# replacing eheim ugly green tubing



## AeonzMike (Dec 9, 2010)

Hi, I ordered a 2215 eheim classic but after seeing some pics of the green intake/spraybar I decided there is no way this is going to blend in with my black background. I have found a replacement part but I think the price is ridiculous: 
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/Fish_Plumbin ... tc=default
36$ for a plastic tube.. wow.. I dont mind paying for quality but this is just a rippoff..

So my question is.. is it possible to retrofit another intake and outlet with the eheim tubing without any adverse effects ?

Would the fluval fx5 tubing fit? It's pretty cheap and looks ok. From what i've red so far eheim uses 12/16mm tubing. I want black or at least dark gray/clear tubing. I have seen people talking about krylon fusion paint but i'd rather stay away from that.


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## ridley25 (Jan 5, 2008)

I am using very rough maths here, so you would want to take some of the parts to a hardware store with you to verify fit:

12/16mm likely refers to the Inside Diameter (ID) and Outside Diameter (OD) of the tubing.

Converting to Imperial since most tubing is measured this way (when can we kill this ridiculous system?) yields roughly 1/2" ID 5/8" OD.

So now you try to find tubing in a colour you like with these measurements. If you can find it, it should be less than ten bucks.

I feel your pain, the Eheim tubing is an eyesore. Very recognizable, but kind of like a Pontiac Aztec is recognizable. 

kevin


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Why not just paint it black using Krylon Fusion spray paint for plastic? I've used it on PVC pipe for my sponge filter setup and it works great, blends in very well.


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## AeonzMike (Dec 9, 2010)

ridley25 said:


> I feel your pain, the Eheim tubing is an eyesore. Very recognizable, but kind of like a Pontiac Aztec is recognizable.


haha! exactly.. I think you are right, I will take some parts to the hardware store once i get the filter...altho i kinda wanted to retrofit the intake from another filter (like the fx5 or 405) and use them with eheim tubing. I just dont want to order those parts before i'm 100% sure they will fit.



Deeda said:


> Why not just paint it black using Krylon Fusion spray paint for plastic?


I almost decided to go that route but I made some research first and I stumbled upon a letter some krylon rep wrote back to a guy wanting to try it :

*"Thank you for taking the time to contact Krylon. Unfortunately, we don't recommend any of our products for immersion. We also have not tested the effects on fish when our product is immersed in water.

I'm sorry I couldn't help.

Sincerely,
Greg
Krylon Product Support"*

Altho they dont say its dangerous or toxic.. they never tested it for that purpose. I am VERY paranoyed when it comes to my fish so i'd rather retrofit a black intake instead of use paint


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

Ask the guys at the hardware store if the pipes are aquarium safe. More likely than not, they'll give the same answer as the Krylon dude. That's why Eheim can get away with charging a mint for their green tubing - it's been tested and guaranteed to be aquarium safe!

In my personal opinion both Krylon paint and any retrofitted PVC tubing is just as safe - it just won't say so on the package. So when little Billy dumps his goldfish into an uncycled tank, his dad can sue neither Krylon nor Lowes for poisoning Goldie. :wink:

The same principle applies to Color Quartz, Spectra Quartz, pool filter sand, rocks from the landscaping supply store, GE Silicone, and so on, and so on.

Best of luck!


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Agreed. I have both my AC70 intake and Rena XP2 intakes painted black.
No problems so far 3-4 months later.


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## AeonzMike (Dec 9, 2010)

Thx for the input guys... I thought I ordered a 2215 but I will receive a 2217! I ordered from big al's.. My filtration is gonna be overkill with the fluval 404 I already have on there

Now for the fugly green issue: I went to my LFS and played around with various parts he has there.. I found a solution for my problem ! The 2217 tubing is 16/22mm (inside/outside) and it fits perfectly with the fluval 405 parts! I will also replace my 404 intake and outlet with the 405 parts to get a sexy look on the tank's visible gear 

---here are the parts I bought (fits perfectly well with eheim 16/22mm tubing) in case anyone has the same problem---

*Rubber connectors: *
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/Fish_Plumbin ... tc=default

*Intake tube: *
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/Fish_Plumbin ... tc=default

*Intake strainer:*
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/Fish_Plumbin ... tc=default

*Elbow connector:*
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/Fish_Plumbin ... tc=default

*Output Nozzle:*
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/Fish_Plumbin ... tc=default


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## m1aman (Jan 3, 2011)

That is useful information. Thanks.


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## BooyahBlake (Feb 13, 2017)

AeonzMike said:


> Thx for the input guys... I thought I ordered a 2215 but I will receive a 2217! I ordered from big al's.. My filtration is gonna be overkill with the fluval 404 I already have on there
> 
> Now for the fugly green issue: I went to my LFS and played around with various parts he has there.. I found a solution for my problem ! The 2217 tubing is 16/22mm (inside/outside) and it fits perfectly with the fluval 405 parts! I will also replace my 404 intake and outlet with the 405 parts to get a sexy look on the tank's visible gear
> 
> ...


dangit none of those links work


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