Soon I plan to plumb a new tank with some PVP pipe to get to the Fluval. Is there any issue with the purple glue made for PVC?

Also I plan to use some RIT dye to make them black as I can't stand white pipes showing in the tank.

Any warnings or ideas from all you experienced gurus out there is appreciated. Thanks.

i have used the purple pvc prep stuff with pvc glue with no problems on my tanks... but i would wait 24hr and or run water through them till you can no longer smell the fumes and or both i have done it both ways and seams to work.... the pvc glue is port-a-water (drinking water) safe so there will be no fish problems

the rit dye not a clue let me know though i have the white my self but krylon fusion the one for plastics i have heard that its fish safe

May I suggest using Flexible PEX pipe. Drinking water safe and does not require glue. Google it. I have used this type of pipe for all my DIY tank projects and found that it comes in many colors including black. The fittings are easy to use and you don't ever have to worry about your fish. Oh, and the cost is super cheap and you'll save a ton of time with your setup. Just a thought.

Oh! Almost forgot. It comes in many different sizes to fit your needs.

Thanks for the info guys. I was planning on some flexible hose on the filter side. Looks like a 5/8" hose will snug on my Fluval input tight so I will just get an adapter for the PVC.

Get the black vinyl tubing you won't regret it its thicker walled and no wont gunk up and look nasty like the clear stuff does
a place for pet has some sold by the foot and I have found it at ace hardware as well

I think a thicker tubing would break the hose lock on the fluval side.. I tried with a scrap of 5/8 clear and it was very tight.

use HOT HOTwater to warm up the tubing and it will be very easy to work with... if you have a bev button on your micro fill a coffee cup 1/2 -3/4 full and nuke it then dip the end of the hose in for about 30 or so seconds and it will be very malleable it will slip right over the fluval barb and then as it cools it will make a tight fit but i would still use hose clamps though hope it helps this is how i put all my tubing on any barbs i have

Well... I found out that CPVC does not accept the RIT dyd like the cold PVC did. Glad not to have a glaring white pipe flowing into my other tank. I did not like the spotty gray CPVC so I used the spray paint made for plastic furniture. Hard to see in the picture below but it came out jet black like I wanted.


All complete and 2 bad leaky glue spots fixed I will say that I will never hard pipe the whole thing again. My inlet and outlet on the tank are a little crooked and any pressure to bend the pipe and straighten them will make my fluval leak. I may still cut part of the hard pipe out and replace with something more flexible. I'm sure I spent more on this little project than if I just bought new Fluval brand pipes, but I like how they look.

The straight gray pieces in the picture is the PEX brand pipe which does bend, but it would work better with something with a little more give to take the top off of the Fluval for maintence.

good to know i might have to try dyeing some myself.... i don't know how you did the very bottom part but i would of left about a foot and vinyl tubed that last foot.... im trying to find a pict i had of someone that hooked up a fluval 450 to 150 that was hard plumed (they hard plumbed it to a T and then barbed it with vinyl tubing to the fluval barbs)... ill keep looking to see if i can find it to help u out some

I will get some better pics. It is a mess of 90 deg pieces on the fluval as I had to lower the pipe down to get it out the back of the tank stand.

wow sound like a choir... found the pict but its on my other computer im working on getting it posted

Here is the angles of fun. Laying on my back reaching to the wall to glue the last few pieces & fix a few leaks felt awesome on my neck. I worry that I will come out in the morning sometime and see 75 gallons all over my wood floor.

at the 90 at the wall i would of run the vinyl from there to the barbs on the fluval and then hose clamped the tubing then no worries im working on that pict lol had the computer on and been distracted lol

finally got it lol sorry for the long delay forgot to save the other part but the vniyil hose goes to the inlet of a magnum 350 and fluval 450 both inlets and out lets (one of the two pvc pipes is the intake and other the outlet

Um, with all those 90's your losing a whole lot of flow..... 2 45's is a whole lot better than 1 90 when it comes to water flow. Your putting unnecessary strain on that canister........

I would have to see the big picture to appreciate your efferts. From what I do see is alot of work with a pipe that would not sit well with my wife knowing it was "bending" to fit. 75 gallons on the hardwood would be the death of me.