Spray bar?

[nm reef]

I'm building another 35 gal refugium that will gravity return...plan to run approximately 100-120 GPH thru this one and the returns will feed 2 18" sections of 3/4 " ID pvc........my question is what size hole is typical for spray bars....I want a random return pattern and plan to alternate the holes...spray bars for this refugium will be along the top back of my reef...I plan to place the spray bars approximately 3" below the water line and have holes that break the center surface...point mid tank and go down the back of the tank........any suggestions on hole size....I was thinking 1/8th or 1/16th

 

[thereefman52]

on my 90 gal spray bar i uses 1/8 thats usually what i see people use..
1 suggestion tho, and first when you connect the bar to your pump, dont seal it, as in dont use any cement yet, and only drill a couple holes. The reason is if you drill to many holes the pressure will be very low, and if you cement it in permanently you will not be able to remove it to drill mnore holes if the pressure is too high

 

[diatom]

NM~
that seems like a pretty big diameter pipe for such low volume of water to me. I wonder how much current you'll get out of that spray bar. You might want to consider what purpose you want your spraybar to serve before you plumb it in. Anyone else have any opinions?

 

[nm reef]

Thx to both replys....both issues have been considered.
reefman...I do plan to test the system prior to final assembly.......and will probably start with fewer holes than I'll end up with
diatom...you point is well taken and may result in a change to my plan...this is my first attempt at use of a spray bar....eventually there will be 2 identical systems feeding this reef...my intention is to generate current via these returns....not the massive amounts that I see some systems generate but enough to possibly be of benefit to my system....with that in mind and also considering that the seperate returns will be around 100-120 GPH each.....1)what diameter pvc would you suggest...2)will I be able to use a spray bar return with such a low flow rate?
thxs again ....this is still in the works.....all input is appreiciated

 

[diatom]

Hi NM~
I'm working on the same ideas for my new 125 gal. I've never plumbed in a sparybar before so all my suggestions come with no practical experience so you may want to check with someone with more hands on then myself.
WIth that in mind I don't know that you'd get enough pressure out of 120 GPH to make it worth while. Were it me I think I might combine my fuge with a surge device that way you could get some nice wave action out of it, plus I just think that would be cool.
If you have your heart set on a spray bar I might just hook up a couple of powerheads to one, and the surge/fuge could supplement it.
HTH,
Brent

 

[option720]

For my spray bar i used a 3/16 drill bit, but i have a lot of pressure available if i need it (Gen-x 4).

 

[paulyb18]

Anyone have directions on building a refugium. This is a fairly new idea to me...just wondering.

 

[thereefman52]

My return pipe going into my tank is 3/4 inch, but half way up i merged it into a 1/2 inch so the pressure would be more for the spray bar, (the actual bar is 1/2)