How to make a spray bar to replace the AGA overflow nozzle

[electric130]

Nice step up electric. I planning on purchasing an AGA 75 gal and I think I will use your mod as will it looks very slick. I have another question for you do you have the AGA stand and canopy? If so do your lights fit well in the hood? I was planning on doing a hamilton retro with 250 W MH and 2 96 W VHO Actinics.

Thanks

thanks. i had my stand and canopy custom built for me by a local cabinet maker. I don't like the AGA stands and canopies for a number of reasons. to start, i feel their quality is lacking. they build the stuff so it's just strong enough to do it's job. if the structure is compromised in anyway, you're screwed. lighting and electrical are difficult to maintain, etc...

 

[Shablin]

Shablin... how are you going to straighten out that coiled poly? My experience with that stuff is once it is coiled up, it wants to stay that way.

I soaked it in war water inside a 1" id PVC; The straightened out in about 24 h. I believe earlier in this post electric130 mentions using a rod and waiting about a week.

I haven't installed the spraybar yet because of the design of the overflows; they enter the tank right at the sides. this will mean a short spray bar with a turn in it. I might mess with it this weekend and see how it works.

 

[electric130]

Shablin, did you get yours figured out? Any pics?

 

[Shablin]

I set up my tank but didn't (yet) install the spray bars. The way the returns run into the tank is laterally; that is towards the sidewalls and if you glance the returns off the side wall it diffuses the current. To get a bar across the back of the tank I'd have to cross over top of the durso and I'll wind up with dead current areas along the sides. This setup has very good flow all through the tank. I dont know if the spray bars would change much in the flow pattern.

If I put a spraybar in would run through a 90 degree elbow and then along the side of the tank. Now that my taxes are done, I might try this (along with building moonlights) as the only complaint I have about the tank is that the return flow winds up clearing the sand out of the front corners (DSB is only 1-2" here vs 4-6" elsewhere).

Here's a pic of the righthand return showing the set up:

Here's a pic showing the dramatic currents I get. This torch is on the left side of the tank. I have a Mag 12 for each return, the stronger one being on the left side of the tank!

Do you think it worth messing with? I might just to see what it looks like as its not hard to do.

PS: I was walking in a field near my house 2 days ago and came across about 200 feet of 1.5 poly tubing in perfect shape! I might put a spraybar in my shower!

 

[steve68]

look at my returns talk about flow they are to capacity.
i just posted these pictures.

 

[electric130]

If I put a spraybar in would run through a 90 degree elbow and then along the side of the tank. Now that my taxes are done, I might try this (along with building moonlights) as the only complaint I have about the tank is that the return flow winds up clearing the sand out of the front corners (DSB is only 1-2" here vs 4-6" elsewhere).

Installing a spraybar will fix your sandbed problem. If you have a canopy that covers the tank and you're not concerned about the look of the plubming above the tank, you could extend the return pipe a little, come up to a "T" and then go right and left with it. Go up to a bigger pipe size too so the elbows don't add to the head pressure too much (do this before the "T") Then drop back down into the tank with 2-90's on each side and then you'll have 2 spray bars. Or is it possible to make the return pipe come out on the other side of the overflow from where you have it now?

 

[jpez212]

I have the 120 aga w/ 2 megaflows which are positioned along the back wall. I am actually planning on extending the return pipe a little higher into a "T" on each side, then come down into the tank and connect to each other. In other words, have 1 spray bar that runs along the back wall of the tank, up and over the overflows, then on to the other side . I was going to "Y" a mag 24 into both returns, but I am thinking that I am going to lose a lot of head pressure with the 2 "T" s and the 90 deg elbows (about 8 I figure) at the overflows. Do you think that a mag 36 will be better suited?? How much do you think I will lose??

 

[steve68]

i think the mag 24 will be fine just make sure u plumed it with the right size pipe at least 1 1/4 up to the overflow & u should be fine IME i would go with External Pump if that is not an option them i would go with the mag 36 & u can allways T off back in to ur sump or run another tank like a refugium its all in the right size pipe to get the most with out loosing much head, i wrote to Danner (Mag Drive) & they said they test the mag 24 & 36 with 1.5 inch tube but i had my pump pliumed with 3/4 inch pipe u want to talk about head loss on my tank
Anyways before i could replum it i had a brain storm about anavove tank Refugium so i ended up gettin External Presure Pump Sequence 3000.
get a presure pump if u decide to go with external but if not get the mag36 the more Water volume the better.
:beer:

 

[bc_slc]

Like the spray bar. Hopping along for the ride.

I do have a question - maybe this is dumb, but.....

I understand that the flex piping floats, but how do you keep it from turning and floating back and forth to the front of the tank? It would be great to have it stay in the back at the waterline, and it sounds like yours is doing this. Does it stay in the back because most of your holes are drilled aimed at the front of the tank - thereby pushing the tubing back? If that is the case, I still don't necessarily understand why it doesn't twist/rock some...

mat

 

[electric130]

water squirting out of the holes pushes the pipe against the back wall. when it's all setup, it doesn't move at all.

 

[bc_slc]

so it doesn't twist either?

If you have the jets facing torward the front of the tank and slightly down, then if it isn't anchored some, it seems like it would have a tendency to rock backwards - thereby raising the jets upward (rather than slightly downward)...

 

[electric130]

force from the water is not that great. especially when compared to the stiffness of siloflex or PVC. you really have to see it in action to understand it. it works though. i'm not a physics major so i can't explain that. if you want a lesson in electronics, i can help you there.

 

[gwrulzmylife]

awesome thanks guys for the info! Please email with any other suggestions!

gwrulz@insightbb.com

 

[richierich2000]

very nice I am going to have to try it now

 

[A Reef Scene]

Just read the thread, great info

 

[electric130]

thanks to all for the compliments

 

[Bamm Bamm]

Too bad the pics on the 1st page don't work anymore. I'm going to Lowes right now to buy some parts to plumb my new 90 i got yesterday..Great thread though..

 

[bulldogfish]

Very nice project Electric130.

BTW the pictures on the first page worked just fine for me.

 

[electric130]

Too bad the pics on the 1st page don't work anymore. I'm going to Lowes right now to buy some parts to plumb my new 90 i got yesterday..Great thread though..

pics still work fine for me, and apparently other people. thanks though. feel free to ask questions if you've got them. i just installed a 120 for a guy that hired me and i used this method to plumb his return. works awesome! i had a hard time finding the sil o flex at a different lowes, but i still found it. this place didn't have it with the irrigation. it was next to the water heaters......go figure

 

[Bamm Bamm]

aha that's weird it's working for me now also.=) Great thread, Well I ended up doing mine a little different. I had it come up the opposite side. Since it's a sea clear tank the return was only a 1/2" I didn't have much room in there with the 1.25" Durso I just built so I covered the holes and am having the return come up the right rear of the tank with a 38"spray bar across the back and about a 14" one covered the right width of the tank. a tunze 3010 kit will be on the opposite side of the tank..probably will use either my mag 9.5 or mag12 for the return..