Question about diy spraybar

[Desyx]

So i switched from reef to dirted and i have the single water outlet spraying all the flow from my sump back in and it seems to just be too much a beating for my plants(only 2 atm) so i am making a spraybar. If i make two rows of holes so water goes in two different directions will it still work? has anyone done this? kind of like having one row angled to opposite side glass and the other almost directly forward toward front glass.

[MChambers]

Yes, I've done that. You might be able to make your spray bar in two parts, so that you can adjust the relative angle of the holes.

[GeToChKn]

It should work, it will just take some time as you don't want too many holes or you get no flow, so it's sort of drill a set, test, too much flow, drill a few more, test again, back and forth. Once you do too many, then you have to seal them over, so it's easier to do a few at a time and try to get it right.

[Desyx]

I figured since i have about 750gph after 3' of head was only going to do 5 holes across tank and maybe 2 forwardish to help prevent a dead spot.

[l8nite]

This is on my 110G tank attached to a Fluval 403:

It's not entirely DIY, but I thought it might give you an idea for what to expect.

And, since I had the camera out during my water change today, you can even see a video of what the pressure looks like:

Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxxuLEPK-Ig

Original quality download:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/24247931/Aq...6/MVI_4772.MOV

[Desyx]

Interesting...should i run it along the top of the tank like that and just aim for making a circulating water flow? that would probably keep the plants from getting beat up

[Merth]

My DIY looks pretty close to this setup as well except I have a few holes in the backside as well to keep water from "settling" behind the bar...maybe a bit of overkill but it works.

[Turtlemaxxx]

This is my DIY spraybar on my 75 gallon. It's hooked up to an FX5.

[alipper]

Originally Posted by Turtlemaxxx

This is my DIY spraybar on my 75 gallon. It's hooked up to an FX5.

More info please. I want to do the same thing.

[Turtlemaxxx]

just layout the parts as shown, glue together, and drill holes every inch. make the holes small to start with and then you can tweak by drilling every-other hole larger until you get the flow you are looking for. if every-other hole doesn't work, drill them all bigger. but get too big and you will have to start over. I can't remember off the top of my head, but I think I have 3/16" and 1/4" holes in this spray bar. Instead of just capping the end like I did, I would make both ends look the same and then cap one. that way it hangs itself on the rim instead of having to suspend the one end with a zip tie.

[Desyx]

Made mine last weekend on the side shooting across tank with a ball valve so i can control flow. I can see a good circulation and its not so much that my plants are getting beat up. I highly recommend this.

[alipper]

Originally Posted by Turtlemaxxx

just layout the parts as shown, glue together, and drill holes every inch. make the holes small to start with and then you can tweak by drilling every-other hole larger until you get the flow you are looking for. if every-other hole doesn't work, drill them all bigger. but get too big and you will have to start over. I can't remember off the top of my head, but I think I have 3/16" and 1/4" holes in this spray bar. Instead of just capping the end like I did, I would make both ends look the same and then cap one. that way it hangs itself on the rim instead of having to suspend the one end with a zip tie.

Good to know, thanks. What's a good diameter size for the actual spraybar?

[Turtlemaxxx]

I believe I used 3/4" pipe. I will have to find a scrap that has the markings on it. Kinda hard to read through paint.

[amberoze]

My diy spray bar is 5/8 inch PVC with I forget what size holes (i think 1/8") drilled every inch. My spray bar is actually split from the 1" output of my fluval fx5, the second side of the split is just 45° elbow.

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