I'm still up in the air between a Fluval 204 or an Eheim 2213 canister filter and I see that the Fluval has a straight bore outlet and the Eheim looks like it has a spray bar .Which is better?
Is a spray bar or regular outlet better for planted tank
- Thread starter maverick2402
- Start date
Not sure either is better - with a planted tank, if you're injecting CO2 you'll want minimal surface disturbance while still having good circulation. I think you can achieve this equally well using either method. If you use a spray bar, just place it under the surface - you want the surface water to 'roll' a bit, without breaking, to avoid off gassing the CO2.
maverick2402 said:
Well, i have a fluval 404, and i must say Eheim are the kings of filters. They may be more expensive, but they are excellent, and rarely break down, not too say the Fuval will. As for the spray bar, that can be replaced on the eheim for fairly cheap, so i would'nt take that into account in making your final decission.
Also, the Eheims are more solidly built from what i hear. The fluvals are also, but some parts are flimsy and easy to break.
Edit: Sorry, forgot to answer your main question. For a planted tank, avoid the spray bar, and go with a straight bore outlet Just make sure to keep it a tad lower then the surface of your water to avoid surface movement if you've got a heavily planted tank with C02 injection!
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Mooch, I use a spraybar placed under the water, IME it doesn't affect CO2 much at all. As long as the surface isn't broken (as it would be placing the bar above the surface), it's really not an issue. I prefer the gentle circulation provided by placing the bar in the centre at the back of the tank, rather than one stronger jet on one side, just personal preference and what works for my tank.Mooch28 said:
Blinky said:
Really, i was always under the impresson that spray bars had more force due to small holes. Guess i was wrong........
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