Water flow

683 Views 9 Replies 9 Participants Last post by randyl, Mar 18, 2014

stanjam

Discussion Starter · Mar 17, 2014

I have a canister (rated 85 gph) which has a sponge prefilter and a spraybar. It is on our 10 gallon rcs setup. When the spraybar faces out aeration is excellent but the flow seems too fast for my rcs, especially the young ones. When I turn the spray to the back wall everything is a lot calmer, but I wonder if it isn't enough.

So opinions please. Given the choice in your setup (real or imagined) would you want a stronger current, or soft? I am leaning towards slower currents, but the adolescents and adults seem to enjoy hanging on the bar in the current as long as they can lol.

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52149

· #2 · Mar 17, 2014

I have a 2217 hooked up to a 10 gallon normal intake and DIY spray bar. I noticed in the original spray bar the current was to strong. So I made a DIY stay bar over the tank. That sprays onto the water not in the water creating a current flow for the shrimp.

Another suggestion is get a quarter turn valve to attach to out put hose and reducing the water flow that way.

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steakman

· #3 · Mar 17, 2014

I enlarge the holes in all of my spray-bars.
The bigger the holes, the lesser the flow.
All you need is a drill and a size or 2 (larger than the holes) drill bit.
It's really easy to do since those bars are soft plastic.
Use one of those speed controlled battery operated drill and go real slow.
Good luck.

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bostoneric

· #4 · Mar 17, 2014

dont really have to worry about a magic formula for amount of turnover in a shrimp tank. remember most people just run a sponge filter.
as long as you are moving water past a biological/mechanical "filter" even if slow is fine.

but like steakman suggested, try making the holes larger this will reduce the power of the water coming out the holes.
kinda like when you put your thumb over the garden hose idea.

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aquarist

· #5 · Mar 17, 2014

If you think the flow is too strong I would suggest enlarging the hole as stated above, this will help reduce some of the flow, start with the hole farthest away from the where the water enters the spray bar and work your way backwards, this will ensure that you do not de-preassurize the bar to the point that it will not work correctly.

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stanjam

Discussion Starter · #6 · Mar 18, 2014

Thank you very much for the replies. I hadn't thought of modding the spraybar. Good idea. Thank you all.

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HUNTER

· #7 · Mar 18, 2014

Adjust it to just gentle swaying of the plants, and watch the shrimp if they can easily swim. That's how I gauge my RCS tank.

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ChadO

· #8 · Mar 18, 2014

I also drill more holes rather than bigger holes. I drilled larger holes in one of my spray bars, and when I would shut off the filter during changes and maintenance, my baby CRS and CBS would go exploring in the spray bar. I had to lower the water level to where they couldn't get in. Now I make my own spray bars and choose to drill more of the smaller holes. Same principle as what folks have been saying, just a different twist on how to do it.

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35ppt

· #9 · Mar 18, 2014

stanjam said:
I have a canister (rated 85 gph) which has a sponge prefilter and a spraybar. It is on our 10 gallon rcs setup. When the spraybar faces out aeration is excellent but the flow seems too fast for my rcs, especially the young ones. When I turn the spray to the back wall everything is a lot calmer, but I wonder if it isn't enough.

So opinions please. Given the choice in your setup (real or imagined) would you want a stronger current, or soft? I am leaning towards slower currents, but the adolescents and adults seem to enjoy hanging on the bar in the current as long as they can lol.

Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk

I find it interesting - my adults found a spot by the outlet of my sponge filter and enjoyed hanging out there in the bubbles. The also liked climbing up the heater power cord & airline that was there, so I had to redo that to keep shrimp in the tank.

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randyl

· #10 · Mar 18, 2014

An 85gph rated canister with a sponge prefilter will probably give you much much less than the rated spec. I don't think it will give you too much flow in a 10G.

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