For those who started taking care of fishes in their homes but have no idea what to put inside their aquariums, why not try buying spray bars for it? Spray bars, like those tubes connected to my garden hose?’ you may ask. And to that, the answer is yes. Aquariums also have spray bars that can filter and pump the water inside them.
If you are new to buying items for your aquarium, we are here to solve that problem for you! In this article, we will discuss what spray bars are, why you need one in your aquarium, and what types you should get.
Cheap & Good | Our Favorite | Customers Choice | |
Product | Martha Stewart crafts, multi-surface aquarium Paint | Eheim AEH4004310 Spray Bar Set | Fluval Hagen Spray Bar Kit |
Size | 13 x 0.5 x 0.75 inches | 8.9 x 4.33 x 2.68 inches | Extendable from 15-30 inches |
Weight | 2.4 Ounces | 4.33 Pounds | 6.35 Ounces |
Color | Black | Clear/Black | Black |
Comes with | both 1/2” and 5/8” diameter slip fittings, 2 x 90 degree elbows, 1 x 1/2” plug, 1 x 5/8” plug, 2 x suction cups, 2 x 6.5” drilled segments | 1 connector complete, 1 Elbow, 3 extension tubes with holes, 4 suction cups and 4 clips, 1 quick release coupling, 1 cap for the spray bar | Perforated tube with end cap (15″ / 30 cm), Perforated tube extension (15″ / 30 cm), Tube connector, J connector, Elbow, Suction cups (x 4), Clips (x 4) |
Our Rating | |||
Aquarium Spray Bars – What it is and how it works
Where does the oxygen inside the aquarium come from? The obvious answer for that question is, of course, at the surface of the aquarium. What do aquarium spray bars do to the oxygen inside the aquarium? It may look like a flute if you look at it, but it does not play music for fish when you use it. Instead, what the spray bar does is that it spreads evenly the flowing water that goes through it inside the aquarium.
Because the water flows evenly inside your aquarium, it causes surface agitation inside it to allow more oxygen to get inside. And although it may look like a flute, you should put your spray bar in a horizontal position.
So why should you install a Spray Bar in your Aquarium?
One of the factors you should think about when buying a fish is to know what kind of water it wants to be in before putting it in your aquarium. A lot of pet fishes prefer to live within an area with moving water. If you want to satisfy your fish, you may want to buy a spray bar for your aquarium to make its water move.
You can also attach a filtration system to it to clean the water that flows inside the bar. Depending on the type of filtration system you use in your aquarium, your spray bar will help in many ways.
If you attach canister filters along with your spray bar, you can filter the water used inside your container. The filtered water will then spill out of the spray bar so your aquarium can reuse the water instead of replacing it with a new one. With a canister filter-attached spray bar, it reduces the likeliness of the aquarium water from evaporating.
For trickle filters, the spray bar works differently in that it spreads unfiltered water in the filter media of the aquarium. A certain spray bar called a “spinner” suits the trickle filter’s system in this case as it rotates the water inside the container.
If your water moves and agitates without a spray bar well enough to satisfy your fish, then there is no need for you to buy one anymore. You can add a spray bar in your aquarium if space inside your aquarium needs movement and agitation.
The Best Aquarium Spray Bars in 2023
1st Eheim 4005310 Spray Bar Set
Features
- Weight: 5.6 ounces
- Size: 1 x 1 x 7.5 inches
- Color: Clear/Black
If you want to have a spray bar that is easy to assemble, look no further than Eheim’s 4005310 Spray Bar Set for 594 Tubing. Designed and manufactured in Germany, Eheim 4005310 is built for its users’ creativity in their tanks’ setups.
This product best fits on canister filters, and its parts are perfect for customization. Whether it is Fluval filter products or an Eheim brand, this tubing is compatible with almost every setup for aquarium canister filtration systems.
This product is both easy to assemble and easy to disassemble for cleaning. Its removable cover makes its tubes easy to clean when molds and debris start to gather inside.
Eheim 4005310 also gives great water flow and movement in your tank. Because of its flexibility, you can adjust it to bring in good water flow anywhere inside your aquarium.
You can achieve the perfect filtration assembly for your tank for a low price without paying for more tubing and materials.
View on Amazon2nd Eheim AEH4004310 Spray Bar Set
Features
- Weight: 4.33 Pounds
- Size: 8.9 x 4.33 x 2.68 inches
- Color: Clear/Black
- Comes with: 1 connector complete, 1 Elbow, 3 extension tubes with holes, 4 suction cups and 4 clips, 1 quick-release coupling, 1 cap for the spray bar
If you are looking to add a part to your canister filter along with your 4005310 Spray Bar Set Model, Eheim has another product for you.
Eheim’s AEH4004310 canister filter part is the best attachment to fit your filtration system. Its length and rotating parts allow for creative customization for your canister filter. Much like the previous product, AEH4004310 has a standard German aesthetic and design. Eheim AEH4004310 caters most to its users’ creativity in their tanks’ setups.
This product best fits on canister filters, and its parts are perfect for customization. Whether it is Fluval filter products or an Eheim brand, this tubing is compatible with almost every setup for aquarium canister filtration systems.
This product is both easy to assemble and easy to disassemble for cleaning. Its removable cover makes its tubes easy to clean when molds and debris start to gather inside. Eheim AEH4004310 also gives great water flow and movement in your tank. Because of its flexibility, you can adjust it to bring in good water flow anywhere inside your aquarium.
For a medium price, this product helps improve your tank’s filtration assembly without requiring you to add more tubing and materials.
View on Amazon3rd Fluval Hagen Spray Bar Kit
Features
- Weight: 6.35 Ounces
- Size: Extendable from 15-30 inches
- Color: Black
- Comes with: Perforated tube with end cap (15″ / 30 cm), Perforated tube extension (15″ / 30 cm), Tube connector, J connector, Elbow, Suction cups (x 4), Clips (x 4)
If you are looking for a spray bar that improves your aquarium’s water flow, Fluval Hagen Spray Bar Kit may be what you are looking for.
Fluval Hagen Spray Bar Kit is a great addition to your filtration system in terms of water flow control. This product allows water to flow evenly inside the fish aquarium. This product best fits on canister filters, and its parts are perfect for customization. This product works best when connected to other Fluval filter products. This product is both easy to assemble and easy to disassemble for cleaning.
Fluval Hagen Spray Bar Kit has 10 holes for its two 15 inches long bars. These holes allow great water flow and movement to happen inside your tank. Because of its length, it is perfect to set up on aquarium tanks that are as big as 50 gallons for one bar. For 55-gallon tanks, its two bars are more than enough to work.
For a low price, this spray bar is one of the best of its kind for large aquariums. If you set up a filtration system out of Fluval-branded products, adding this part is your best bet for your pet fish’s comfort.
View on Amazon4th UP Aqua Rain Bar Unit Fish Tank Outflow Pipe
Features
- Weight: 2.4 Ounces
- Size: 13 x 0.5 x 0.75 inches
- Color: Black
- Comes with: both 1/2” and 5/8” diameter slip fittings, 2 x 90-degree elbows, 1 x 1/2” plug, 1 x 5/8” plug, 2 x suction cups, 2 x 6.5” drilled segments
For the best all-around spray bar option for your aquarium, UP Aqua Rain Bar Unit Fish Tank Outflow Pipe may be the right product for you. This cheap canister filter extension is the best attachment to filter unclean water inside your container. Its customizable parts make this spray bar fit any types of fish tank you may have.
Much like Eheim’s 4005310 models, this product is easy to assemble and needs no additional parts to function. This product best fits on canister filters, and its parts are perfect for customization. Whether it is Fluval filter products or an Eheim brand, this tubing is compatible with almost every setup for aquarium canister filtration systems.
Rain bar is one of the best products for cleaning and filtering your aquarium water. It suctions debris and molds to separate them from the water, making it easy for your fish to swim and breathe better.
Overall, this product is one of the best spray bars that can be bought within its very low-price range. For a very low price, you cannot ask for more with this product. Other products that are way over their price may not achieve what this product could do not only for your tank but also for those that live inside it.
View on AmazonHow to choose the Placement of your Aquarium Spray Bar
To find out where and how you should place your spray bar, find out what type of aquarium you have. After finding out what type of tank you have for your pet fishes, decide where to place the spray bar. Here are a few things to consider when choosing the right place for the spray bar in your aquarium:
Placing it at the Side vs. placing it at the Rear
If you intend to make the water flow inside your tank, we suggest putting the spray bar at the rear of a typical box-shaped tank.
Typical aquariums have a shorter distance from its front to its rear than its distance from its left and right side. As such, putting the spray bar at the rear makes the water move in a circular motion.
However, the longer distance of both the tank’s sides only makes the current’s rotation incomplete.
If you only want to use one bar inside of your tank, the best choice may be to put it in the rear. But the same situation is not applicable with two bars.
With two spray bars, putting it at both front and rear leads to a very fast current because of the short motion distance. This could rattle and harm your fishes if they swim within the flow of the current. Instead, put the two bars on either side to create an ideal current speed inside your aquarium.
Placing it above Water vs. below Surface
The most typical placement of spray bars for many fish lovers is putting them above the surface of the tank’s water.
But if you want to be creative with how you put your spray bar inside your tank, you can put it below water instead.
This setup is best suited for people who add carbon dioxide (CO2) inside their tank. You can make the water movement inside the tank ideal for your fishes to swim onto by putting it below water.
Aside from the steady and gentle current motion that your fishes could enjoy, it also makes the water’s surface less rough. Because of that, it makes your fishes safe from going up the surface, perfect those who need to do so when being fed.
Spray Bar Angle: upwards vs. across vs. downwards vs. sidewards
Placing your spray bar somewhere is not the only concern you need to consider when setting it up. You also have to consider how you angle how the water sprays inside the tank. There are 3 angles to consider when setting up a spray bar inside your tank: Up, across, and downwards angle. If you want to find out which angle best fits your tank, here are some things you need to consider:
- If it is placed above the aquarium’s surface:
Let us move this out first: putting it on an upwards angle does not affect the container’s water whatsoever.
If you want to make the surface of the water move, facing the pressure made by the spray bar sideways is the way to go.
Meanwhile, pointing it below agitates the water’s surface, which could be too strong for your fish to swim in.
The ideal angle for the spray bar to face to make a gentle flow is to bounce it to the walls of your tank. This way, the movement spreads evenly inside the tank without agitating both surfaces, so your fishes swim safely inside.
- If it is placed below the aquarium’s water:
If the angle of the spray bar underwater is upwards, it agitates the surface less than when the bar was placed above and angled sideways. The deeper the spray bar was put, the less agitation it produces at an upwards angle.
If you decided to mimic the seas and put sand below the tank, do not angle the spray bar down. A downwards stream of water from the spray bar may bring the sand upwards because of pressure. This could lead to filter clogging and could hurt your fishes in the process as they swim inside unclean waters.
What to buy: Nozzles or Spray Bars?
If you are torn on which to buy between two aquarium apparatuses, allow us to guide which of the two you should choose for your tank. The common feature both items have that will help you with your fish habitat is that both items cause artificial movement on the water. These products can also help with your filtration systems because of how it moves the water inside their tanks.
But aside from those similarities, it is easy to point out many differences to help you decide which of the two is the best choice. Nozzles are easy to install and use inside your tanks, cheap, and often connected to canister filters. However, this item is not ideal for pumping oxygen inside the tank and is only compatible with the previous filtration system.
Spray bars improve a lot of the things that nozzles lack but come at a much higher price and are hard to install. As said before in this article, spray bars are compatible with other filters (HOB and power filter, in particular). It also clogs a lot because of the strength of its filtration system.
Ultimately, what should stand out to consumers’ ideas on which to buy between the two lies in their judgment. Research your options before buying a spray bar, and always make sure the safety and satisfaction of your pet come first.