That is a lily pipe attachment. You attach to the end of the pipe where water returns to your tank.
That is:
Filter -> hose -> J-shaped pipe -> lily pipe attachment

hi, all
Sorry for asking a noob question here.
Recently just bought a canister filter and saw this funny looking thing inside one of the accessories. It has a pipe on one end and a spoon shape "funnel" on the other end.
Anyone can advise what is the function of this gadget ?
Thanks in advance.

That is a lily pipe attachment. You attach to the end of the pipe where water returns to your tank.
That is:
Filter -> hose -> J-shaped pipe -> lily pipe attachment
Vincent - AQ is for everyone, but not for 'u' and 'mi'.
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A woman: without her, man is nothing.

Using this lily pipe will slow down the water flow going out from the canister. Useful if you have a higher volume flow canister filter for a smaller tank. Be prepared to see detritus on your plant leaves if you decide to use this item.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detritus
Hope this helps!
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If you've learnt, teach, if you have, give.
Don't walk behind me as I might not lead, don't walk in front of me as I might not follow. Walk beside me, as my friend.
Mohamad Rohaizal is my name. If it's too hard, use BFG. I don't mind.

Am I right to say that what you mean is that the detritus settles due to the slower flow?
If your filter is dirty, with or without the lily pipe you will still get detritus on your plants.
I remember reading somewhere that if the lily pipe is correctly placed, you do not need to install a surface skimmer. The vortex created by the outflow actually sucks the protein layer in to the flow and breaks it apart.
Yes. My experience with this piece of equipment on my 2026 in a 3ft tank. Before using this item, I only see detritus built up around the dead zone where no flow occured. I had my output on 1 end of the tank. After installing this item, the other end of the tank away from outlet received light water flow. After a few weeks, I could see detritus built up everywhere from the substrate to the plant leaves.
If you have a higher flow capacity canister filter than what is rated for your tank, this item might help in slowing the water flow coming out of the outlet pipe without you needing to adjust the flow valve. It create some sort of a flow that will slow down further away from the output.
Hope this helps!
![]()
If you've learnt, teach, if you have, give.
Don't walk behind me as I might not lead, don't walk in front of me as I might not follow. Walk beside me, as my friend.
Mohamad Rohaizal is my name. If it's too hard, use BFG. I don't mind.



cheetf, that's true. I've known people to use them in tanks with low surface agitation to create a small vortex to prevent a protein layer from building up on the surface of the water, by placing the top of the lily pipe a bit above the surface. I have that same protein layer problem in a smaller tank when the HOB doesn't create enough of a waterfall to cause enough disturbance at the surface. I still prefer rainbars when possible, but these attachments I suspect can still be better than a waterfall-type output when used properly.

Vincent - AQ is for everyone, but not for 'u' and 'mi'.
Why use punctuation? See what a difference it makes:A woman, without her man, is nothing.
A woman: without her, man is nothing.






Appreciates BFG effort & helpfullness here.
With Humble Regards,
MartinTing
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