Eheim installation kits for a 1 foot cube? (more questions inside!)

[illumnae]

I just did a complete overhaul of my office 1 foot cube last week. Decided not to go with a jungle-like scape and went iwagumi instead. However, a natural side-effect of that is my green Eheim pipes look really ugly and stick out like a sore thumb now with no hardscape/stem plants to hide them.

I did consider using lily pipes (i-flo nano 10mm ones) to replace the green tubing, but as my filter is level with the tank (it's placed behind the tank), I'm not sure I will be able to fit Eheim 2211 inlet -> 12mm hose -> hose reducer -> 9mm hose -> lily pipe all within the 30cm height of the tank. The thought of the glass eventually turning as green as the eheim pipes due to algae buildup is another turn-off (office tank, not as much time and space to remove and bleach regularly)

Hence, I was considering instead Eheim installation kits. I could get 12mm hose size for both and use a step-up for the outlet instead of step-down for the inlet. There is also more free space to play with on the outlet as opposed to the inlet. The grey/black of the installation kits also blends better into the black background of the tank. Not invisible, but much more inconspicuous. My main concern is that I use the 16mm installation kits at home, and I realise that the tube size of the kit is huge! It's ok in my 4x2x2, but I'm afraid it'd look oversized and out of place in my tiny 1 foot cube.

What do you guys think?

Another alternative I can think of is to use the 13mm lily pipes and step up the outlet instead. Do you think I'll be able to fit the longer inlet of the 13mm together with my outlet valve of the filter within the prescribed 30cm tank height? How troublesome is it exactly to bleach the lily pipes and how often does it need to be done and how long does it take?

[ghim]

I am using CAL nano inflow/outflow and Eheim 2211 for my 30cm cube. Since the outlet for 2211 is 9mm, I used a 9mm-12mm convertor.

For ease of maintenance, you would need to purchase the Eheim control valves. This way, you can remove the pipes connecting the glasswares easily.

You would need hot water to remove the glassware from the pipes. And also for inserting them back to the pipes.

It is not really hard to maintain the glasswares. It takes me less than 15mins to bleach and clean them.

[Shadow]

Glass pipes are easier to clean in my opinion. Just get those thin long and flexible brush, you don't even need to bleach. Probably due to the glass smooth surface.

[k3nlim]

The installation kits are quite big i must say as i'm using them right now. It will be better if you're using the glassware since you are going iwagumi

[illumnae]

Thanks ghim! One thing I noticed about the ANS 13mm ones is that the U shape bend is very wide (2 inches). Since the sucker is on the outside, that would mean that the inlet tube sticks out from the wall by 2 inches and the outlet is 6 inches from tip to side of glass (ie 1/2 the length of the tank!) Is that a problem with the CAL one?

edit: 2 posts while i was posting! Thanks for the feedback guys...I guess I will drop by keong seong today to see if they have stock of the 13mm ones. I think the 10mm one, though better for the tank itself, is not so good for the inlet area

[illumnae]

another question. With the Eheim control valves, won't it make the length so long that the inlet would be a problem? I am placing my 2211 behind the tank on the same tabletop and not under the tank

[ghim]

Actually, Eheim canister filters need a certain height difference to work efficiently. Having it same height as the tank, will stress the filter.

If you have no choice, then can skip the control valves. But cleaning the glasswares also mean carrying the whole canister to the washing area.

BTW, have you consider which nano inflow/outflow? CAL nano is the only one which can be used for my tank with 8mm thickness. ADA and DO!Aqua nano inflow/outflow are only suitable for 4/5mm respectively.

[illumnae]

As a matter of personal preference, I will not buy ADA stuff if there's another available option. My other option was i-flo nano 10mm ones, with the adaptor at the inlet area instead of the outlet area. The upside to that is that the 10mm pipes are smaller than the CAL ones, but the downside is that inlet area will be very squeezy

Another option is to spend alot less to buy a Boyu EF-05 canister filter, throw away the canister body and use the black coloured 9mm pipes

[ghim]

Hmm. For you case, I would go for Boyu. As it works at level with the tank.

I don't go for ADA's inflow/outflow too. The thought of the 2 glasswares cost more than everything else add together, is taunting.

I-flo, CAL and Do!Aqua are more affordable. Maintenance is more of a monthly affair. I use the outflow to reduce the flowrate.

[illumnae]

You mean use the boyu filter? I'm sticking with the Eheim 2211. It's been working well level with the tank for about half a year already I was thinking of just using the Boyu black pipes as a cheaper alternative to glassware

[illumnae]

Hmm ok I did some measurement. According to Ebay, the 10mm i-flo nano inlet is 11cm from the bottom of the inlet pipe to the tip of the arc (http://cgi.ebay.com/Aquarium-Inflow-...3286.m20.l1116). Given the diameter of the entire thing should be ~1.5cm, and that the arc would probably not be touching the rim of the tank but sit very slightly higher, the distance from tank rim to bottom of inlet pipe should be 9cm or so.

I've measured the inlet portion of the Eheim 2211, and it's about 8cm from the desk to the end of the hard piping. Hence, I will have 13cm to play around with for the 12mm hose -> converter -> 9mm hose. This excludes the portion of the hose that will interlock with the lily pipe and filter hard piping (if we include it, it's probably close to 20cm?).

Do you think my reasoning on the distance is correct, and if so, I have enough space to use the i-flo nano set?

[ghim]

I thought you wanted to use the Boyu.

You should have enough space. Can use the "L" bender, to make the piping neater.

For me, my 2211 is placed at the back of my tank, below the coffee table(which the tanks are placed). So the distance from my 2211 to my tank is also very near.

[illumnae]

Haha I have bad experience with the Boyu in that same tank. Tried Boyu, Eden 501, Hydor Prime 10 before finally settling on the 2211.

L bender? wouldn't that add more length to the already short space?

[ghim]

It is for your outflow. If you put 2211 next to your tank, the outflow and the outflow lily pipe will be almost the same height. You may want to use 2 "L" bender to create a "U" shape for the hose. If not your lily pipe may end up facing downwards.

[illumnae]

The 2211 came with a green hard plastic "hose bender" thing that can be used to "guide" the hose into a U-shape. If I use the i-flo pipes (10mm), I will use the hose bender as it's using the same 9/12 hose. If I use the CAL pipes (13mm), I will use the hose bender and 1 L connector (if a 9-12mm L bender + connector is available)

[illumnae]

I was at C328 last night. They don't carry the 9 to 12mm adaptor Auntie tried to place an order with her supplier but I will only know on Wed whether or not she can get it.

[ghim]

NA has it, I just got it from them.

[illumnae]

Yup I went down to NA last night and got a huge blue one...bigger than expected, and I can't fit the 9mm hose all the way into the middle (I could only push it slightly past the 2nd notch), but beggars can't be choosers.

But now that I got the converter....Midori/NA are out of stock for the CAL lily pipes and Keong Seong/Mizuworld are out of stock for the i-flo...sigh!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aquarium-Inflo...|39:1|240:1318

does this look worth buying?

[ghim]

That's the issue of lily pipes supply in Singapore. I waited more than 1 month before I got my nano lily pipes.

The one looks like I-flow.

[illumnae]

now to decide between waiting indefinitely for a CAL nano lily pipe, or just order the i-flo one for a low price

edit: issues of quality of CAL vs i-flo aside, would it be better for me to step down the inlet to use the i-flo, or step up the outlet to use CAL? I can see arguments on both sides. On one hand, it's usually advised not to restrict the flow on the inlet, which reducing the hose size would in effect do. On the other hand, increasing outlet hose size would result in a drop in velocity. This drop in velocity might result in there (i) not being enough flow in the tank; and (ii) not being enough power to create the vortex that lily pipes are known for.

dilemma dilemma! Anyone can help? Even some comparison on quality between CAL and i-flo would help tons