Spray bar flow rate

[NigelK8485]

I built a spraybar for my fx5 and installed it today in order to increase the surface area for gas exchange and because the dual nozzle output only hit about 1/3 of the surface in my tank and I was having to rely on two little Eheim surface skimmers to get the sides.


As you can see, the surface agitation is f***ing awesome. I'm in love with this thing. However as I watched my bichir trying to get a massivore tablet I noticed the poor little guy was being kind of pushed around the bottom of the tank. I love the fact that it is circulating water so well but I'm pretty sure I need to cut back on some of the current. I thought about drilling extra holes, currently I have a 1/8" hole every 2 inches and it's 5 feet long. Would making a hole at every inch help reduce current? The other thing I thought of was closing the valve just a tiny bit on the fx5 to reduce the gph it's turning out.

Or should I just let the bichir get used to the current? He still has his little dead spots behind some of the driftwood and plants that he was lounging about in, it's mainly just in the middle of the tank he was being drifted along.

Do I have any other options?


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[Fresh2o]

Instead of drilling a hole in between each 2" gap, try every other gap. You could try reaming the holes out so that they are bigger than the 1/8" they currently are.
Or try an combo of both.


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[RadMax8]

I may be wrong but doesn't the FX5 have an option to control the flow rate? That might be your best bet to get the current down in the tank.


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[Fresh2o]

I may be wrong but doesn't the FX5 have an option to control the flow rate? That might be your best bet to get the current down in the tank.


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It might. Not sure. Would be concerned about back pressure but I would think they had that in mind when they put in that feature (thinking it is a valve on the output).


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[NigelK8485]

I may be wrong but doesn't the FX5 have an option to control the flow rate? That might be your best bet to get the current down in the tank.


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Yes it allows you to close the output valve 50% and the actual unit will notice the change and adjust itself so it doesn't mess up anything internally. I'd just be worried about it not circulating at it's full capacity. I'm probably going to just drill larger holes and add some more holes to the actual spray bar and see how it works out. I'm currently just observing the fish and seeing if it really seems too strong or if it was just because they were used to absolutely no current at the bottom when I was using the dual output nozzle. As of today the fish seemed better, the severum didn't seem bothered by the current, the rainbows obviously didn't mind it, and the bichir looks like he's figured out some dead spots behind wood and plants to maneuver through when he wants to come out to the middle of the tank.


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