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Re: Canister filters
> I'm going to buy a Fluval cannister filter and am trying to decide between
> the 303 and the 304. The 303 is older but comes with a spray bar. The
304
> is newer but no spray bar. What do you think of the spray bar and if it's
> useful, how easy is it to make one?
If you have a power drill, it's no problem at all. Just get a length of
plastic tubing and drill some holes. (They don't have to be perfect.) Or,
you could just buy a replacement spray bar for the 303 and run it on the 304.
As for its usefulness, that question begs a subjective answer based on
personal preference. I like them because they don't concentrate a jet of
water in one location in the tank. That reduces violent agitation of the
water (with most of your CO2 lost), instead spreading the agitation out more
gently over a distance. I run the spray bar several inches below the
surface, aimed at the opposite bottom corner of the tank. Filtration and
water circulation are excellent, while CO2 loss is minimized (but not
eliminated). If plants in the tank are a top priority, you want to minimize
surface agitation at all costs. That may require running a smaller filter
and servicing it more often.