# Clear, Acrylic Tubes As Intake and Outake Pipes



## lamthuyduong (Aug 13, 2004)

I read the post about glass lillie pipes and those pipes look good but there is an alternative to the glass lillie. I used acrylic tube as my outake and intake pipe for my canister filter. I bent the 6/8" acrylic tube into a U-shape. It works very well, but you have to know how to bend the tube or it will not be a smooth bend. Once placed in the aquarium, it is not noticeable at all and it looks very neat and nice.


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## MiamiAG (Jan 13, 2004)

Picture please.


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## Sir_BlackhOle (Jan 25, 2004)

yes yes pics please!


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## lamthuyduong (Aug 13, 2004)

Pictures.


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## dennis (Mar 1, 2004)

Exactly wha tkind of tube is that and how do you bend it? What is the appropriate way? Looks good BTW


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## Sir_BlackhOle (Jan 25, 2004)

Yes can we get more details please!


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## lamthuyduong (Aug 13, 2004)

details:

They are extruded acrylic tubes, overall diameter is 6/8". Thickness of the wall of the tube is 1/8". From my little experience, 1/8" thickness is harder to bend but it comes out neat and better looking than if you try bending a 1/16" thickness tube. The secret to bending these tubes lies in the heating process. Most people would recommend using a heat gun to make a bend but the source of heat that I used in bending my tube was my stove. My stove measures about 12 inches in diameter, so that's a long enough length to heat up the tube for bending. I place a brick at each end of a stove, then the tube would lay on top of the bricks. Turn the stove on "high", as the tube is being heated, I'm constantly turning the tube, so that there would be an even heating of the tube, after about at least five minutes, the tube would become soft and bendable. Base on your own judgement of how soft the tube is and if it's bendable, if it is, take the tube away and bend it into a U shape. It would be easier to bend the tube into a U shape if you have something that is already in the shape of a U and just use that as a guide.


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## Sir_BlackhOle (Jan 25, 2004)

Did you use anything to keep the tube from collapsing?


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## Vinlo (Jul 27, 2004)

How did you cap the bottom of the intake tube?

Sure looks good!


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## gnatster (Mar 6, 2004)

Was that over a gas or electric stove?


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## pineapple (May 4, 2004)

The intake tube is relatively easy. As stated above, it helps to have a form around which to make the bend. A steel spring inside the tube will help prevent kinks. It also helps to be able to cool the tube fairly quickly so that it stays in shape.

But the output 'S' shapes tube would be more difficult to form.

Andrew Cribb


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## lamthuyduong (Aug 13, 2004)

electric stove. I think gas stove would be much more difficult to heat because the heat is not evenly distributed. 

Pineapple,
Steel spring inside the tube? Never tried that before. How well does it work? It would be hard to find steel spring that small. Where do you get your steel spring?


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## pineapple (May 4, 2004)

Some expandable cafe curtain rods have springs inside - open the ends and remove...

Have you also made the out-flow pipe too?

Andrew


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

I like it! a very good idea...  

Where does one find acrylic tubes like that? hardware stores?


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## pineapple (May 4, 2004)

In NYC we have some excellent plastics dealers on Canal Street. They stock and sell acrylic / plexiglas in sheets and tubes of all sizes. But that is not going to be of much help to you in Geneva, is it?

Andrew Cribb


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## lamthuyduong (Aug 13, 2004)

you could buy it online or look up a plastic dealer in your yellow book. 


Pineapple,
I'm making a new outflow this weekend. The one I have right now does not look very attractive, so this weekend I'm going to try your method.


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## pineapple (May 4, 2004)

Try to make a flare at the end of the pipe, similar to ADA Lily pipes. The flare helps to distribute the outflow around the tank.

Andrew Cribb


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## Sir_BlackhOle (Jan 25, 2004)

Let us know how it goes. Sounds like something I may be able to try sometime....if I can find some acrylic dealers around here.


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## bharada (Apr 17, 2004)

I have an Acrylic dealer near by (Tap Plastics), but they don't sell anything with 1/8" wall thickness. Bending the 1/16" wall tube is difficult as it collapses very easily. Also, using a curtain rod spring doesn't work real well as a bending spring as the tube tends to conform to the shape of the coil making it near impossible to extract the spring without cracking the tube.


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## anonapersona (Mar 11, 2004)

*Rock salt*

I heard from someone who bends these tubes and packs it with rock salt to keep it from collapsing -- wish I could remember who that was...


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## Sir_BlackhOle (Jan 25, 2004)

interesting idea...sounds like it might work....


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## bharada (Apr 17, 2004)

I packed it with play sand which works, but you need to keep inward pressure on both ends of the tube while making the bend. Otherwise the tube has a tendency to stretch which renders the packing material useless.


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## Sir_BlackhOle (Jan 25, 2004)

were you able to get all of the sand out after heating?


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## gpodio (Feb 4, 2004)

Bending springs are the way to go if you're thinking of making more of these to sell or distribute, they use them for bending PVC conduit. Sand is good but tricky as the volume of the tube increases as you stretch it out. Rock salt I never thought of, good solution if you have problems with the sand getting stuck to the walls of the tube. You could also try to use a smaller hose that fits snugly into the pipe to bend and fill that with sand and seal both ends... Good DIY project.

Giancarlo Podio


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## gpodio (Feb 4, 2004)

Worse comes to worse use 90 degree clear PVC elbows 










Image from http://www.usplastic.com

Giancarlo


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

Would these things be hard to clean if they got green spot growing in them or anything like that?


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

Nothing like an H2O2 bath to clean it away


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