# What canister filter tubing do you use?



## jhunt (May 7, 2010)

HD tubing sucks. Try to find braided tubing and lay it out straight in the sun for a couple hours, it will soften up.


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## DaveK (Jul 10, 2010)

Personally, I like the green Eheim tubing over the clear tubing sold by Home Depot or many LFSs. I think it's a bit softer and easier to work with. That being said, many others have used the clear tubing with good results, and it's a lot less expensive then Eheim tubing.

Since your using lily pipes, which I assume are glass, and easily broken, I would use an Eheim Double Tap Quick Release or equivalent to connect to the lily pipes, and I'd figure on never removing the tubing from the quick release to the lily pipe unless I was going to carefully cut off the tubing. Over time tubing get really stuck on,and can be difficult to remove without damaging what it's connected to.


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## [email protected] (Jul 17, 2008)

For kinked vinyl tubing, a few hours in the sun, or a few minutes of hot water flowing through the tubing, will allow the tube to relax. I put small (as in wood clamp small) clamps on the tube to help it remember the round shape as I'm heating it. 

Eheim tubing, in my experience is more flexible than HD tubing. Probably the chemicals in the tubing, unfortunately. 

I second the idea of using double tap connectors on the system and adding guides to the stand to help keep the tubing from wondering.


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## NyteBlade (Aug 19, 2006)

[email protected] said:


> For kinked vinyl tubing, a few hours in the sun, or a few minutes of hot water flowing through the tubing, will allow the tube to relax. I put small (as in wood clamp small) clamps on the tube to help it remember the round shape as I'm heating it.
> 
> Eheim tubing, in my experience is more flexible than HD tubing. Probably the chemicals in the tubing, unfortunately.
> 
> I second the idea of using double tap connectors on the system and adding guides to the stand to help keep the tubing from wondering.


Do you recommend using the eheim tubing then?


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## Landau (Mar 24, 2010)

I've found the end of the spool of clear tubing flattened like you describe and near impossible to get back to the round shape.

But if you can get them to pull out a new spool (or try the nearest competitor or other HD location) the start and most of the middle of the spool is fine.


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## [email protected] (Jul 17, 2008)

NyteBlade said:


> Do you recommend using the eheim tubing then?


I like Eheim stuff, in general. Once setup and running it just generally works. 
Eheim tubing, historically, will last a long time. I'd pay a 50% premium for it. I wouldn't pay double.


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