# DIY Lily Pipe for Nano tank



## talontsiawd

Awsome work. I was thinking about trying this but really didn't know how to do so. I have made hardlines for my co2 using similar techiniques. I may try this (and probably waste alot of time lol). Looks really good. Suprisingly easy to follow for someone who wouldn't know where to start. Great writeup.


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## Indignation

Awesome post, thanks so much for sharing this! The final product looks great.


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## itzjustjeff

nice work! those are some clean looking pipes!


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## AquaDean

Thanks guys, they were kind of fun to do. Especially the blowing part, I almost felt like a glass blowing artist for a couple minutes.


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## brohawk

Hey Dean, great write up! Have any pics of the inflow you made? Is the end rounded off? How would you go about doing that, if so?

Next project, a drop checker!


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## jinsei888

I gotta admit, this is really freakin' impressive! Good job!


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## MlDukes

well done!! Gonna have to try this out myself. Thanks for the great post!


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## AquaDean

Dukes, thank you, you should give it a try it's not that difficult.

888, thanks, that's a lucky number!

hawk, here is a picture of an inflow that I made, the end is a little bit rounded but I didn't worry about it a lot because I was planning on putting a sponge over the intake to keep shrimp from being sucked up. I plugged the end by gluing in a short piece of the solid acrylic rod that just happens to fit pretty tight. 

A drop checker, I'll have to think on that one for a bit.


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## Anton_V

hi. this Lily pipe made to decrease waterflow, am i right?
but i don't get it - where is filter: outside or inside, or water goes from one tank to another? 

p.s. really great post


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## Darkblade48

The lily pipes are made of clear acrylic usually so that people can hide them within their aquariums.

To use these lily pipes, the filter is usually on the outside (i.e. a canister filter).


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## bsmith

What are the chances of you making some inflow/outflow pipes for a 60-P im going to set up?


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## Tim S

AquaDean, what wall thickness did you use? I looked at Tap Plastics website and they offer 1/16" and 1/8" wall thickness. I've made them before myself...although they came out looking like crud...I cant remember the thickness I used.


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## AquaDean

Tim,
I used the 1/16" wall thickness tube. When blowing the bubble you need to heat it very slowly and uniformly at the same time. It needs to become very soft without blistering. Plan on a couple of trials before you get a really good one.


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## brohawk

The idea's yours, so not posting my own thread, Dean. Here was today's attempt at a drop checker. It's for my nano so I used the smallest 1/4" tubing that TAP carried in store. Figured why have the whole thing in the tank detracting from the scape, so came up w/ an ADA thermometer style instead.



















That's a 2.5 gal for size reference. In hind sight I would have plugged the end, then made the bend, all before cutting it to actual length and making the final plugged end. I used pvc glue which made a nice clean and clear bond w/ the rod, but it didn't like the heating done nearby afterwards.

The small surface area of the opening isn't going to show CO2 levels quickly, but I have DIY CO2 on this tank so it's constantly on. Haven't decided if I'll use it permanently, but it'd work as a decent reminder when to change out the yeast mixture. I'm sure someone more adventurous here can come up w/ a way to make a more traditional version out of acrylic.


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## AquaDean

Brohawk,
That's a great idea!!!!!
I've got to give that a try today!
A great use for all the scrape pieces of tube I have laying around. 

Do you get a good color reading? Thinking outside the box I'd say take it one small step further and lightly scuff an area on the back side of the viewing area. This should give you a nice opaque white background to see the color against. You could tape off (with masking tape) a rectangle area so that you had clean lines for the scuffed area. I wonder if white paint would stick as that could be another way.

Now I just have to figure out how to try this out on Valentines Day.


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## brohawk

Good luck w/ that (as I sit here hiding in the bathroom while typing on my phone).

I'm sure frosting that would help determine the color better, especially considering differnt amts of light in the room throughout the day. It's a nice lime green color this a.m. but who knows how long it took last night to get there. Maybe blowing a couple bubbles in strategic spots would help increase the surface area / speed up the readings.


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## jreich

brohawk said:


> good luck w/ that (as i sit here hiding in the bathroom while typing on my phone).


 lmao!!


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## AquaDean

I told my better half that I'd cook a great breakfast but really wanted to use the stove so I could bend a tube to try this out. Breakfast was good though


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## AquaDean

I made one of these drop checkers out of 3/8 inch O.D. tubing and set it up in a tank with an in tank drop checker. Took a couple hours but it is working great! I was wondering if being external to the tank would make any difference. I've got one other idea that I want to try and then I'll put a few images up.

Great idea Brohawk! So cheap and no big suction cup in the tank.


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## brohawk

Thanks! Probably gonna play w/ a couple more ideas this week myself. Keep ya posted.


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## AquaDean

Okay here is what I came up with after several attempts and a few leaky ones from being in a hurry. 










I still used 3/8 inch O.D. tube and made the bend tight enough so that I don't need any suction cups at all. the Drop checker just hangs on the tank and stays in place. While the bend was still hot and a little workable I pushed it down on the tank edge so that it would sit really well.

Behind the color indicator solution I just put a small piece of white peel and stick label. White vinyl tape would work good also. The bottom two images show when it was first put into the tank (blue indicator solution) and about 2 hours later (green indicator solution). Seems to be working just fine. 

Thank again for the idea Brohawk


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## g33tar

Neat design.


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## gogreen

OK seriously, you guys need to make a easy to follow step by step video! haha i really like the drop checker and does lily pipes are niceee  so how much have you spent all in all in those lily pipes? ive been saving money to get a couple set of lily pipes for myself but if its really that easy(and cheaper) id start making my own crazy shapped pipes! haha

PS it would be awesome if you can show how to make holes on intake tubes or spraybars


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## Robotguy

Thanks for the tutorial! You rock! Thanks to you I now plan to run all "hardline" in my desktop nano.

I got inspired after reading this post and picked up some acrylic tubing at TAP Plastics. I think the 6 foot section of tubing I used was about $1.95. I got a decent looking pipe on my second try (blew a hole in the first one), then bent and sliced up an inflow:


I'm new to the whole hobby and was amazed at how the funnel affected the water flow. I got impatient and bent the inflow without packing it with salt. That's why it didn't turn out as smooth on the corners.

I've even tried making an inline diffuser:

I haven't tried it out yet, still building the pump/filter...

I don't want to jack your thread, just demonstrate a little "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."


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## gogreen

inline diffusor! would love to see that! i just ordered from TAP platics...i have something to play with next weekend haha


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## AquaDean

g33tar, Brohawk gets credit for the drop checker design, I just took his idea and ran with it.

gogreen, I've spent about $15 on all the tube that I've played with. I'd say that half of that was wasted just figuring out that it could be done. Now there is very little waste. In fact I bought a used set of glass lily pipes for $30 just so I had a real live comparison. For that amount of acrylic tube you could make 15 sets of pipes.

Robotguy, nice job, but remember I said patients. A thought if you want to cut the slots on the inflow before bending you can still fill it with salt. Just tape over the slots then fill it up. I've thought of the inline diffuser also but have a some that I've bought before I decided to get creative. Let us know how it works once you get it all set up.


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## Green024

I must try this..... These drop checkers are a great way to keep more equipment out of the aquarium. Nice write up and thank you for sharing!


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## accordztech

dude bravo! its nice that you can save ALOT of money but its acrylic! It wont crack and break!

You gave me an idea for my tank with my ugly spraybar!

good freaken job!:hihi:


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## accordztech

Robotguy said:


> Thanks for the tutorial! You rock! Thanks to you I now plan to run all "hardline" in my desktop nano.
> 
> I got inspired after reading this post and picked up some acrylic tubing at TAP Plastics. I think the 6 foot section of tubing I used was about $1.95. I got a decent looking pipe on my second try (blew a hole in the first one), then bent and sliced up an inflow:
> 
> 
> I'm new to the whole hobby and was amazed at how the funnel affected the water flow. I got impatient and bent the inflow without packing it with salt. That's why it didn't turn out as smooth on the corners.
> 
> I've even tried making an inline diffuser:
> 
> I haven't tried it out yet, still building the pump/filter...
> 
> I don't want to jack your thread, just demonstrate a little "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."


hah we are in the same area in sacramento, dont go buying all the stuff I want to buy as well lol


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## brohawk

Nice work Dean! I was thinking along the same line as yours too, but the 1/4" OD stuff I have I'm afraid to bend too sharply, as the ID barely lets the reagent in as is. Will probably go pick up some 3/8" from TAP this week since I only live 5 mins away. Again, great job!


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## gogreen

what size should i get from TAP if i have a ehiem 2217 filter..,ehiem 2217 has two diffrent size plastic tubing...so im not sure which acrylic piping to get from TAP since il be ordering online.

i also have a fluval 405 that i will also be using...

thanks


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## deleted_user_16

try finding a different place than tap, they overcharge by a lot now


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## gogreen

fishman9809 said:


> try finding a different place than tap, they overcharge by a lot now


i will. but do you know what size should i get for my 2217 and fluval 405?

im not sure if it will matter, but the 2217 has two diffrent hose sizes no?


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## AquaDean

Not sure exactly what size the 2217 filter uses but Tap Plastics sells the tubing in 1/8" increments (1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, 3/4 etc.). I'd just measure the outside diameter of the inflow and out flow tubes that came with the filter and order those same sizes. 

I actually find Tap Plastics pretty reasonable price wise but I am not having to have the tubes shipped which could make a big difference. Check your area for a local Tap Plastics retail outlet, I think that they are a national franchise chain.


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## gogreen

hey aquadean, was wondering if you can show how you sealed the end of the intake tube? you say its rounded...but from afar i think it looks nice enough


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## CL

Great job with that drop checker!


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## Robotguy

I spent about 2.5 hours playing with acrylic tubes and a heat gun this morning, and my 8th attempt at a drop checker is the first that's worth showing. It's probably too darn tiny to actually be useful, but here goes:




It's misshapen and has bubbles, but it seems to be airtight. This one was made from 1/8" ID tubing with 1/16" walls. I sealed off the "sphere" by cutting the tubing off with a thin dremel cutting disc, sanding a flat spot, gluing a piece of 1/8" acrylic over the hole, sanding to shape with the dremel, wet sanding with successively finer sandpaper and finally flame polishing.

I have been unsuccessful in replicating this with larger diameter tubing, but I'll have to wait to try again. By the end my cheeks were very sore from blowing into the tubes. I have found that less heat and more pressure seems to work better. More heat tends to produce bubbles in the acrylic that make thin spots, which blow out easily and ruin the piece.

Just a note: I actually prefer brohawk's and aquadean's designs, but I am trying to make one for a friend who has a Fluval Edge and can't use an over-the-side style.


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## AquaDean

Great work Robotguy!
That is true artistry, and I hear ya about the sore cheeks. I tried once using my air compressor but kept just popping the bubbles out the side from too much pressure. 

When you flame polished did you use a torch or other source of flame? I've tried that with my heat gun on high but didn't have very good results.

I did set up one of the bent drop checkers as an in tank one and it worked just fine. here is an image of it in the tank. It can be turned to the side for a lower profile but I turned it out for the picture.


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## !shadow!

just read all 3 pages and wow, just blown away at how one person's idea inspires a chain of others that lead to other things such as robotguy's drop checker which is very nice maybe you could use it for like a 2.5g . You should think about selling lily pipes on the side you'd make some $_$ if you did some sort of advertising on this site.


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## actioncia

Beautiful work. Lots of talented folks on this forum.


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## Kilroy_1911

I imagine the acrylic bits aren't as fragile as their glass counterparts. Bet you could make a little extra scrilla selling pieces here on TPT :thumbsup:


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## wmsvn

holly crap. I am sure that I won't be able to successfully create the parts that I need but oh well. It is worth trying.

thanks for the ideas


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## ovenmit331

had an idea for getting pressurized air in small quantities into the tube without getting sore cheeks. use a bicycle tire pump. should be about the right size to fit in the pump head and you could EASILY control the amount of air...


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## tak13

Do they sell this acrylic tubes at local stores like Home Depot?
If not which websites sell them. I really wanted to try them out after seeing this.


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## tyler79durdan

GREAT work you guys! That really is some serious ingenuity. Me likey!


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## !shadow!

tak13 said:


> Do they sell this acrylic tubes at local stores like Home Depot?
> If not which websites sell them. I really wanted to try them out after seeing this.



that would be awesome if they sold these at home depot. l also wanted to try this out.i'm just curious if it's this link :

http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=147&

or this one?
http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=463&


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## AquaDean

I have seen some acrylic tube at either Lowes or Home Depot but it was all scratched up and I considered it unusable.

From Tap Plastics this is the link for the tubing:
http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=141&

And this is the link for the rod that I use to plug the ends:
http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=147&
I didn't go into a whole lot of detail on how I plugged the ends so once I get a little spare time I'll do some pics on how I do it.


The bike pump might work but really you need to be turning the tube over the heat and blowing almost at the same time. Plus trying to keep pressure in the tube all at the same time. Might have to give it a try though.


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## NutZilla

great ideas really, I was blown away. I'm totally going to make one of these. But one thing cross my mind, how are we going to clean the lily pipe and the drop check? especially the drop check. Or do we have to buy that special cleaning tool for the lily pipe that was sold by ADA. Anyone thought of this?


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## peter1979

great idea, some seriously good diy skills on this one. This could even make you some money, probably costs a couple of $ to make an in and outflow and could be sold for $10


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## wespastor

NutZilla said:


> great ideas really, I was blown away. I'm totally going to make one of these. But one thing cross my mind, how are we going to clean the lily pipe and the drop check? especially the drop check. Or do we have to buy that special cleaning tool for the lily pipe that was sold by ADA. Anyone thought of this?


 
Use pipe cleaner from your local craft store.

Best wishes,

Wes


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## anastasisariel

This is the most exciting DIY thread I've ever read. So I can buy a heat gun and some acrylic tubing and go nuts??!! My tank desperately needs a nice clear Lily pipe, and this has me so excited!!! Thanks for posting!


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## familyman03

Hi all awesome work. However what is a drop checker and lily pipe and what are they used for? Also could I do one big enough for my 110 "cube" I would love to hide my piping? Thank you.


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## deleted_user_6

Hey, got a quick one for all you who have done this. I am trying to make myself some of these pipes, but I can't seem to get the bubble blown right. I am using 1/2" tubing with 1/8" wall. Every time I try to blow a bubble, it blows out, and for some reason, I cant get it to be a long bubble. I am thinking either I am getting the tube too hot, or I am using tubing with a wall that is too thin.


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## Kathyy

Me too. I can bend the tubing and stretch it out okay though. Suspect practice and patience plus wasting a bit of tubing is going to be the key here.

I just heated the end and flattened it to seal the bottom. Using heat to polish the edges too.

For $5 of acrylic, some salt and my $1 garage sale heat gun I am having a blast and just might come up with something useful and NOT breakable.


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## heydude819

I used 1/2" tubing with 1/8" wall to make a lily pipe for the outflow of my 2217. The secret is to heat about 2 inches of the pipe evenly. Once the pipe can bend, start blowing in slowly. Once you get a bubble going, keep blowing until the outer diameter of the pipe doubles. Once it reaches that diameter, quickly cool it in a bucket of cold water. If the bubble isn't big enough, just slowly reheat and repeat the process. If one bubble doesn't suit your needs, just blow a second bubble next to it!



onefang said:


> Hey, got a quick one for all you who have done this. I am trying to make myself some of these pipes, but I can't seem to get the bubble blown right. I am using 1/2" tubing with 1/8" wall. Every time I try to blow a bubble, it blows out, and for some reason, I cant get it to be a long bubble. I am thinking either I am getting the tube too hot, or I am using tubing with a wall that is too thin.


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## deleted_user_6

You were right, I was heating to small an area. Now it seems that the tough part is cutting the bubble, without chipping it into uselessness. The fine toothed hobby saw isn't working out for me, and I am too cheap to buy a dremel right now. I did manage to get a decent one by heating a razorblade, and using it like a hotknife. It's keeping the razor hot enough that is the issue.. sometimes it gets stuck if you don't move fast enough.


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## heydude819

I wasn't delicate with my pipes as most of the people here. I took out my miter saw to cut the bubble at a 45 degree angle. Cut it slowly for a clean cut with no chipping. The bending comes after the saw.


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## skerzfan

Excellent post! I can see myself doing some serious experimenting....


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## dvancook

anyone thought of using an airbrush to blow into the tube? The end of most would fit easily, it's almost infinitely adjustable pressure-wise, and sure would save on sore cheeks.


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## kokomon

for a 16mm eheim pipe, would i buy a 5/8 inch x 6 foot acrylic pipe from
TAP plastics?

http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=141&PHPSESSID=20080313202246441030079


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## Augustw

Holy....wow...just wow.
this is what i have been looking for!!!! 
seriously amazing you guys, i cant wait to try this!!!


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## _FC

WHOA! This is freakin awesome! I love DIY ! Going to do some of these myself just for fun! Thanks man! I'm at work so i read really fast, is the salt so the tube won't collapse and stick to itself?


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## In.a.Box

There a foot air pump for bike which you can use.
While ur hand is turning n heating the pipe ur feet is pumping air into the pipe slowly.

I can make these lily pipe with my eye close


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## shrimpNewbie

Has anyone tried to do an inch?


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## plamski

Yes.You just have to find something flexible to stick it inside .Or to use sand or salt.


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## binbin9

I'm in awe. Has anyone converted a glass smoke pipe?


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## Robotguy

shrimpNewbie said:


> Has anyone tried to do an inch?


You mean like this?


Way too small to be useful for anything, but I was having fun playing with some surplus glass pipettes and a butane torch


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## jlennon

This is some great stuff. Thanx all.


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## laqu

SOOOO envious... 

i wish i could get my hands on acrylic pipe.


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## CPDzeke

Try tap plastics


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## brinks

*Smooth ends on lily pipes*

If the tube you are using works the same as plexiglas after you cut the bulb in two and smooth the edge with sand paper, heating the raw edge will melt it slightly and it will be smooth and clear. Try it on a scrap piece. Great write up.


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## GJL Creative Solutions

Well, I've gathered all the items I need. Luckily here in San Diego we have a place called *Ridout Plastics* that had everything I needed! Saved me some shipping. I picked up a Exacto Razor Saw to do the cutting and a 7 in 1 Emory board for the polishing

Wish me luck


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## Subtletanks91

This is simply amazing. After reading this I want to make my own spray bar and Lilly pipe for the fluval 405 but I have the rigid hose do you think the pipe and bar will fit snug into the grey connected on the hose?


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## sketch804

Subtletanks91 said:


> This is simply amazing. After reading this I want to make my own spray bar and Lilly pipe for the fluval 405 but I have the rigid hose do you think the pipe and bar will fit snug into the grey connected on the hose?


Simply answered, NO. You will need to get some 5/8" ID (inner diameter) hose (this works for 305, IDK if the 405 hose is bigger) from the tool store or maybe your LFS carries some. Simple to attach and get running again, did it for my Cerges reactor, worked like a charm.


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## Subtletanks91

So even the connector that connects the hose to the outflow won't connect to a diy lily pipe?


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## PondInsider

Decided to go with some custom acrylic work on an indoor pond I have, as well as on a small nano planted tank I am working on. So here is my first finished product (Second attempt) at an acrylic drop checker.

Basically I took a piece of acrylic tubing, heated it in the middle and slowly pulled the two pieces apart, allowing the tube to seal. Then I blew out the bubble and used salt to help the bend not deform. In the future I wouldn't use salt again, but instead heat the bend a little hotter than before, slowly make the bend while continuing to heat it, then blow the bend out gently to correct the kink.

Also as another piece of advice, the best way I have found so far to cut the piping (No cracking at all) is to use a Jeweler's Saw and a #2 blade. The blades are very fragile so you may go through a few, but they are meant to cut soft metals and have very very fine teeth, so dont run that much of a risk of cracking the acrylic.

Let me know what you think!


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## Down_Shift

wow great job on the lily. they won't crack like glass too and even if it does, you can always make another


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## Disher

Thanks for the write up. You've saved a lot of people some money!


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## Scully

Useful thread revival. I recently followed these instructions along with some non-english speaking YT videos to make a set of lily pipes for my tank.

A few things I want to add to this
1) Using a cheap vise(the kind that clamps onto the edge of a table) to hold your heatgun is a lifesaver. No burning tables, not knocking it over, no need for a third set of arms.
2) Use a small piece of plywood and screw down either a socket or round cut of wood(mines from a 1 1/4" hole saw) that's about the size of the bend you want. If you're just making a jet lily you can use it to get the nano "curves" you find on commercial pieces. Otherwise you can just do two seperate bends. It's also way easier to make sure everything is straight this way. Pic below
3) A dremel with a cut-off disc makes cutting 100x faster, just leave a small amount of room for cleaning up edges with a file, it's messy.


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## BOTIA




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## BOTIA

nice to see someone else making them


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