DIY Spray Bar

[Mecula]

Hi everybody,
I'm thinking about doing a spray bar for my 75g. I was thinking about putting it at the bottom of the tank to kick up any debris that makes it past the filter. Tank dimensions are 24" tall x 18" deep x 48" wide. I was thinking of doing a piece of PVC at 40" wide, drilling my holes & putting a water pump at both ends. My thinking is that two smaller pumps would allow for better distribution of flow over the 40" of PVC.
Any ideas on diameter of PVC, specifically size/output of pumps, aquarium safe sealant, etc.? Any suggestions on how to do it better?

I have a Eheim Pro III 2080 canister filter with the top spray bar. However, I have been severely underwhelmed at it's ability to filter out debris to say the least. After a feeding I have watched very small pieces of food come within an 1/8" of the intake & it just moves right on by. Output is great, but intake is another story. Needless to say I would like to add a spray bar to hopefully cycle the debris on the bottom a bit more in hopes of the Eheim picking it up. I have everything on a day/night timer & was thinking of only running the lower spray bar at night. (The canister filter is always on, lights are on 10 hours per day)
Any thoughts?
C

[PUNISHER VETTE]

2 pumps probably will help but if you do it right 1 pump should be enough.

Just make sure you drill the holes small to begin with or make a couple different size ones so you can see which one you like best.

I made a spray bar for my powerhead and made the holes in the PVC too big and didn't cap the end so there was hardly any force to the water coming out.

[houie925]

Any substrate? If so how deep?

[Mecula]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I'm mainly curious about what you all think about pump size using two pumps. Any recommendations on brand of pump? I figured I'd go with 1/2" PVC. To answer the other question, my substrate is about 3" deep.
Thanks!
C

[toddnbecka]

Most folks simply use a powerhead (or two) to circulate water/debris toward the intake. Another option is an UG jet system, where water is directed through several small-diameter pieces of pvc to move debris toward the intake. Similar to a spray bar, but instead of a single piece w/multiple holes each section has a single outlet. Try a google search for "undergravel jet" and you should find all the info you want/need to consider that setup.

[Mecula]

Most folks simply use a powerhead (or two) to circulate water/debris toward the intake. Another option is an UG jet system, where water is directed through several small-diameter pieces of pvc to move debris toward the intake. Similar to a spray bar, but instead of a single piece w/multiple holes each section has a single outlet. Try a google search for "undergravel jet" and you should find all the info you want/need to consider that setup.

That is a GREAT suggestion & would work better for my setup. Perfect answer - THANKS!

[Lady Hobbs]

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/ug_jets.php

Here's a pretty simple explanation. Might try this one myself.

[Mecula]

One more question, do you think it would cause any stress to the fish to run this overnight only when they are winding down? My thinking is that I could come to work to a cleaner tank & everything would be calm (no disturbances to the bottom of the tank). Would I be better off to only run it during the day or should I run it 24/7?

[Lady Hobbs]

I can see these as no worst than a good bubbler wand going all day and night.