# cal aqua fluxus set vs ada lilly pipes vs flo pipes



## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

has anyone had the cal aqua pipes, lilly pipes or the flo pipes? what is your experience with each?

here are the fluxus pipes,
http://www.calaqualabs.com/Filtration.html
$60 w/ shipping

lilly pipes,
http://www.adgshop.com/Filtration_System_s/6.htm
$148 w/o shipping

flo pipes (cant find the inflo pipe?)
http://stores.ebay.com/AquaticMagic_Filtration_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ4729934QQftidZ1QQtZkm
outflo pipe $30 in flo $???

dont forget to vote!


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## slickwillislim (Nov 9, 2005)

I haven't tried any of them, but if I was in your position I would get the mini pipes from ADA... Are you worried they won't give enough flow? 

I have a mini M and I made some diy lillie pipes similar to the mini ones from ADA and I think they work great. 

I have there mini diffusor and I can confidently say that their glass work is leagues above the other glass aquarium products I have seen.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

slickwillislim said:


> I haven't tried any of them, but if I was in your position I would get the mini pipes from ADA... Are you worried they won't give enough flow?
> 
> I have a mini M and I made some diy lillie pipes similar to the mini ones from ADA and I think they work great.
> 
> I have there mini diffusor and I can confidently say that their glass work is leagues above the other glass aquarium products I have seen.


im not worried about the flow rates at all, im just trying to see what other people think about the ones they have. 

i really think that the cal aqua pipes are a great bargain.


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

I've just bought a set of cal aqua nano's, I'll review quality when they arrive.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

garuf said:


> I've just bought a set of cal aqua nano's, I'll review quality when they arrive.


i would really like to hear your thoughts, when they arrive.


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

So far they look nice, my tank is 30cm deep and the inflow is 15, which could prove a problem, this said the substrate is 3-6cm deep so the distance between the bottom of the inflow and the substrate is only 10cm so it might not be that bad, we'll just have to wait and see.


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

Cal aquas arrived today, first impressions, Lovely, small but very high quality. 
Fitted, they're near on invisible and the lily produces a visible vortex on the waters surface, (much to my surprise) 
I'd like a longer inflow but find it to be much better than the Eheim I was running previously.


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## CmLaracy (Jan 7, 2007)

the Ada pipes are better, the calaqua's are cheaper, that the BL


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

How are the ada pipes better?


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## A Hill (Jul 25, 2005)

garuf said:


> How are the ada pipes better?


They say ADA?

If I was buying pipes It would depend on the amount I had to spend on them, If money was no object ada all the way. But I would probably realistically in the future if I have a tank that I want pipes go with a lesser expensive but still high quality pipe like the cal aqua ones. Maybe try my hand at making my own? Add some colored glass to the ends, could look really cool!

-Andrew


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

Fish Newb said:


> They say ADA?
> 
> -Andrew


I was going to say that but didn't want to cause any trouble. 
Seriously though, Justification is needed for such a sweeping statement.


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Thanks for the responses fellas, keep em' coming.


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## gotcheaprice (Aug 29, 2007)

I'm gonna start a 60P soon.

I totally want the ADA pipes so I can work to a whole ada set up eventually (yeah right xD), but I'm gonna probably go with the nano set from cal aqua.


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## jinx© (Oct 17, 2007)

garuf said:


> I was going to say that but didn't want to cause any trouble.
> Seriously though, Justification is needed for such a sweeping statement.


I agree with garuf. 

CM, If you own a set of both and can explain the pro's and con's of each that would be great.

For myself, I've not often bought into hype and name brands if I know of something tried and true that can be used for a fraction of the cost.
Call me cheap or perhaps frugal...lol


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## Matsu49 (Jan 1, 2008)

Actually the ADA Lily pipes are $107

Inflow Mini V-1 13mm $50
Outflow Mini P-2 13mm $57


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## gotcheaprice (Aug 29, 2007)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Flo-Live-aquari...hZ015QQcategoryZ46310QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

$50 for the set of flo pipes...

Not sure if I wanna spend the extra $40 for the large aquariums set pipes for the cal aqua ones now xD. $157.25 shipped for ones at ADG for a 60P i think. extra $60, but is it worth it?


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## Yukilovesfish (Mar 21, 2005)

I added my new Fluxus nano pipes over the weekend and love them! Cal aqua lab's outflow is shaped differently ada, personally I prefer the shape of cal aqua lab's better. After a day of running the protein layer at the top of my tank cleared up. The pipes are a little thinner than ada but definitely a great bargain especially if you buy the package, I'm very happy with them!


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## bsmith (Jan 8, 2007)

Dose anyone think that the "vortex" that the outflow produces would off gas any co2 you would be inject into the tank?


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Wait till you break one or have to clean them all the time to get them nice and clear looking.
They are a lot of work to have them look nice all the time and they are fragile.

Why not just plumb from the bottom?
Either DIY drill your own holes of make tanks and have the glass place cut the holes etc if you cannot?

Very thin glass is tough, but most tanks, even 6 gal nanos can be drilled if you are careful and gentle.

If you can DIY your own small tank, have the glass place cut the holes for you, they make small bulk heads etc, then a simple small cnaister or one of those Tom's mini's work well.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## gotcheaprice (Aug 29, 2007)

plantbrain said:


> Wait till you break one or have to clean them all the time to get them nice and clear looking.
> They are a lot of work to have them look nice all the time and they are fragile.
> 
> Why not just plumb from the bottom?
> ...


True, but I don't want to drill a $95 ADA tank 

And yukilovesfish:

Do you have ADA pipes to compare them with? If you do, how differently are they shaped, and what are the different outputs they put?


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## Yoshi (Apr 5, 2007)

I just bought a set of the $60 nano pipes from CAL. I couldn't be happier with the purchase. The quality is much much better than I had previously anticipated. This is the ideal set for a small nano even pico setup. The only drawback that I see is that it is probably too small for many applications besides those tanks under 4-5g. Larger tanks will probably need a larger set of pipes. But if you have doubts with the CAL, toss them aside... it's $60 well spent on a small tank setup.


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## gotcheaprice (Aug 29, 2007)

Well, yeah, they do have the $90 set for 20-30 gallons, which I'll probably get if the ADA is not worth the extra $60.


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## garuf (May 30, 2007)

I agree with yoshi, They are perfect for nano and picos, which they where meant for but on my 10 gallon Id say I need ones with more HUMPH, which is no fault of cal aquas, I'm going to use them on my 11" cube so It's no big loss,
Cal aqua, If your reading this, Can we have a bigger set, one between nano and medium.


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## Yukilovesfish (Mar 21, 2005)

gotcheaprice said:


> True, but I don't want to drill a $95 ADA tank
> 
> And yukilovesfish:
> 
> Do you have ADA pipes to compare them with? If you do, how differently are they shaped, and what are the different outputs they put?


gotcheaprice:

Yes I do the ada Lily Pipe Mini Outflow P-2 13mm
http://www.adana-usa.com/index.php?main_page=afa_product_info&cPath=26_3&products_id=79

As I mentioned Cal aqua lab's outflow is shaped differently you can compare the two by going to both sites. I think the pressure in the ada outflow pipe is stronger than cal aqua labs too. It all depends on your preference I prefer the shape of c.a.l. and for the price I think it's a great deal.


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## boink (Nov 27, 2006)

I thought id post my comments as i have a set of both Cal aqua and a set of ADA pipes for a 120P.

*ADA pipes:*
_Pros:_
-Thicker higher quality glass
-Stubs where the suctions cups are attached are made of thicker glass than CAL

_Cons:_
-Inflow is very restricted when debris clogs it, my 2028 slows down to a crawl
-More expensive
-One connection point for suction cups

*CAL:*
_Pros:_
-Inflow not as restriced as it has an open bottom
-Two points of connection for suction cups
-Cheaper
_Cons:_
-Thinner glass, not same quality as ADA

Something to note, i havent used the CAL outflow yet--been using ADA outflow with CAL inflow​


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## jinx© (Oct 17, 2007)

Thanks for sharing your experiences boink. 
It's nice to hear it from someone who has both brands. :thumbsup:

Now go and buy the AQmagic ones...lol


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## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

I have neither, but I have bought a knock-off glass diffuser from ebay and can say it's very thin and smashes easily. But AQ magic has made a lot of desirable things available to those who can't necessarily afford the full blown gadgets, there prices usually can't be beat for a lot of what they sell.

I would drill before I went clear and fancy, but I have to agree with the statement that I wouldn't be drilling an ADA tank. But if I wanted rimless then I'd have someone build it cheaper... Maybe I can get Scolley to set aside about 6 months of his life for me. :hihi:


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## volatile (Feb 13, 2007)

bsmith782 said:


> Dose anyone think that the "vortex" that the outflow produces would off gas any co2 you would be inject into the tank?


I'd like to know the answer to this one too bsmith782...


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

IME, aboslutely not.


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## rountreesj (Jun 12, 2007)

So why not just leave your normal black or green pipes and take them out for photos and put a fan above the water surface...thats what Takashi Amano does. Of course, an ADA tank would look pretty ghetto with black pipes. Cal Aqua is probably the "average guy's" product as it's reasonably priced and reasonable quality. ADA products are what you buy when you are either so rich that you don't know what else to do with your money, or you are very very addicted to this hobby.


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