DIY acrylic lilly pipes

sonaps · 03-16-2006, 02:24 PM

That looks great!

How do you plan to clean the pipes? Do they get as dirty as the filter tubes?

Mori · 03-16-2006, 03:17 PM

Clever. You could have just used a long piece of tube instead of using a wire, right? or am I missing the point once again?

[Incidentally, the polycarbonate tubes listed at TAP (the vendor linked in this thread) don't come in the correct sizes, so I won't be experimenting with those.]

Wasserpest · 03-16-2006, 04:59 PM

Thanks Curare, these last bends look perfect!

Curare · 03-17-2006, 01:09 AM

Yeah, A long peice of tube would be just as easy, It jus so happens that I dodn't have enough!

Hehehe! Also the rigidity of the wire helps get it in the right spot. Ever tried to push a hose up a hose? Think chinese finger trap in reverse :|

Martin · 03-19-2006, 03:02 PM

I've been told that they turn a nasty yellowy brown color rather fast... is this true for your pipes as well?

Curare · 03-20-2006, 12:52 AM

I guess we'll see.

I can see that in a few years they will more than likely craze (hundreds of tiny little cracks about .5mm long but by then I'll probably have changed the tank around 10 times anyway.

As for going nasty yellowy brown, Time will tell.

turbosaurus · 04-20-2006, 03:13 PM

What do you use to heat it? Blow torch?

Rhinoman · 08-27-2006, 03:00 AM

It's been awhile how do your acrylic lilly pipes look now?

Mori · 08-28-2006, 10:42 PM

Mine look like perfectly clear acylic pipes full of brown sludge.

The material is holding up well. I only have low light on that tank, however.

Wasserpest · 08-28-2006, 10:58 PM

Hehe, same here. I am pushing off the unavoidable disassembly and cleaning.

Maybe next year?

**pineapple** · 08-29-2006, 01:57 AM

Nice curves, friend! Quite an inspiring thread this one. My attempts with springs yieleded pretty poor results so I went back to the green Eheim in out tubes. I think I might give this another shot. I wish my favourite acrylic shop (Industrial Plastics, Canal Street, NYC) hadn't closed down recently....

Snazzy · 10-07-2006, 06:36 PM

what do you use to heat the pipe up with to bend it?

Mori · 10-09-2006, 07:41 PM

Gas stove, since it was next to my potholders.

Yzmxer99 · 10-09-2006, 10:39 PM

Lol, you people are crazy. The heat guns, used to remove paint, work exceptionally well, I left mine at work this weekend and used my g.f. embossing gun which worked well too. The problem with the acrylic, is that if you don't get the right temp, it starts to bubble up. With the heat guns you can work a small area with a nice adjusted temp.

Snazzy · 10-09-2006, 11:49 PM

lmao last night i had a bad experiance like soem people said to use boiling water to starilize your diy co2 2 liter it just kinda melted down into a mutated bottle mabe you can use boiling water to ben d it also

03-16-2006, 04:59 PM	#18 (permalink)
Wasserpest Born to be mild (View User Tanks) PTrader: (57) Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Monterey, CA Posts: 9,354	Thanks Curare, these last bends look perfect! __________________ All my tanks Cheap Autodosing Cheap Water Change Cheap Filter Acrylic Filter Pipes The Wasser-Controller

03-17-2006, 01:09 AM	#19 (permalink)
Curare Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Fremantle, Western Australia Posts: 376	Yeah, A long peice of tube would be just as easy, It jus so happens that I dodn't have enough! Hehehe! Also the rigidity of the wire helps get it in the right spot. Ever tried to push a hose up a hose? Think chinese finger trap in reverse :\| __________________ The Phoenix 10 gal Curare's bombed 3 gal nano 50 gal Australian native Like drops of fertiliser into the tank, so are the days of our CO2...

03-20-2006, 12:52 AM	#21 (permalink)
Curare Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Fremantle, Western Australia Posts: 376	I guess we'll see. I can see that in a few years they will more than likely craze (hundreds of tiny little cracks about .5mm long but by then I'll probably have changed the tank around 10 times anyway. As for going nasty yellowy brown, Time will tell. __________________ The Phoenix 10 gal Curare's bombed 3 gal nano 50 gal Australian native Like drops of fertiliser into the tank, so are the days of our CO2...

08-28-2006, 10:58 PM	#25 (permalink)
Wasserpest Born to be mild (View User Tanks) PTrader: (57) Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Monterey, CA Posts: 9,354	Hehe, same here. I am pushing off the unavoidable disassembly and cleaning. Maybe next year? __________________ All my tanks Cheap Autodosing Cheap Water Change Cheap Filter Acrylic Filter Pipes The Wasser-Controller

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03-16-2006, 02:24 PM	#16 (permalink)
sonaps Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (2) Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Eagle River, Alaska Posts: 19	That looks great! How do you plan to clean the pipes? Do they get as dirty as the filter tubes?

03-16-2006, 03:17 PM	#17 (permalink)
Mori Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 1,158	Clever. You could have just used a long piece of tube instead of using a wire, right? or am I missing the point once again? [Incidentally, the polycarbonate tubes listed at TAP (the vendor linked in this thread) don't come in the correct sizes, so I won't be experimenting with those.]

03-19-2006, 03:02 PM	#20 (permalink)
Martin Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (2) Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Denmark Posts: 408	I've been told that they turn a nasty yellowy brown color rather fast... is this true for your pipes as well?

04-20-2006, 03:13 PM	#22 (permalink)
turbosaurus Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (44) Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Yonkers, NY Posts: 810	What do you use to heat it? Blow torch?

08-27-2006, 03:00 AM	#23 (permalink)
Rhinoman Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicopee MA Posts: 217	It's been awhile how do your acrylic lilly pipes look now?

08-28-2006, 10:42 PM	#24 (permalink)
Mori Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 1,158	Mine look like perfectly clear acylic pipes full of brown sludge. The material is holding up well. I only have low light on that tank, however.

08-29-2006, 01:57 AM	#26 (permalink)
pineapple Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (33) Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New York City Posts: 278	Nice curves, friend! Quite an inspiring thread this one. My attempts with springs yieleded pretty poor results so I went back to the green Eheim in out tubes. I think I might give this another shot. I wish my favourite acrylic shop (Industrial Plastics, Canal Street, NYC) hadn't closed down recently....

10-07-2006, 06:36 PM	#27 (permalink)
Snazzy Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (7) Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 125	what do you use to heat the pipe up with to bend it?

10-09-2006, 07:41 PM	#28 (permalink)
Mori Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0) Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 1,158	Gas stove, since it was next to my potholders.

10-09-2006, 10:39 PM	#29 (permalink)
Yzmxer99 Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (3) Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Orange County, Ca Posts: 173	Lol, you people are crazy. The heat guns, used to remove paint, work exceptionally well, I left mine at work this weekend and used my g.f. embossing gun which worked well too. The problem with the acrylic, is that if you don't get the right temp, it starts to bubble up. With the heat guns you can work a small area with a nice adjusted temp.

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10-09-2006, 11:49 PM	#30 (permalink)
Snazzy Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (7) Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Posts: 125	lmao last night i had a bad experiance like soem people said to use boiling water to starilize your diy co2 2 liter it just kinda melted down into a mutated bottle mabe you can use boiling water to ben d it also