# DIY Spray Bar (small scale canister filter)



## automatic-hydromatic

I've decided I don't like the outlet that comes standard with my Fluval 305 filter (and many other canister filters), and want to go the route of a spray bar. But instead of ordering one, I just decided I'd make my own, just so I can make it just how I want it, and get the satisfaction of knowing that I put it together and it's not something that I just bought off a shelf  In the end, there's probably isn't much cost savings (depending on the brand and where a ready made spray bar is purchased), but that's not going to slow me down.

My tank is 3ft wide, so I wanted a bar that was at least 2ft long in the center of the back of the tank. I wanted it to be relatively hidden, so I wanted to go with black piping if I could since the tank has a black backdrop on it. Well I got lucking with the majority of my supplies!








































The main pipe is called a "funny pipe", and it's actually for piping irrigation sprinkler heads. It just so happens to be just the size I was looking for; 24" long and 3/8" diameter; and it's black! I also found a black plug/cap to go on the end. The only thing I couldn't locate is a black 90 degree elbow, so I had to settle for a standard white PVC elbow; no big deal. But the elbow is threaded on one end, which allows the funny pipe to snug in tight inside of it! The other side fits perfectly over the stock Fluval rubber end hose fittings. I also got some suction cups, some nylon zip-ties, and some aquarium safe silicon. Total cost for supplies = $12.22




So far I've gotten as far as readying the suction cups to hold the assembly to the tank, and mocked the entire assembly up. Here's the processes so far.



The suction cups come with metal hooks on them.











obviously, we can't have this, so they easily come off












Now we need to make a small hole through them in order to give ourselves some way to feed the zip ties through to mount the pipe to them. I accomplished this with two different size hand-held drill bits (much easier to use on little projects like this than a power tool in my opinion, but you can use what you have available to you)





















There's a convenient little notch all the way around the back of the suction cup where the metal hook goes. That's where we'll drill a hole through.












starting with the smaller drill bit





















then moving to the larger one






















when you pull the drill bit out, it almost looks like the hole closes back up... don't worry, you'll still be able to snake that zip tie through 







































then it's just a matter of sliding it on the pipe. don't tighten it down until it comes time to install it in the tank though












Here's a shot of the end cap. It fits very snug as is, but I'm going to make sure it wont pop out with a little silicone.






























The elbow is the same way. A little silicone will make sure it doesn't work it's way loose.








































So as of right now, I have the assembly mocked up. I just need to drill the holes, clean everything up good, silicone the ends on, and give it a try in the tank!


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## majerah1

Great DIY!Looks pretty much like the Eheim spraybar I have.

Have you seen the black Zip ties?Walmart used to sell them,so in case you want to go that way.And I also read Krylon spraypaint will work under water,in case the white elbow sticks out too much.


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## automatic-hydromatic

yeah I don't know why I didn't get black ties, LOL. I may grab some today after work to use instead of the white ones. so krylon huh? the "fusion" stuff made for plastic?


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## majerah1

Yeah I believe so.I googled it just now and so far everyone says its good.

The fusion that is.


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## Rob72

thats turned out good, and the best part is the cost, probley alot cheaper than if you ordered one for your filter, looks good


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## automatic-hydromatic

I swung by the hardware store on my way home from work to pick up some black ties, and a little light bulb went off in my head, and I don't know why I didn't think of doing this before. The black tube that I'm using as the actual spray bar is the PERFECT size to fit inside the stock rubber attachment for the filter. So I just grabbed a 90 degree that slides inside the tube, and on the end that needs to attach to the rubber sleeve, I just cut a shot piece of another pipe to use as basically an adapter. So no more bulky white PVC fitting!























A little silicone applied before sliding it on should keep it from coming loose.






















Then I got around to drilling the holes, all 1" apart. After I drilled them I ran some sand paper across the pipe to even out the area around the holes, since the pipe is very soft plastic and there was all kinds of plastic fragments sticking out of the holes. It's hard to debur the holes for some reason... but some sand paper took it down smooth, and gave a different look to the pipe. We'll see how it turns out looking in the tank. If I don't like it, another pipe would only cost me $1.34 to remake it 






















Put a little silicone on the end cap and slid it in.












Then put my suction cups on with the new black ties and slid the 90 degree onto the other open end.






























I'm not going to silicon the end with the 90 on it. I want it to be able to swivel so I can fine tune the angle of the output.













I'm letting it set for a day to give the silicone time to cure, and hopefully I install it in my tank tomorrow and test it out!


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## automatic-hydromatic

installed in the tank today, and it works good! it sits a little lover than I wanted, but there's not much I can do about that while still using the original Fluval hose hanger hooks that hold the hose up on the lip of the tank

I aimed the jets up some at almost a 45 degree angle so they make a little surface rippling on the water, and the overall circulation in the tank seems to be good! I have enough supplies left to make another bar, so I may try to make another one with smaller holes to see if I can get a stronger current from it. I think I drilled the holes on this one too large


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## majerah1

Very nice!


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## GuppyNGoldfish

what does it do? pump air or water into the tank?


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## automatic-hydromatic

GuppyNGoldfish said:


> what does it do? pump air or water into the tank?


water

it's just an alternate filter outlet

instead of the one single outlet up in the corner with the fast flowing water out of it, the water is now spread across the width of the tank. the circulation is MUCH better in the tank


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## GuppyNGoldfish

automatic-hydromatic said:


> water
> 
> it's just an alternate filter outlet
> 
> instead of the one single outlet up in the corner with the fast flowing water out of it, the water is now spread across the width of the tank. the circulation is MUCH better in the tank


Ahhhhhh, I see, do you have to have a canister to have one of those?


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## automatic-hydromatic

a canister or a sump setup with a return up

your average HOB doesn't output into a tube; just flows out of the filer, so there's no way to contain and catch the output and pipe it into the spraybar


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## baeya

What a great tutorial! Thank you for posting it!


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## Avraptorhal

Thanks. The tutorial is very helpful. I had been thinking I would like a spray bar instead of the standard fluval duck bill. Helping in my planning,:cheer:


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## rtmaston

very nice I agree its look a like my eheim spray bar to.thanks for the detail you gave.


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## Donald Hansen

Very nicely done. Both your spray bar and your explanation. Wish you had written some of the owners manuals I've seen.

DLH


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## TroyVSC

For future reference you really do not need to silicone any of it. Specially with the fluval as it fits snuggly into 1/2 PVC. This allows you to take apart and adjust as needed. I like the zip ties and clips idea. I was lucky that I had a couple of extra heater clips.

Mine does not look as good as yours as I just used basic white PVC. Good job looks great.


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## joecrouse

Depending on how you rig it, do you worry about pressure fall off a the far ends OR conversely, over pressure at one end and low pressure at the far end, and do you/COULD you vary the volume of water to mimic rain, water flow, to mimic rains/flood/drought season? how fine of a spray do you go for a slow gentle weeping rain say water running off land or plants or a hard pounding what we on the Mid Atlantic coast call a bucket filler (you know those rains where for half an hour in mid august you get better than an inch of rain and it clears up and gets disgustingly humid again). Or some standardized contstant middle ground?


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## MriGuy85

If you drill the right number of holes in the right diameter, the spray is pretty uniform throughout the bar. There's a formula somewhere that I remember seeing but don't remember what it actually is. For flow, you can control that with a flow regulator in your line. I think they're called ball joints? My eheim 2211 came wth them for the in and out lines.


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