Eheim Spraybar adjustments?

[RobD]

Okay, I have a 46-gallon bow-front with an Eheim 2026 Pro II with the gray installation kits. As you can see in the picture, I have the intake on the backside-left corner. The spraybar is on the left side of the tank, using only two of the three spray pieces, and blowing across the top. To counter the loss of the third piece, I drilled out the standard holes (7/64") to 11/64". On the end-piece, I also drilled in three 7/64" holes between the four standard holes.

My problem is that this is still creating a lot of flow across the top of the tank. It then deflects off the glass and back across the bottom towards the intake. I want to keep the filter running at full, just reduce the velocity of the water going across the top. My center plants are leaning left and the fish are having a hard time swimming at the surface level. It doesn't look like they are leaning in the picture, but that is with the flow turned off. I have tried the spraybar pointing horizontally and at a 45-degree angle towards the surface (to the point it just starts to make noise breaking the water's surface).

Should I increase the three holes I drilled so that the end piece has seven 11/64" holes? Should I add three holes to the first piece? Or should I try making the holes even bigger? Or maybe I should make the spraybar run along the backside and shoot towards the front with all three pieces installed?

This tank is three feet across. Unmodified, the two pieces of spraybar could throw the water 24 inches. With the larger holes, it was down to 12 inches. With the additional holes, it was a little less than that (didn't measure it yet).

Looking for the opinions of the experienced...

 

[TaffyFish]

Looking for the opinions of the experienced...

I have a couple of Eheims and have spent a few hours playing with the options myself, hope that qualifies me! ;-)

If you're adamant about having the flow control set to maximum, then you need to get the full spraybar set up. As you suggested, having it mounted across the length of the tank at the rear would spread the return flow across the widest area and therefore create less powerful localised currents.

My Eheim cans came with the green inlet/outlet kits and you can buy extra spray bars and connect them in series. On a 4ft tank I could get 3 spray bars across the length which allowed smaller fish to cope with the current. I have since changed one tank from spray bars to diffusor (very localised and aerated current) and on a second tank I have split the return between a spraybar placed vertically and a diffusor. It's possible via T-connectors to run 2 spray bars on a single outlet pipe, in any orientation.

I think you should seriously consider turning down the flow control at least a bit. Your filter is rated for tanks up to 92 US gallons, your tank is half that. I'll wager your Eheim would work just as efficiently at a lower flow rate.

 

[RobD]

So tonight, I ripped the lid off the tank, rolled up my sleeves, and dived in...

I added the third piece to the spraybar and placed it along the backside of the tank, pointing towards the front. Lo and behold, the plants all stood up and the fish could actually get in the current and not become little projectiles.

Now I'm going to order another kit so that I can have 4 pieces of normal sized holes.

 

[jclif1995]

i also have a similar setup. a Eheim 2026 in a 46gal bow. i also have an Emperor 280 on the back. it's a goldie tank. i installed my output to run horizontally and plan on drilling the holes larger. it just seems like too much force. how much filtration does the forum recommend for a tropical tank. i have one and i've been considering a HOB filter.

 

[RobD]

Well, I have to say that my plan worked well. I now have 4 pieces of Eheim spraybar tubing on my output. The run along the back wall, pointed towards the front (and upwards toward the surface). The plants are sticking up and everything seems to be good. There is still some turbulant action on the surface, but it is nice because it blows the food right down the front of the tank. The cories know right where to sit at feeding time to catch the yummies!!!

 

[jclif1995]

well i worked on the spray bar yesterday. i drilled the holes out increasing their size to about 3x. i also drilled a hole in the spraybar end to allow some flow across the back. the tank seems less turbulant. i'll give the goldies several days to settle in. i think it was the proper move as i no longer have that huge energy coming from that spray bar.

 

[RobD]

Hmm, a hole in the endcap. That sounds like a good idea to try and see what it does to the flow. I just did my water change last night, so I'll have to give it a whirl next week. I have an extra endcap since I ordered that second spraybar kit to give me the fourth piece (and to replace the other two that I drilled out).

 

[OCCFan023]

Well I have a Eheim 2215, and I just explained what happend to me on the worst experience thread, so know I need someones help that has used this before or eheims in general and can help me out. Last night I did a water change and I realized my gree tubes went to the wrong part, my output valve (ontop of the canister) was going to the intake part of the filter intake, and the intake nozel on the bottom left of the canister went to the output spraybars. When I got my canister set up I didnt put the tube connectors that let you turn of water pressure through the tubes so that water doesnt come spraying out as soon as there taken off, so I was prepard for this with a bucket, so when I took the tubes off the water poured out of the green tubes, BUT water then started spraying from the intake nozel and output nozel from the filter too! water EVERYWHERE, 1/4 of my tank water that i just cleaned now on me and my floor. After I got everything squared away (got the right tubes going to the right places and the the valve connectors attached to the green tubes, I wondered, from now on when I take off the green tubes it wont be a problem with water running out of the tubes since I have the shutoff valve connector things on them, but what happens to the input and output valves how do I stop water fom rushing out of them everytime I take off the green tubes to service the filter? I had my filter off and this still happened, SO I dont know what to do, please help!

 

[TaffyFish]

ROFL - RTFM!

 

[OCCFan023]

theres nothing in the manual about taking it apart, thats why I asked here.....

 

[Purple]

I'm definately sticking to Fluvals - lol

 

[OCCFan023]

lol

 

[RobD]

I don't know about the Eheim 2215, I own the 2026 Pro II series that has the easy connect/disconnect feature. I just pull a lever, push a button, and pull the lever the rest of the way. No water gushes out of the hoses and they stay clamped together. I can take the unit to the tub and clean it out.

It may have been $70 more than the Eheim Classic, but now I'm happy I made that decision!

 

[OCCFan023]

lol

 

[RobD]

Bringing my old topic back to life...

Stuck some of those WalMart plant bulbs in my tank, in the hopes of keeping the nitrates down and starve the algae a bit (oh yeah, and to have real plants!). They are starting to sprout and have a couple of inches of growth on them. But their leaves are flat to the gravel, I -still- have too much flow going on in the tank. I've included a small picture of the current tank layout. Look in the front center, and you can see a fake plant doing a serious lean to the left.

The spraybar is on the rear right of the back wall, angled upwards with 4 bars (normal is 3). I'm guessing the 15 inches of travel to the front of the tank and then banking down is too short. A normal 55gal would have the bars on the side going the 4 feet across.

Any clues on how to reduce the flow more? I'm going to try the hole in the endcap idea. I don't want to back the filter flow off, just reduce the current.

The rasboras and zebras seem to like the current. The neons could care less. The rams and cories seem to dislike it, they hang out on the left side of the tank. Get this: 5 rams and 8 cories on the left side, 1 ram on the right side. I don't think that 1 female ram is THAT moody.

 

[TaffyFish]

Judging from the pic you still have room for more spray bar length across the back......

 

[RobD]

I think I have it fixed. I put my last 2 pieces of spraybar on, so I now have 6 pieces. The flow is greatly reduced, and the plants all stand up without looking like I live in Florida.

Unfortunately, these two pieces were bored with larger and extra holes, which is why I didn't put them on in the first place. So I'll see if I can find two unmodified pieces of the 19/22mm spraybars. If you know of somebody with an extra installation kit #2, I'll buy those two pieces if the offer is decent.

Now I get to start arranging these live plant bulbs. Picked up another package of each type (one is a lily and the other is a blade) at Walmart tonight. That'll give me about 6 of the lily and 12 of the blade (Apisto-something).