This is one of those instances where I decided to take a photo at the wrong time, after the installation, and all I can capture is the backside, and the reflection from another tank.
I wanted to soften the flow of the FX4 on my 90 gallon, so decided to go the spraybar route. I ordered black PVC pipe and fittings from savko.com, based on suggestions from others (I didn't want to deal with painting the white PVC). In an effort to really spread out the flow I went with long slots parallel with the length of the pipe. I used a fiberglass reinforced cut-off disk on my trusty Dremel--as opposed to the narrower standard cut-off disk, in order to get a slightly wider slot. There are 3 approximately 1" non-slotted sections evenly spaced along the pipe. I ran the slot out through each end of the pipe, which made the 90 degree elbow fit loosely enough that I can turn the pipe to experiment with the angle of flow without having to disconnect anything.
I'm very happy with the results so far as my fish don't get a blast from the concentrated FX4 outlets, and there looks to be enough flow to direct a lot of waste toward the intake without settling on the sand. I'm considering a similar spraybar for the FX6 on my 125. If I make one I'll post a picture of it in dry dock.
I wanted to soften the flow of the FX4 on my 90 gallon, so decided to go the spraybar route. I ordered black PVC pipe and fittings from savko.com, based on suggestions from others (I didn't want to deal with painting the white PVC). In an effort to really spread out the flow I went with long slots parallel with the length of the pipe. I used a fiberglass reinforced cut-off disk on my trusty Dremel--as opposed to the narrower standard cut-off disk, in order to get a slightly wider slot. There are 3 approximately 1" non-slotted sections evenly spaced along the pipe. I ran the slot out through each end of the pipe, which made the 90 degree elbow fit loosely enough that I can turn the pipe to experiment with the angle of flow without having to disconnect anything.
I'm very happy with the results so far as my fish don't get a blast from the concentrated FX4 outlets, and there looks to be enough flow to direct a lot of waste toward the intake without settling on the sand. I'm considering a similar spraybar for the FX6 on my 125. If I make one I'll post a picture of it in dry dock.
