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Steel Lily Pipes Advice

Courtneybst

Courtneybst

Committee Member
UKAPS Team
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Does anyone have any experience with Blau steel lily pipes sold on Aquarium Gardens?
is.gd

Blau Steel Lily Pipe with Surface Skimmer Inflow and Outflow 12mm

Stainless steel aquarium inflow and outflow pipe with built in water surface skimmer to remove surface oil/scum residue. For 12/16mm tubing. Package
is.gd is.gd

I wanted to get some but I can't see what grade they are. Apparently 316 grade is best and will last longest, whereas 304 will corrode more quickly.

I've never used them so I don't know. Any advice and/or alternatives would be appreciated.


Expert at nothing, dab hand at many.
 
316 is medical grade and used in saltwater applications amoungst other uses as it doesn’t corrode. 304 can corrode but shouldn’t do in an aquarium, 304 is used for kitchenware for example, take a look at what’s in your kitchen and see how rusty you spoons and pans are. Chances are they won’t be rusty at all.


I wouldn’t worry. 304 is suitable but 316 is better. 304 is a bit cheaper and easier to work with, that’s probably why it’s used as a lily pipe.

I’m making my own inlet and outlet pipes from 316
 
I don’t know what make mine are but they look very similar to your picture. I’ve had no problems at all on my freshwater Nano.
My set was £33 on eBay and came from Ireland I think?
 
Dogtemple said:
316 is medical grade and used in saltwater applications amoungst other uses as it doesn’t corrode. 304 can corrode but shouldn’t do in an aquarium, 304 is used for kitchenware for example, take a look at what’s in your kitchen and see how rusty you spoons and pans are. Chances are they won’t be rusty at all.


I wouldn’t worry. 304 is suitable but 316 is better. 304 is a bit cheaper and easier to work with, that’s probably why it’s used as a lily pipe.

I’m making my own inlet and outlet pipes from 316
Click to expand...

Oh great stuff, that puts my mind at ease!

Thanks


Expert at nothing, dab hand at many.
 
MMonis said:
@Courtneybst Did you buy these and how is the experience so far ? I am also lookingo into getting steel lily pipes.
Click to expand...
Hey, I didn't get these ones in particular but I got one from Amazon which is virtually identical except the cap on the intake is plastic instead of metal. I think it's called JARDLI

Positives:
  • Looks way better than plastic
  • Easier to clean and dirt is less visible
  • Robust, so very little chance of breaking
  • Surface skimmer works well (only with a strong enough filter. It works on my Eheim 2217 but not my 2213.
  • Output can be rotated 360 degrees rather than being fixed

Negatives:
  • You have to get the perfect amount of air under the skimmer rim to get it to sit at the right level, which needs to be reset whenever the filter is stopped or you do a water change. Too much air and it will only skim a little, too little air and it sinks, potentially sucking in anything that comes by. You get the hang of it quickly though.
  • I don't have a rimless tank so I can't use the mounting brackets. As a result I have to tape the hoses to a fixed position on the wall so the pipes are straight and not wonky.
  • I wish the inlet pipe was much longer or at least had an extension. The pipes sit about halfway down my tank so there's not much opportunity to take in debris from the substrate. But alas, I knew this before I bought it. Would have been nice though.
  • There's hardly any choice in terms of outlet design so you're stuck with the plain jet. I did buy some acrylic lily pipe adapters but I found they actually impeded the flow which is the opposite of what I was trying to achieve.
 
Thanks for the inputs @Courtneybst 🙂

I was thinking to go with the inlet without the skimmer part as there seems to be many variables to get the skimmer to work perfectly. I might just buy an addition skimmer device instead of the inlet skimmer.
Regarding the outflow I was thinking the jet type flow maybe too concentrated and may not provide a good circulation and gaseous exchange. So I was also thinking to attach the lily adapter to the outflow.
But after reading your review now I am confused how to manage good circulation with the outflow.

Will using just the jet outflow be good enough for circulation or do you have any additional equipment that manages this in your tank ?
 
MMonis said:
Thanks for the inputs @Courtneybst 🙂

I was thinking to go with the inlet without the skimmer part as there seems to be many variables to get the skimmer to work perfectly. I might just buy an addition skimmer device instead of the inlet skimmer.
Regarding the outflow I was thinking the jet type flow maybe too concentrated and may not provide a good circulation and gaseous exchange. So I was also thinking to attach the lily adapter to the outflow.
But after reading your review now I am confused how to manage good circulation with the outflow.

Will using just the jet outflow be good enough for circulation or do you have any additional equipment that manages this in your tank ?
Click to expand...

Yeah I actually have a good standalone surface skimmer but I just wanted one less thing in the tank (aesthetics and electricity).

The jet does still provide decent flow but I've got 2 powerheads to help with that. It wouldn't be enough without them but that's not because of the pipes, that's down to the power of the filter. If I had a stronger filter I could probably get away with not needing the powerhead.
 
MMonis said:
Thanks for the inputs @Courtneybst 🙂

I was thinking to go with the inlet without the skimmer part as there seems to be many variables to get the skimmer to work perfectly. I might just buy an addition skimmer device instead of the inlet skimmer.
Regarding the outflow I was thinking the jet type flow maybe too concentrated and may not provide a good circulation and gaseous exchange. So I was also thinking to attach the lily adapter to the outflow.
But after reading your review now I am confused how to manage good circulation with the outflow.

Will using just the jet outflow be good enough for circulation or do you have any additional equipment that manages this in your tank ?
Click to expand...

In terms of gaseous exchange, I definitely need the powerheads as I can't raise the pipes. If your tank is rimless it'll be much easier.
 
Courtneybst said:
Yeah I actually have a good standalone surface skimmer but I just wanted one less thing in the tank (aesthetics and electricity).

The jet does still provide decent flow but I've got 2 powerheads to help with that. It wouldn't be enough without them but that's not because of the pipes, that's down to the power of the filter. If I had a stronger filter I could probably get away with not needing the powerhead.
Click to expand...
I have a Fluval 106 for a 54 litre tank. I dont think I can rely on this filter with the jet type outflow to provide a good circulation. Will need to get a surface skimmer I guess, although I don't like adding additional equipment 🙁
 
One thing I’ve noticed with stainless steel pipes is that as they block the light completely you don’t seem to get algae or other stuff growing in them like the plastic ones. Mine just get a quick wipe outside now and again.
 
Although this is an old thread, I thought to just add to this instead of creating a new one.
At the moment I am using a custom spray bar with an Oase biomaster thermo 250 external filter for a 60 cm x 30 cm x 30cm (54 litres) aquarium.
img_20210907_215532-jpg.174277

I feel the flow coming out of the spray bar is a bit too rigourous as the stem plants at the back are pushed forward causing them to lean towards the front glass instead of appearing erect. This kind of kills the look of my aquascape.
I was thinking of the following solutions :
1. Replace the spray bar with a steel lily pipe set, outputting from the right side glass
2. Reduce the velocity of the spray bar by either making wider holes or reducing the flow on the filter
3. Remove the spray bar from the back and instead put a smaller spray bar to the right side glass.

If I switch to a steel lily pipe which generally has a jet flow, would this be enough to provide good water circulation throughout the tank based on my tank dimensions above ?
 
Last edited:
I’m running a 350 on a 60L with steel pipes and I haven’t experienced any problems. I have a couple of trays of loaded with foam, a couple of bio media and a bag of carbon.
 
Dogtemple said:
316 is medical grade and used in saltwater applications amoungst other uses as it doesn’t corrode. 304 can corrode but shouldn’t do in an aquarium, 304 is used for kitchenware for example, take a look at what’s in your kitchen and see how rusty you spoons and pans are. Chances are they won’t be rusty at all.


I wouldn’t worry. 304 is suitable but 316 is better. 304 is a bit cheaper and easier to work with, that’s probably why it’s used as a lily pipe.

I’m making my own inlet and outlet pipes from 316
Click to expand...
I'm really interested in how you are doing this. Got any details?
 
MMonis said:
Although this is an old thread, I thought to just add to this instead of creating a new one.
At the moment I am using a custom spray bar with an Oase biomaster thermo 250 external filter for a 60 cm x 30 cm x 30cm (54 litres) aquarium.
img_20210907_215532-jpg.174277

I feel the flow coming out of the spray bar is a bit too rigourous as the stem plants at the back are pushed forward causing them to lean towards the front glass instead of appearing erect. This kind of kills the look of my aquascape.
I was thinking of the following solutions :
1. Replace the spray bar with a steel lily pipe set, outputting from the right side glass
2. Reduce the velocity of the spray bar by either making wider holes or reducing the flow on the filter
3. Remove the spray bar from the back and instead put a smaller spray bar to the right side glass.

If I switch to a steel lily pipe which generally has a jet flow, would this be enough to provide good water circulation throughout the tank based on my tank dimensions above ?
Click to expand...
Maybe make some more holes as you said or reduce the flow slightly. You can do this by pulling the right handle underneath where the pipe cap sit (the one you would pull to open up the filter). The plants look happy!
 
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