return line for sump...need help

[dropped]

hello everyone.

i'm in the process of setting up a 20g sump but i've run into space issues. Does the return pump have to be run with PVC? i would like to use some flexible tubing from my mag9.5 into an scwd and then the tank. will flexible tubing be okay?

thanks.

 

[fishfreek]

Flex tubing will be fine. Im guessing yoru talking about the clear plastic type stuff.

 

[dropped]

thanks for your reply fishfreek. i don't really have anything in mind as of yet. i just need the flexibility of the hose instead of hard plastic. what type do you recommend for a return?

 

[GTfish]

Home depot sells clear, flexible polyethylene tubing for cheap- it'll look something like this: http://www.bio-world.com/MoreInfo.asp?ItemCode=475993 Most LDPE (Low Density PolyEthylene) doesn't have plasticizer in it, and will work great in saltwater. Just pump saltwater through the tubing youre going to use in a bucket first, and check to make sure the tubing doesnt show discoloration or stiffness. Any nasty coatings or unreacted monomer should leach out into the bucket and not your tank. If youre paranoid, look for tubing that says "non-toxic, plasticizer free", and "NSF/FDA approved". No guarantees, but even PVC isn't completely inert in saltwater, so I dunno if I'd worry.

 

[dropped]

thanks GTfish!

 

[kidkameleon3]

if it was I , which it may be in a few days or so, I'd go with the clear stuff it is far more flexable and I am sure both with hold saltwater