# Filtration: Spray bar or jet nozzle?



## Aramz (Jun 24, 2008)

Hey, Just wondering your guys thoughts on wether a spray bar should be used of a jet nozzle add on with say an oxidizer with bubbles.

For example i have a 6x2x6 im setting up. Im using an aquaone 2400 and an eheim 2217. They will be on opposite sides of the tank. I was just wodnering how i should get the flow going. I was thinking to have the spray bar for the 2400 and on the other side have the 2217 with a jet nozzle. If i had both with a jet nozzle they would be facing each othe ron opposite sides, would this flow pattern be any good?


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## Mr Dinks (Sep 23, 2008)

I have a 2217 and a 2215. I started off with jet nozzles but the jet was great to start with but they started not to spray but just as a flow. I cleaned it and it was exactly how it was with air intake above the water but nothing, i might as well just had water coming out off the tubing. Then the other started to do the same thing. I even changed filter media but nothing. If it happens twice with two seperate filters then......?
The other factor is IMO is it does very little for surface movement if pointed und the water and if across the surface was like a power washer and i found it very hard to get it across the surface anyway as it cut the flow through the pipe over the top.
So i could not win either way.
I went back to the venturi, OK it's a bit boring but it creates gentle but perfect water movement.

I am sure somebody will come along with their view. But this was just my experience


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## steve426 (Nov 23, 2008)

I have a 90g with a fluval 403 on it and i am running a spray bar. I have mine directed upwards and it does a great job of moving the surface water. I personally prefer the spray bar.


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## herb (Mar 23, 2003)

I have played with this idea for a while, i now use jets and under gravel jets, using both has helped get the stuff off the sand and my wet/dry system(s) seem to be better. this is my experience. i am running this on a 125 and a 135, IF i was using canisters i may use spray bars but my wet/drys are home built things and this is what i opted for, i am trying to get relatively slow turnover with not too much turbulence, it partly depends on what kind of fish you are keeping too, and what they prefer? I have fronts in one tank, this gives me flow but not turbulence!!! which is what they prefer! for my jets i have 8 outlets driven by a mag7.5, this gives water movement without too much movement IMO, then the wet/dry is a mag5 this gives me 2-3 turnover rate thru the wetdry, and at least that from the ugj system! since adding the ugj i have very little build up on sand, before it was fairly bad!!!

herb


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## leopio (Nov 18, 2007)

i would use the jet nozzle if no power head is being use and the spray bar if their is one.


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## Aramz (Jun 24, 2008)

So if i had a spray bar on either side of the tank on the back wall facing the front wall with intake pipes on each back corner would that be a good flow system? If i went the way of jets would it be bad to face them against each other even if the tank is 6ft long? Also what is turbulence and is it bad?


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## Aramz (Jun 24, 2008)

any thoughts ?


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## Timeless R1 (Oct 14, 2005)

I have two Ehiems cansiters on a 55 gallon. One of my canisters returns goes to a spray bar thats directed to shoot water directly across the top of my tank (long wise) on the other end of the tank I have the other canister return aimed back toawrds the other side but this one is shooting at a diagnal towards the bottom....this way i get the current to go across the top, and then when it reaches the side the other spray bar pushes it down and back , kind of creating a nice circle. My intakes are about 10 inches in from the sides of the tank. Works pretty well


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## Aramz (Jun 24, 2008)

Thanks for your replies. I like the way you have set out your timeless. It has a smooth circular flow through the whole tank, it seems. Would spray bars facing each other on long sides of the tank directed towards each other at the same height create turbulence in the middler and wouldnt really get a good flow going?

My 2400 has a spray bar that is too long to put on the side of the tank and aim across ways so i have to have it going long ways aiming at the front of the tank. Jus not sur eif i should put my other eheim spray bar the same way but o the other side or put it on the side glass and aim it across the length of the tank or maybe angled down like yours? Or even chuck the nozzle on and jet it?

Also when placen the intakes if i had them in either back corner and there were rock piles in each corner would that be bad. it may restrict debris floating to the intake a little. Or would it still most likely fid its way in there?


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

G'day *Aramz*,

I used to have two eheim 2228's on a 6 foot, 150 gallon tank. I tried a few different placements for the spraybars. Intakes were always in each rear corner.

Here are a couple of placements I liked, for various reasons.

#1. One spraybar placed along the right end of the tank at the surface, directing flow along the length of the tank surface. The second spraybar was placed at surface on the rear on the tank at the left end, directing the flow forward.

This setup created two circular currents.

At the left end of the tank, the current ran from the back of the tank towards the front of the tank at the surface, hit the front window of the tank, ran down it and at substrate level flowed from the front of the tank, towards the rear of the tank, taking any debris towards the rear of the tank where the filter intake was located.

The second current started at the right end of the tank at the surface, ran the length of the tank untill it met the cross tank current, where it then went down and circulated back along the substrate from left to right.

#2. Exactly the same as #1, except the left end spraybar was faced directlty at the rear window it was attached to, of the tank. The water directed directly against the rear of the tank created a curtain of bubbles that swirled back along the length of the tank from left to right as it got caught up in the circular current created from the right end spraybar. The current from the right end spraybar runs the length of the tank from right to left at the surface, and from left to right at substrate level.

Currently I have to 3'x18"x18" 50 gallon tanks set up. See in my sig.

One is my pleco tank. It has an eheim 2222 and an eheim 2228 on it. Plecos like highly oxygenated, fast flowing water. I have the spraybars set up like option #2. The 2222 spraybar is setup at the right end of the tank, while the 2228 is setup at the left end on the rear window creating a bubble curtain that gets dispersed through the tank from left to right.

The other tank is a community tank. It only has an eheim 2228 on it. The fish in this tank generally are found close to river and stream banks in slower moving waters, so the spraybar is set up at the right end, but faces directly against the side of the tank. Again this creates lots of bubbles, but they aren't spread through the tank like option #2, but rather circulate in a figure of 8 eddy at the right end of the tank. There is very liitle surface movement in this tank, what surface current there is, moves in a lazy circle from the front right end down the length of the front of the tank, across the left end of the tank from front to rear, and back along the rear of the tank from left to right. At substrate level the current flows from the right end of the tank to the left end where the intake is setup.

I hope you follow all that.

Just as important as filter setup and spraybar flow and direction etc, are *regular water changes* and substrate vacs. Both my tanks have _still water_ areas at the substrate level caused by the tank scape (placement of driftwood and flower pots {don't ask :roll: }). Most tanks will have _still water_ areas, and it is important that these areas are vacuumed well as this is where detritus can build up rather fast. My pleco tank gets two 50% water changes and substrate vacs each week, while my community tank gets one 50% water change and vac each week.


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## Aramz (Jun 24, 2008)

Thanks alot deadfishfloating. Your input was just what i needed. In option #2 when you directed the flow back towards the rear of the tank which the spray bar was attatched to did you angle it up so what hits the glass and flows back over the bar or down so it hits the glass and flows back at an angle below the bar?


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

I don't have it angled at all. The holes in the spray bar ar at the top water level, facing directly against the back of the tank.

Glad I could help mate.


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