Homemade Cylnders - Blow Torch instead of PlastiDip

I am going to be moving on to a commercial cylinder but before I do I wanted to post this tidbit to help people who either still use homemade cylinders or who want to make their own to try it out before moving up to a commercial one.

Instead of using plastidip on the base of your aquarium cleaner tube, use a blow torch!

Keep in mind that heat rises so if you put the flame in the opening of the tube, the top portion of the tube is what will get hot and pliable.

Flare the edges out and it is VERY comfortable, WAY more comfortable than plastidip. I have a feeling it will be comparable to a commercial tube when I finally get one.

Attached is a picture of my flared ends.

If you don’t have a blow torch I bet you could use a barbecue lighter or even a normal lighter in a pinch.

I think I’ll be using this method since Plastidip is expensive.

I tried this today, I think it turned out pretty well, was cheap if nothing else. Going to try water pumping with this, LUV method, 1/2” under max BPEL, 10 minutes to start.

This is an aquarium gravel vacuum kit, ~$20 at PetSmart. I used a handheld garden spade to flare it with, and switched to a wine bottle halfway through. Would have been cleaner, but I was obsessed with turning the flare completely in a you-shape, which apparently isn’t possible at these low heat levels or without cutting. I didn’t want to set the thing on fire, as I had only bought one, so I kept the edge about an inch away from the tip of the flame. The flame was kept as small as possible also, maybe an inch total. The plastic stays pliable for some time after heat is removed, much to my surprise. Very little heat is needed. When you see the plastic get cloudy you’ll know it’s pliable. I made the flare and dipped it in some cold water to cement it, and the plastic turned clear again. We’ll see how this works. I imagine if it sucks, this flare can be easily plastidipped with great results.

Just mix up some salt water in bowl about 2 inches deep and put it in the microwave till it boils. Take it out and stand your gravel tube up in it. Let it sit for a couple minutes and then take it out, stand it up on the counter top and press down. The bottom will flare out the same way and stay like that. The only problem is there will be a compression ring near the base like in the picture. This doesn’t cause any problems with the tube in my experience. You maybe able to use something to bend the edge outward without causing rough edges. Otherwise if you press down on it, it will doughnut toward the bottom.