Iceturf Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 I see some brands of Lily pipes advertising being made out of Borosilicate Glass, but I have a hard time thinking that anything but chemistry grade glass would be tough enough....? So wouldn't they all be made out of this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckmullin Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 I'd suggest not to waste time on such a thing those setups are overpriced, imo. Grab an inline diffuser or do something what I do. I use wooden blocks to have a very very fine bubble! My plants are like weeds with this setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pteronarcys Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 What.. how can a glass tube costing $400 bucks be over priced? or for that matter an ADA pair of scissors for $90. Sounds as reasonable as the prices for a sandwich at an airport terminal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekbottom Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 (edited) If they make them out of really tough glass, that means you have less chance of breaking them. Which means you only buy one set... not so good for profit lol. I haven't tried because I no longer require a lily pipe, but making them out of acrylic would be WAY cheaper and doesn't seem that hard. Edited August 6, 2014 by creekbottom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceturf Posted August 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 (edited) I was thinking about buying a knockoff set on ebay for 20-30 dollars. There is a knockoff company that says theirs is made from that tough glass, costing roughly 25$ (shipping included). I'm questioning if there are any differences between different sources, considering most of them (AdA included) don't specify the material quality. Otherwise I would go with an Acrylic set. I hadn't previously considered lily pipes, but I cant actually think of a better way of getting water exchange for my 3 gal rimless. Short of that, I'm drilling my little tiny tank instead. Edited August 6, 2014 by Iceturf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blink Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 Lily pipes aren't necessary but dang they look good. I've seen and handled the eBay knockoffs and the ADA, I couldn't tell the difference aside from the package. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckmullin Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 What.. how can a glass tube costing $400 bucks be over priced? or for that matter an ADA pair of scissors for $90. Sounds as reasonable as the prices for a sandwich at an airport terminal BIG TIME!!! :P Why I hate those Pisces 'plant seminars' ...more like a seminar to remove greenbacks from your wallet for ADA products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meeiu Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 (edited) To be on a more neutral stance, regular ebay lily pipes has worked fine for me over the past few years. $20 for both the inflow and outflow have lasted me 2+ years. I don't find the glass to be thin and find them quite sturdy. If money was not a problem, the branded ones would be what I would get....but money isn't popping off my tree yet... I can vouch that normal ebay ones function the same as the branded ones. So go whichever way your wallet takes you. For the ebay ones, you don't get bragging rights nor do you get the fancy labels on them :cry: But if you are just looking for lily pipes that provide the basic function of flowing water through them, ebay ones will be suffice. Edited August 6, 2014 by meeiu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceturf Posted August 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 (edited) Do you remember who you bought them off of on ebay? I would probably prefer to go a tried and true seller. Also, cleaning....? Edited August 6, 2014 by Iceturf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iceturf Posted October 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2014 (edited) I ended up picking up a set of lily's, 10mm ID 13mm OD roughly for 23$, made of lab grade borosilicate (maybe that is what they are all made from, tried asking AquaMagic manufacturer, never heard back). Roughly 1.5mm thick glass for the stock. I was fairly impressed with the set overall, particularly the large number of inlet slots of a very narrow width. The fry in my Endler tank has tripled in survival rate since I've switched. The vinyl pipe for connection (1/2"?) ended up getting very dirty but the lily's themselves are still crystal clear. I don't think I could ever justify paying more than what I paid, considering for anyone who has ever worked or taken University Chem Courses, you well know that lab glass is very durable and very shape-able - and considering how much Borosilicate test tubes are, 23$ is actually about right for a mass produced item. I don't think personally the extra .5mm from aqua magic (?) brand or more prestigious brands is necessarily worth it. Typical pipettes in the lab employ much thinner glass thicknesses and don't have breakage problems. Handling my 1.5mm thick lily pipes, they feel a lot sturdier than I was expecting and the vinyl pipe seems a reasonable 'tightness'. So far so good, but if they break mysteriously I will mention it for reference to anyone who might consider purchasing in the future. Edited October 22, 2014 by Iceturf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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