Acrylic Filter Overflows (no lilies!)

[Wasserpest]

Originally Posted by fredyk

with my gas stove, I hate spending $10 monthly on service/connectivity fees and $2 month on actual gas. that's $120 year to the gas company for the use of their infrastructure. But I figure turning off the gas to protest is a slight inconvenice as I use the gas stove a few times a week.

My water and house are heated with gas too... so it isn't as bad.

Originally Posted by fredyk

How about boiling water to heat up the acrylic or is it too little heat? I am trying to do this unsuccessfully with polyethylene plastic tubing. Acrylic must be quite a lot stronger material.

I think you could use boiling water, the trick would be how to submerge only the section that you want to bend into the water... I don't think the steam alone would be enough to soften the acrylic enough. But I haven't tried.

[Mori]

Modern baby powder is made of corn starch. So I guess that should work. But I'd be more inclined to use liquid soap or vegetable oil. Flour gets so gummy when wet...

[jimjim]

I have bent many a tubing with just steam from a boiling kettle wasserpest...Jim

[Wasserpest]

There you go... no gas stove needed.

Mori... the tubing was dry, so no problem with gummy-ness.

[Curare]

I've struggled to get the heat I need into a pipe from just boiling water or steam.

A heat gun is inexpensive and fun, strip paint, set your friends on fire, and a million and one other household uses.

hehe.

Nearly ready to start on my next one, so keep an eye out!

RAWR!

[Mori]

If you're using a kettle, you're standing over the stove anyway... I do have an electric kettle but it shuts off automatically. I sort of like the idea of a fume hood when heating plastics so the stove seems like a good location. I can't remember where my heat gun is--obviously I tried stripping paint with it to the detriment of my brain.

[Martin]

alas... you American people have access to a world of aquatic accessories..

I've searched hi & lo, and haven't been able to find anyone who sells Acrylic pipes here in Denmark,,..... :sniff:

oh well... perhaps one day..! =)

[Anti-Pjerrot]

Im sorry to hear that - Im looking for some acrylic pipes right now for my nano... If I see some ill give you a pm Symbiot

[lewisjl481]

Hey, I was just wondering if we could get a two month update on how these are holding up?

[pineapple]

Clear suction cups on the outside of the tank to hold the intake and return pipes is an insurance policy, though not a necessity.

The plastic (albeit clear) strainer at the end of the intake is not really necessary. Instead, use a Dremel, or better still a hand drill with drills for acrylic, to make a series of small intake holes around the bottom of the intake pipe. Plug the bottom of the intake pipe with a piece of clear plastic. You will find this is much less obtrusive. Though I am sure most of our intake pipes are hidden behind big bushes of Java and what have you.

BTW, nice thread from Wasser...

It has always surprised me that some innovator has not come up with clear acrylic versions of the Eheim standard intake and outflow pipes.

[Wasserpest]

Originally Posted by lewisjl481

Hey, I was just wondering if we could get a two month update on how these are holding up?

They are holding up great so far, well they better... if they would break that'd be a major catastrophy. After a little over 2 months, mine have turned from shiny clear to a light brown, and I guess it is time to clean them but they are still almost invisible so I guess I delay that a little more.

It's really a huge difference to the regular colored plastic pipes that stand out in every tank.

I have done a little project where I modded the inlet of my AC Mini and added some clear acrylic to this one too. Not as necessary since the AC pipes have a rather subdued color (sorta half clear grey-ish). But turned out alright as well.

[Wasserpest]

Originally Posted by pineapple

The plastic (albeit clear) strainer at the end of the intake is not really necessary. Instead, use a Dremel, or better still a hand drill with drills for acrylic, to make a series of small intake holes around the bottom of the intake pipe. Plug the bottom of the intake pipe with a piece of clear plastic. You will find this is much less obtrusive. Though I am sure most of our intake pipes are hidden behind big bushes of Java and what have you.

You are absolutely right. I am just a little nervous about inlet strainers clogging up with debris, and prefer a manufactured solution that optimizes the openings for unobstructed flow (with some spare slits). It is amazing what a strong canister filter collects on these strainers, and I am afraid that drilled holes plug up too easily with leafs etc. Don't want to use a prefilter sponge either.

And yes... in a corner, hidden behind plants, it is absolutely invisible anyway.

[pineapple]

I use the standard Eheim intake pipe and discard that blinking great cage they supply for the bottom end strainer. Instead, I have drilled small holes in the inflow pipe and plug the end. It has worked well for more than a year on more than one tank with no clogging issues. Actually, I find the Eheim plain vanilla pipes are quite OK - it's just the colour (though not as bad as Fluval's battleship grey) that is not great. If they were in plexi, it would be so much better. My best source of plexi etc in NYC has closed down (Industrial Plastics on Canal Street). But I better go looking...

[Wasserpest]

Each tank is different, and my strainers collect enormous amounts of stuff. Leaves, java fern plantlets, moss strings, Riccia, etc.

For material, try Tap Plastics, good prices and decent shipping...

[mshaeffer]

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pro...uct%5Fid=11231

Heres a cheap place to order some acrylic tubing!!