Spray bar or jet pipe?

[chickennublet]

Hi everyone

I recently acquired a 45x30x30cm acrylic tank that I am currently using as a hospital tank. I intended to use it to quarantine new fish, but since I am nearly done stocking my existing tank I've decided that I'd like to scape and plant it and keep some permanent residents in there.

I'm currently using a very small internal filter but I have a Biomaster 350 that's unused at the moment and I might as well set it up but I don't have any inlet and outlet pipes at the moment. I would like to keep fish that prefer slow moving currents and am thinking of either dwarf cichlids or Nannostomus sp. and I am wondering if a spray bar along the length of the tank or jet outlet with some tall and stiff plants diffusing the flow would result in a gentler current?

I've not used a spray bar before but it will run along the length of the tank. It seems like it should be gentler in terms of flow but I'm afraid it will cause too much current everywhere and little to no spots for the fish to catch a break. A jet pipe would also give me a very strong current but I thought I would plant some tall Echinodorus or something right in front of the outlet to block the flow somewhat

Would be grateful for input! Thank you.

 

[Knuta]

Hi everyone

I recently acquired a 45x30x30cm acrylic tank that I am currently using as a hospital tank. I intended to use it to quarantine new fish, but since I am nearly done stocking my existing tank I've decided that I'd like to scape and plant it and keep some permanent residents in there.

I'm currently using a very small internal filter but I have a Biomaster 350 that's unused at the moment and I might as well set it up but I don't have any inlet and outlet pipes at the moment. I would like to keep fish that prefer slow moving currents and am thinking of either dwarf cichlids or Nannostomus sp. and I am wondering if a spray bar along the length of the tank or jet outlet with some tall and stiff plants diffusing the flow would result in a gentler current?

I've not used a spray bar before but it will run along the length of the tank. It seems like it should be gentler in terms of flow but I'm afraid it will cause too much current everywhere and little to no spots for the fish to catch a break. A jet pipe would also give me a very strong current but I thought I would plant some tall Echinodorus or something right in front of the outlet to block the flow somewhat

Would be grateful for input! Thank you.

A poppy style lilypipe would do the trick, as would simply using a spraybar and angling it upwards or backwards towards the glass.

 

[chickennublet]

A poppy style lilypipe would do the trick, as would simply using a spraybar and angling it upwards or backwards towards the glass.

Thank you. I'd like to avoid glass pipes, I'm kinda clumsy so I might end up breaking them. Guess i'll get the spray bar!

 

[Scaperinc]

Thank you. I'd like to avoid glass pipes, I'm kinda clumsy so I might end up breaking them. Guess i'll get the spray bar!

I have always used glass lilly pipes and only broken one and I basically sat on it 🤣 and no I didn't injure myself , that would have been an awkward A&E visit.

You can also use aquapro plastic pipes similar to aquario checkout the Video here.

 

[ElleDee]

You can reduce the force of the flow by adding holes to the spray bar or making the existing ones bigger. That seems like a lot of filter for a hospital tank of that size though! You can always throttle the outlet hose I suppose.

 

[chickennublet]

I have always used glass lilly pipes and only broken one and I basically sat on it 🤣 and no I didn't injure myself , that would have been an awkward A&E visit.

You can also use aquapro plastic pipes similar to aquario checkout the Video here.

Oh yeah there's an LFS here that's selling those! But I don't think they have a lily pipe option. They look nice though.

You can reduce the force of the flow by adding holes to the spray bar or making the existing ones bigger. That seems like a lot of filter for a hospital tank of that size though! You can always throttle the outlet hose I suppose.

Yeah it is a lot of filtration for a tank that size. Right now i'm using a very small filter and it's enough for now since there's only one Corydoras in the tank, but I want to get a group of Corydoras hastatus and I'm not sure my current filter can handle that much fish. Plus I want to scape and plant it eventually so might as well start running the canister now.

I wanted to use the stock spray bar that came with the Biomaster, but the inlet is way too long and I can't be bothered to have it cut in half. I'd hate it if the inlet and outlet didn't match too. Litiaquaria actually sells a stainless steel rainbar so I'm considering getting one.

 

[palcente]

Oh yeah there's an LFS here that's selling those! But I don't think they have a lily pipe option. They look nice though.



Yeah it is a lot of filtration for a tank that size. Right now i'm using a very small filter and it's enough for now since there's only one Corydoras in the tank, but I want to get a group of Corydoras hastatus and I'm not sure my current filter can handle that much fish. Plus I want to scape and plant it eventually so might as well start running the canister now.

I wanted to use the stock spray bar that came with the Biomaster, but the inlet is way too long and I can't be bothered to have it cut in half. I'd hate it if the inlet and outlet didn't match too. Litiaquaria actually sells a stainless steel rainbar so I'm considering getting one.

You can reduce the flow of any biomaster with the lever on the side. One lever to release prefilter, the other to reduce flow and detach pipes. Anyway small internal filter will be enough for little tank like that.

 

[chickennublet]

You can reduce the flow of any biomaster with the lever on the side. One lever to release prefilter, the other to reduce flow and detach pipes. Anyway small internal filter will be enough for little tank like that.

The filter I'm using has a flow rate of just 210 litres per hour but there's at least 40 litres of water in this tank. It's enough for now since there's only 1 fish. Just worried it won't be enough when I need to quarantine more. I don't need a filter as big as a Biomaster but I have one lying around so I thought I might as well use it.

In any case I want to eventually use this tank as a permanent home for pencil fish or something so I don't want too much current in there.

 

[AlecF]

Some or most species of pencil fish would want a bigger tank than that, especially Beckfords, which can be very feisty and territorial. You can have a lily pipe baffled with a sponge.

 

[chickennublet]

Some or most species of pencil fish would want a bigger tank than that, especially Beckfords, which can be very feisty and territorial. You can have a lily pipe baffled with a sponge.

Thank you for this. Probably not N. beckfordi then. I've not had pencils before and will do the research before I get them.

Any thoughts on the undescribed ones? I really love the reds on the Cenepa and Rio Amaya pencils.

If pencils aren't viable i'll forgo them altogether and keep Otocinclus and other dwarf suckers or dwarf cichlids instead.