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.
www.horizonaquatics.co.uk
www.horizonaquatics.co.uk
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.
Hi @arcturus & Everyone,
www.abbeyextrusions.com
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.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.
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.
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.
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?
