- I'm Thomas, and we're about to get hands-on
with the Eclipse Overflow Boxes from ESHOPPS.
They are low profile, unobtrusive,
Herbie or Bean Animal ready,
plus they include a drill guide template
and the diamond hole saw
you're gonna need to drill your tank
to get it ready for this very slick little overflow.
So, hang tight, we're gonna go over all of it.
Also, I'll be going over the differences, basically,
between the Prodigy and the Eclipse,
so you can make a decision between the two.
They're very similar, there's just a few little things.
So yeah, without further ado, let's dig into it.
An often overlooked part of a great display tank
is a great overflow system.
Having personally had all types of overflows
from simple DIY standpipes
and aquariums with prefab overflow panels,
to custom overflow boxes,
I can definitely appreciate a well-made,
unobtrusive, and quiet overflow box.
There is nothing worse than having
a big unsightly box sitting inside the display tank
that sounds like a flushing toilet,
while you're kicked back relaxing,
trying to enjoy this beautiful reef
that you worked so hard on.
And makes you question all the things you did
when you were setting it up.
I'm not speaking from experience or anything,
that didn't happen to me.
What?
ESHOPPS Eclipse Overflow Boxes
are a fantastic example of a quiet, practical,
and unobtrusive overflow system.
They take up very little space inside of the tank
using an external box to house the bulkheads and plumbing.
So you can keep your display
free of a floor to ceiling panel.
They include two and three drain configurations
to accommodate the popular
Herbie and Bean Animal style drain systems
to keep things not only super safe, but also very quiet.
They include a lid over the external box,
a drill guide template,
and even the diamond hole saw
that you're going to need to drill your tank.
I mean, even the media model that I have here
is small enough that it can fit
on the end panel of a 10 gallon aquarium
and take up virtually no space inside of the tank.
It's super slick, but before I get ahead of myself,
let's get this one out of the box
so I can show you what I'm talkin' about.
In the box, you'll find the Eclipse Overflow Box,
the drill template, the diamond hole saw,
and the installation guide.
The Eclipse boxes are available in three sizes.
The S, the M, and the L.
They're rated for a max flow rate of 600,
800, and 1,000 gallons per hour respectively,
and are suitable for tanks up to 75,
100, and 150 gallons in volume.
Both the S and the M have a pair of drains,
which works perfectly with the Herbie method.
And the L has three drains making it a great option
for the Bean Animal method.
The S is six inches wide, the M is eight inches wide,
and the L is 12 inches wide,
and they all share the same six inch height,
as well as one and a quarter inch depth
of the internal weir and three inch depth
of the external box.
Installation is easy, and the instructions
that ESHOPPS provides is thorough,
plus the drill template and the diamond hole saw
that come with the box, make the process
of drilling your aquarium a lot simpler.
You know exactly where the hole should go
to achieve the estimated water height in the display,
plus you don't need to guess which size hole saw to buy
to match up with the bulkhead on the box.
Once you've drilled through the tank,
the inner weir is going to slide through the hole
from inside of the tank, and then the gasket's
going to be placed on the outside,
followed by the external box, and then the nut.
You can certainly plumb these overflow systems
to your sump in a number of different ways,
but most reefers you're gonna set them up
using a gate valve on the primary drain
to achieve a full siphon with the auxiliary
or emergency drains being piped down to the sump
without a valve, to allow water to free flow
back to the sump, in the event the primary drain
becomes clogged or blocked.
The S and the M models feature a single emergency drain,
which works perfectly for the Herbie method.
And the L can be set up to have two emergency drains
by adding a second PVC standpipe,
which works great for the Bean animal method.
Both of these methods are super quiet as well,
which is awesome.
Now onto that burning question,
what's the difference between the Eclipse and the Prodigy?
At first glance, the Prodigy and the Eclipse Overflows
look virtually identical, other than the color schemes.
And they are very similar,
but there are a few differences
that could push you towards one over the other.
First, the Prodigy uses what EHOPPS has dubbed,
the world's smallest internal weir.
While the Eclipse weir is one and a quarter inches thick,
the Prodigy is a mere five eighths of an inch thick.
The Prodigy's internal weir also has a removable panel,
which makes it easier to clean,
since you can take it to a sink or soak it in citric acid,
but that removable panel has one more trick up its sleeve.
It can be inverted, which offsets the weir
and can provide roughly half an inch of adjustment
to the water height inside of the display tank.
So, if you intend to have a lot of wave action,
that half an inch difference
could provide some extra headroom.
One more notable difference
is that the Eclipse comes in three sizes,
and the Prodigy only comes in two sizes.
So if you're looking for a small overflow,
the Eclipse S has you covered.
It's also worth mentioning
that the Eclipse M and L flow rates
are higher than the Prodigy M and L
by 100 gallons per hour, likely because the internal weir
is a bit larger and can support the extra flow.
So if you want to run a higher flow rate,
the Eclipse might be a better option.
Both will definitely get the job done and done well,
but if the Eclipse Overflow Box
just so happens to match your reefing mantra,
you can pick one up for yourself by clicking right here.
(upbeat music)