[naegling23]

I have a rena xp3 in my 55 gal south american tank (tetra's, angels, rams, apisto's etc). *** been using the spray bar for the filter output. However, it seems like there are some dead spots in the tank where the water does not move very well. Would the power jet its basically a hole at the end instead of the spray bar, be a better option? Or a no go because of the smaller fish or the fact that the tank is heavily planted.

Opinions please, power jet or spray bar? What do you use, and why?

 

[PRSKILLER]

I had the spray bar on one side shooting to the other side (faced down) which moves the water from end to end but that is in my 75g which the spray bar fits perfect in. I am now using the powerhead at the top from the back corner shooting at an angle to the front to break the surface. For the 55g I would go with the powerhead :thumb:

 

[pancakeloach]

I've gone back and forth with my XP3 output on my 55g several times, but haven't been 100% satisfied with the water flow with either choice. I'd love to be able to put the spray bar on the side but I haven't been willing to trim the spray bar so that it'll fit. :lol: Right now I'm using the power jet. I just wish I could move it up and down instead of just side to side! :roll:

 

[yogurtpooh]

use the power jet with the adjustable add on. that way if its too much output for your plants you can turn it down. Either way its going to agititate the surface a lot better than the spray bars

 

[Donfish]

The best thing I ever did was to let the filters filter and use a Koralia Nano for water movement. They provide a gentle but copious current. It won't suck in fish bigger than around an inch or so and I even had snails cleaning it off without damage.

I bought the Koralia on a whim along with a Maxi-jet to get some more water movement in my 40 gal overgrown planted tank, the Maxi-jet still sits in the box. Not that other powerheads aren't good but this thing did the job so well I didn't need the Maxi.

I have an Eheim 2215 pushing water straight from the elbow along the back of the glass on the left, a AC70 dumping on the right and the Koralia Nano on the left side glass near the top pointing downward and I actually get a somewhat oscillating motion on my plants.

I get a twirling motion from my co2 diffuser bubbles set at the back bottom middle on the tank. They travel to the right, the HOB pushes them down and they travel back across the bottom to the Eheim pickup on the left. Can also see this when feeding flake. The fish also like to swim in the Nano's current waiting for the food to get pushed through.

I'm sure this seems like an ad, I'm not selling these things but I like it so much I'm almost a so-called "fanboy" of the darn things.