# Best Co2 hose/tubing!



## GHNelson (14 Dec 2021)

I purchased a length of Dennerle Crystal Line CO2 Hose Black , in September. I thought this would be similar too the green soft flex stuff.
Nope stiff.....
Tried using it keeps  splitting on the nipple of the bubble counter.....must be old stock! 

Can anyone recommend some Co2 soft flex tubing!
Cheers


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## Konrad Michalski (14 Dec 2021)

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## GHNelson (14 Dec 2021)

Cheers
Got a link Konrad!


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## Konrad Michalski (14 Dec 2021)

GHNelson said:


> Cheers
> Got a link Konrad!



Not really. Maybe ask in Aquarium Gardens. These pipes are not the cheapest but absolutely superb quality. I’ve been using them in my tank for the last few years and they are super soft, they look good and are easy to take of the diffuser. 


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## noodlesuk (14 Dec 2021)

6OD/4mm Polyurethane, standard pneumatic hose. 






						Pneumatics | Airline | Polyethylene Tubing |
					

Bearingboys are suppliers of a huge range of Airline tubing including polyethylene tubing.  Great prices and next day delivery.




					www.bearingboys.co.uk
				




Although have heard with ADA hose you get better growth  ;o)


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## Konrad Michalski (14 Dec 2021)

noodlesuk said:


> 6OD/4mm Polyurethane, standard pneumatic hose.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You get what you pay for. People are taking the piss but majority of them never even tried their products. They are not cheap but quality is great. 


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## arcturus (14 Dec 2021)

Yes, that ADA pipe is really good if you are looking for flexible pipe. The ADA CO2 set with 2m of pipe and suction cups costs ~9 EUR. The ADA pipe only costs ~6 EUR for 2 meters. You can find the ADA CO2 pipe in several online shops based for example in Germany, Netherlands, or Belgium, but it is probably not worth it shipping to the UK due to the additional fees. You will certainly find plenty of UK shops selling ADA equipment.



noodlesuk said:


> 6OD/4mm Polyurethane, standard pneumatic hose.
> 
> Although have heard with ADA hose you get better growth  ;o)


 Yes, there are plenty of pipes perfectly suitable for high-pressure CO2 at a fraction of the cost. Most are made of polyurethane (PU), just like the ones you sent. These pipes are quite hard, will kink if you bend them too much, and often require heating to be inserted into fittings.  If you have a diffuser and need to regularly remove the CO2 pipe these features of PU can be a major nuisance. If you rarely touch the CO2 pipes during maintenance, and the limitations of PU in terms of flexibility are not creating issues with the CO2 plumbing inside the cabinet and between the CO2 equipment and the diffuser or reactor, then you can save a couple of cents and go for PU. Also note that the cheapest PU pipes are not food-grade. Food-grade PU is more expensive. If you want a flexible pipe that can be bent, will not kink, can be easily inserted into fittings, and can withstand high-pressure CO2, an option is to get a silicon pipe. These are more expensive than food-grade PU. At this point you will conclude that the ADA CO2 silicon pipe is actually not overpriced when compared to other food-grade high-pressure CO2 silicon pipes. In any case, we are talking about a microscopic investment in the overall CO2 setup.


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## John q (14 Dec 2021)

Is this what you're looking for hoggie?









						ADA Clear Parts Set (CO2 or O2)
					

ADA Parts Set (CO2 or O2) A set of accessories (suction cups, silicone tube, check valve) for the installation of glass products for CO2 or O2 distribution. Please replace check valve every year. It is recommended to replace silicone tube all together. Contains: 2x standed suction cups 1x ADA...




					www.horizonaquatics.co.uk
				












						ADA Pressure Resistant Tubing Black
					

ADA Pressure Resistant Tubing Black  It is used for the connection between CO2 Regulator and Check Valve. This tube is also good for connecting the joint parts. Do NOT connect it directly to the glass products. Use clear parts set to connect glassware...




					www.horizonaquatics.co.uk


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## GHNelson (14 Dec 2021)

Hi John
I don't think the black tubing is soft flex but the clear set probably is!
ADA do this set in grey which I would prefer.
Cheers!


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## ScareCrow (14 Dec 2021)

I've been searching for similar recently and thought I read that while silicone tuning can be used, it will allow some CO² to leak and the material will harden over time, which might be an issue depending on pressure used.


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## arcturus (14 Dec 2021)

ScareCrow said:


> I've been searching for similar recently and thought I read that while silicone tuning can be used, it will allow some CO² to leak and the material will harden over time, which might be an issue depending on pressure used.


I have some bad news: plastics and other polymers are permeable  PU is permeable and silicone is more permeable than PU. This does not mean you will have "leaks", but a tube made of polymer will let a microscopic amount of liquid or gas to escape through its walls. How much depends on the wall thickness, pressure, and other variables. Is the permeability of a tube relevant for some laboratory or medical setups? Yes. Is it relevant for the CO2 setups we have in our tanks? No. 

Regarding the deterioration of the tubing. CO2 will turn into carbonic acid in contact with water and not all plastics are able to withstand acidic environments. Other chemical reactions can also take place between whatever is flowing inside the tube and the polymer. PU or silicone tubes that are designed to transport atmospheric air at very high-pressures are often not suitable for CO2. In short, you need a tube that is designed to transport CO2. ´Food-grade CO2 silicone pipes used in the industry last many years. But if you use a random PU or silicone tube in your CO2 setup it might fail after a while because it was never designed to operate in such environment.


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## jaypeecee (14 Dec 2021)

arcturus said:


> PU is permeable and silicone is more permeable than PU.


Hi @arcturus & Everyone,

Indeed, it is possible to take advantage of silicone's CO2 permeability to make a CO2 meter using a pH electrode. I've done this but it needs some fine tuning. I started a thread some time ago here on UKAPS about this. If anyone's interested, I'll try to find it.

JPC


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## noodlesuk (15 Dec 2021)

arcturus said:


> PU or silicone tubes that are designed to transport atmospheric air at very high-pressures are often not suitable for CO2



Compatibility is listed as pretty good-






						Chemical Resistance Chart for PVC Hoses & Tubes & More
					

As a UK Manufacturer of tube and hoses for wide range of applications see how our products react to different chemicals.




					www.abbeyextrusions.com
				




Polyurethane & Carbonic Acid also seems relatively ok






						Chemical Compatibility Database from Cole-Parmer
					

Cole-Parmer provides a free, easy to use Chemical Compatability database.



					www.coleparmer.com
				




Not trying to be awkward, just want to understand your reasoning behind you being against the use of PU tubing with CO2. The Aquarium hobby seems to have many a factiod, just want to make sure no more enter the fray, either by myself or others.


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## ScareCrow (15 Dec 2021)

noodlesuk said:


> Compatibility is listed as pretty good-
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for this. It is similar to the charts I found previously but when I tried to find again last night I couldn't find any reliable resources.

I think the preference for silicone is because it's more flexible, so easier to attach to glassware.


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## GHNelson (15 Dec 2021)

Hi 
Thanks for the input guys!
Ive ordered some Co2 Art hose....then I will add a small piece of silicone for the acrylic/glass diffusers!
I didn't want to do this....as I wanted one continuous piece of soft flex hose but couldn't source grey in the ADA set, so beggars cant be choosers.
Therefore the above is probably the best solution....
I will change the silicone every few months
Cheers
hoggie


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## noodlesuk (15 Dec 2021)

As ADA also do a high pressure PU tube, are they saying that the silicone tube shouldn't be used for CO2?

ADA - CO2-Pressure Resistance Tube - 2 m - clear blue   - £2.50/m

If you look closely, it's normal SMC PU tubing, nothing special, nothing magical.

TUH0604BU-20 | SMC Air Hose Blue Polyurethane 6mm x 20m TUH Series | RS Components   - £21 for 20m, so works out £1.06/m and RS are expensive. Yes, it is economies of scale, ordering 20m bound to be cheaper, but 50% cheaper!

ADA have some clever marketing !



Konrad Michalski said:


> You get what you pay for. People are taking the piss but majority of them never even tried their products. They are not cheap but quality is great.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Indeed you do, you get the shiny ADA packaging and can tell people you have ADA, for a 50% premium on the high pressure hose ;o)

If you want 4/6mm silicone, which is what I believe the ADA stuff is

4mm I.D X 6mm O.D Clear Transulcent Silicone Hose Pipe Tubing £1.80/m

But wouldn't trust it in pressure applications.


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## Konrad Michalski (15 Dec 2021)

noodlesuk said:


> As ADA also do a high pressure PU tube, are they saying that the silicone tube shouldn't be used for CO2?
> 
> ADA - CO2-Pressure Resistance Tube - 2 m - clear blue   - £2.50/m
> 
> ...


     I’m not going to argue with you. I use ADA products and yes even boxes do look great. I use their co2 hoses, filter hoses and many other things and they are brilliant. I used other brands before and I won’t use them again. 
      You can inject your co2 with a syringe and I don’t mind if it works for you.  I don’t need to tell people what I use but if someone ask for recommendations and I’m more than happy with certain products I will recommend them. Out of your comments I can only guess you have never used their products why commenting against then? I’m 100% positive that if Hoggie buys that particular tubing he will be more than happy with it and it doesn’t matter whether he will pay 50% more or not.


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## arcturus (15 Dec 2021)

noodlesuk said:


> Not trying to be awkward, just want to understand your reasoning behind you being against the use of PU tubing with CO2. The Aquarium hobby seems to have many a factiod, just want to make sure no more enter the fray, either by myself or others.


I explained the reasoning against PU in a reply above; it was not about chemical resistance or permeability but about the usability of PU vs. silicone tubes. PU tubes are quite rigid and will kink if you bend them too much. They can also be difficult to insert and remove from fittings and CO2 diffusers. Silicone tubes have none of these issues due to being more flexible. PU tubes, especially the softer PU tubes, have plasticizers and the majority are not food grade nor approved for drinking water. Is this a requirement you consider important? Or do you simply want a cheap pipe that can transport pressurized CO2?

So, if your setup requires frequently removing the CO2 pipes for maintenance or if you need to have short bends, silicone can be a better solution than PU. Otherwise, PU is also an option. The discussion about the costs of such tubes is completely irrelevant given the initial costs and the running costs of a CO2 setup...

Finally, if I use the tables in the links you provided, then it seems select Silicone would be a better choice than PU for CO2 (left CO2 (wet), right Carbonic Acid)...


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## arcturus (15 Dec 2021)

noodlesuk said:


> Indeed you do, you get the shiny ADA packaging and can tell people you have ADA, for a 50% premium on the high pressure hose ;o)
> 
> If you want 4/6mm silicone, which is what I believe the ADA stuff is
> 
> ...



The link above does not refer the tube's operating pressure, so it would be safer to assume it is conventional silicone tubing, which is _not _designed for pressure applications. You need 4/6mm silicone pressure tubing. The non-reinforced versions withstand a pressure of at least 10 bar. These tubes are routinely used in the food industry for pressure applications.


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## John q (15 Dec 2021)

GHNelson said:


> I will change the silicone every few months



The phrase "suck it and see" springs to mind. 

I split the gas line a couple of months ago when adding a second diffuser and came up about 400mm short of the Co2 art tube, I bodged one connection from the y splitter to the diffuser with bog standard silicone airline tube. 

Everythings been fine up to now, even running at 40psi... I will swap that pipe for something more suitable one day.


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## noodlesuk (15 Dec 2021)

Konrad Michalski said:


> I’m not going to argue with you. I use ADA products and yes even boxes do look great. I use their co2 hoses, filter hoses and many other things and they are brilliant. I used other brands before and I won’t use them again.
> You can inject your co2 with a syringe and I don’t mind if it works for you.  I don’t need to tell people what I use but if someone ask for recommendations and I’m more than happy with certain products I will recommend them. Out of your comments I can only guess you have never used their products why commenting against then? I’m 100% positive that if Hoggie buys that particular tubing he will be more than happy with it and it doesn’t matter whether he will pay 50% more or not.



I'm not disputing that ADA don't make great stuff, their tanks are beautiful amazing quality. I was just suggesting that everything ADA isn't intrinsically amazing and better or equal performing products can be obtained elsewhere. I believe that people should look at the specifications of products, look past the brand. The statement "you get what you pay for" usually rings true, but not in all instances. For me it's about the specs, not the name, but each to their own.


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## Konrad Michalski (15 Dec 2021)

noodlesuk said:


> I'm not disputing that ADA don't make great stuff, their tanks are beautiful amazing quality. I was just suggesting that everything ADA isn't intrinsically amazing and better or equal performing products can be obtained elsewhere. I believe that people should look at the specifications of products, look past the brand. The statement "you get what you pay for" usually rings true, but not in all instances. For me it's about the specs, not the name, but each to their own.



Correct. And their hose must be of great specs. It looks good, it is strong, very flexible and even price ain’t that high. That’s why I recommended it. I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t try it myself and it wouldn’t be great. I did try many different tubings before and they were all rubbish comparing to this. I’m not saying that because it’s ADA. It doesn’t have any print on it and it’s in my cabinet so nobody can see it. It’s just great tubing mate that’s all. 


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