# Co2 through spraybar



## jamesharden7 (1 Apr 2019)

Hi all, I have a 4ft 250 litre tank that's heavily stocked and planted. Ive added a pressurised co2 setup via an inline defuser. This then passes through my uv light before going back into the tank via a spray bar.

I've always had the spray bar about 50mm above the level of the water to give plenty of agitation for the fish and I also quite like the sound.

So my question is by having the spray bar above the water level am I going to be losing lots of the co2 even though I've run the pipework in a way that all the co2 should be dissolved in the water?

Many thanks, james


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## Kezzab (1 Apr 2019)

Yes. The amount of surface agitation caused will off-gas the co2, like shaking a bottle of pop. Have the spray bar below the surface. 
K


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## Edvet (2 Apr 2019)

You should have the spraybar below the surface pointing horizontal. This should theoretically give you the best flow distribution. (also have the spraybar along the entire length of the tank and the jets from it strong enough to reach the otherside when the water is lowered below the bar)


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## ian_m (2 Apr 2019)

Spray bar needs to spray like this across the whole width of the tank.


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## jamesharden7 (2 Apr 2019)

And what's the benefit of spraying all the way to the far side of the tank compared to spraying straight down into the water? 

Sent from my FIG-LX1 using Tapatalk


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## Edvet (2 Apr 2019)

Superior circulation.
With CO2 2 things are important: getting enough dissolved in relation to the light, 2) getting it EVERYWHERE.
See a CO2 enriched tank with problems: 99 times out of a hunderd it''s one of these


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## ian_m (2 Apr 2019)

Sorry to the video is with the water lowered. Normally this amount of flow will be just under the surface.


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## jamesharden7 (2 Apr 2019)

This is a basic set up.

2 power heads top and bottom pushing from right to left. 

The spray bar the length of the tank pushing half way cross the tank and downwards. 

The intake is a surface skimmer a intake lower down

Power heads turn over 1000l prehour each and filter it 1200l per hour

Think I have plenty of movement





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## foxfish (2 Apr 2019)

You can use many configurations but the, single full length spray bar, is a tried and tested method, 
The idear is to push the water across the surface, down the front glass, along the bottom and back up the top.
If this is working well, you are basically turning the whole water column in a circulation motion.


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## Aqua sobriquet (3 Apr 2019)

I did read many years ago that you get dead spots in the tank with a constant flow. A German system I saw was set up so that it would flow in one direction for a set time then automatically switch directions with a timer. I’ve no idea how the plumbing was set up to achieve this as it was a long time ago.


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## Edvet (3 Apr 2019)

Aqua sobriquet said:


> dead spots in the tank with a constant flow


Not true. Depends on configuration, there are a lot of posts regarding flow in an CO2 enriched tank in this forum.


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## Zeus. (3 Apr 2019)

Aqua sobriquet said:


> I did read many years ago that you get dead spots in the tank with a constant flow



I seemed to get dead spots in my 500l esp with the spraybars being at either end, Solved it by fitted twin Maxspect gryes on at various times and outputs.



Edvet said:


> Not true. Depends on configuration,



Think you and Foxy nailed it M8 with 'Depends on configuration' - with a single full length spray bar dead spots are kept to a minimum which is why the single full length spray bar works so well for so many.

I have noticed slowly that since fitting the Maxspect gryes there is less and less cloudy water when I blast the substrate with my turkey baster before WC, and some spots use to be terrible


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## Aqua sobriquet (4 Apr 2019)

Edvet said:


> Not true. Depends on configuration, there are a lot of posts regarding flow in an CO2 enriched tank in this forum.


I’m not talking about Co2 dead spots, that would be silly. I’m talking about water flow dead spots. I noticed this on my old 50 gallon Freshwater setup years ago so yes, from personal experience you can get dead spots.
I used to get round this by altering the angle of the outflow from time to time. There are automated systems though.
https://www.eheim.com/en_GB/products/technology/flow-simulator/streamcontrol#


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## Zeus. (4 Apr 2019)

Aqua sobriquet said:


> I’m not talking about Co2 dead spots, that would be silly. I’m talking about water flow dead spots



Water flow dead spots and CO2 dead spots amount to the same thing as for all out purpose we might as well think ferts and CO2 doesnt move in the high tech tank unless theres water flow to move it.


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