There is another similar method called the “Beananimal” drain (also named after its creator) which is slightly more complicated in design and uses 3 standpipes vs.

You can choose to do things differently with certain parts of the design, but try to be aware of any risks you may be opening yourself up to when you do so. the most important thing is to understand your own setup. There are all kinds of people out there who run the system in one form or another, and they all have a slightly different opinion on how they think things should be done.It is not completely a “set-it-and-forget-it” method… It needs to be regularly inspected and properly maintained.In some cases the pipes will have to pass through the side of the tank, but the mechanics of everything will be the same. For the sake of simplicity, all of the content and diagrams describe the most simple and conventional Herbie setup, - an overflow box with standpipes coming in through the bottom. This guide explains the regular operation, each component of the design, and gives tips along the way. The difficulty lies not in the method itself, but in sifting through all those bits and pieces of info just to figure it out. As people started using the method on their tanks, many forum threads started and there are literally hundreds of posts out there about it.

The method was popularized by a thread started by a forum member “Herbie” around 2004.

Cheap overflow box