DIY "spraybar" for intake?

[jbradt]

Hey all,

The only real DIY I've done in the past was to make a spraybar for the output of my canister filter. I got to thinking about that today and wondering if it would be at all helpful to make the same sort of set up for the intake.

I'm thinking something that would expand the effective area of draw. Would this help stimulate more water movement throughout the tank? Would it decrease the effectiveness of the mechanical aspect of the filtration?

In short... is there any reason that I'm not thinking of to at lest give it a shot? For as simple as it would be, I was thinking why not try it. But I'd love to hear what others think about the possible impact to the overall efficiency of the filter.

If it matters, the filter is on a lightly stocked/heavily planted 29 gallon dwarf puffer tank.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

[dundadundun]

my only advice would be to make less/smaller holes closer to the intake and more as you go further away to keep the end closest to the intake from taking in all the water. this should help if say you're doing it along the entire back of a tank for circulation purposes.

[bigwave]

Also make sure the top whole isn't too close to the top of the water. If it is, and you suck in air you will loose your siphon, and stop filtration.

The big tanks with overflows use a similar setup, where water flows into it from the bottom, middle and top.

[jbradt]

Thanks for the advice... I'll definitely keep it in mind. What I'm thinking is to have it strech across the back of the tank about 3/4 of the way down.