably quiet with pumps rated under 800 GPH. This is based on my LFS days doing many installs with Maggie Mufflers. I never put on a flow meter to tell you exactly what flow was going through them I just learned that using a return pump rated for 800 GPH with a 1.5in Maggie was quiet enough that no one ever complained, likewise for the 1in Maggies.

As a hobbyist, I can tell you that even though no one complained about using a Maggie alone it is still nowhere near as quiet as using a Herbie or Bean Animal style drain.

Thank you very much for this detailed reply! Exactly what I was hoping for. The lack of surface skimming is a concern. I thought the Maggie would allow for that. I'm no too concerned about flow as I prefer to only run 3 to 4 times water volume through the sump per hour and the new tank will only be around 200 gallons.

 

[Seancj]

I had a Maggie on a inch and a quarter I believe, I did not have a ball valve on it I had a single internal overflow, I found it difficult to use, it could not handle a lot of flow, minimal at best.

Thanks for the reply! What size tank was this on?

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

It is on a 120 gallon tan, I only have the single overflow, maybe with a valve you can control it and make it silent, THAT I do not know. Hopefully someone can clear that up.
Right now I have it off and I have my DC pump turned down for noise purposes.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

So you want to put a Maggie Muffler on a 200 gallon tank?

 

[Seancj]

I was considering 2 of the larger size for a 250 gallon. I only run 2 to 3 times turn over through my sumps. I’m now considering 2 H2O overflows instead. Still looking at options. This is all pre planning, as I don’t even have the tank purchased yet.

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

200 Gallon Aquarium, and you don’t have enough room for an internal or external overflow, so every thing works right.

 

[Seancj]

We each have our own preferences, right?

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

You ask for opinions. That’s going to be an expensive aquarium to have something that’s not going to work. I’m running two Simplicity 1600 pumps, set at about 75% on my 120 gallon. Center Internal overflow with two Durso Drains. A Single Return that Splits into two nozzles and two Auxiliary returns through the back glass. To hide the Internal Overflow, you can Super Glue Frag Tiles, to the ABS Overflow while dry. Attach Corals to the Tiles, and let them grow out.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

If you haven't purchase the tank yet, get one with the best overflow, one that is dead quiet and flows lots of water, you can always turn it down, but you cannot make bad, better.
I have a brand new 225 tank drilled for an external overflow, the tank is still dry.