Airline tubing from eBay?

I ordered airline tubing from eBay from a Chinese seller. It came in the mail today. And it seems awful soft, is a bit cloudy looking, and smells like chemicals. Online it says it's safe for aquarium use, but my nose tells me otherwise. Does anyone have experience with funky-smelling tubing and it being ok in the tank?

Thanks

 

No, I'm sorry. That's pretty readily available in most places. Doesn't your LFS have it?

 

I have no idea of whether it is safe or not, but I do know that aquarium tubing is not that expensive, so I would likely buy some stuff that I trust, rather than have a continuous worry. Peace of mind should be worth at least a couple of bucks, and perhaps you can sell the e-bay stuff to a hypochondriac by proxy---rick

 

Yes they sell it at my LFS, but I was lazy that day and didn't want to drive the 30 minutes one way to get it. I've been there a million times since. I'll just pick up some trustworthy stuff tomorrow when I go to town haha. It was one of those late-night purchases that just seem to make sense...

 

Vinyl tubing is aquarium safe. They should have tons of it at your local hardware store in various sizes, and the ones you want will be marked as safe for drinking water.

 

I think what you got may be silicone tubing as opposed to the normal non-silicone version. Silicone tubing is actually better as it won't get hard over time or break down when exposed to light over time. I would run some water through the tubing for a little bit, then maybe let is soak in a large bowl if you were really worried about. I doubt it would have an adverse reaction with any of you fish.

 

I think what you got may be silicone tubing as opposed to the normal non-silicone version. Silicone tubing is actually better as it won't get hard over time or break down when exposed to light over time. I would run some water through the tubing for a little bit, then maybe let is soak in a large bowl if you were really worried about. I doubt it would have an adverse reaction with any of you fish.

yep, it's silicone tubing most likely. It does smell funny but won't harm anything. It's cloudy because it can't be made clear. It's more flexible, it's a type of rubber, than regular tubing. Some people prefer it.

 

......I've never smelled my airline tubing.

 

silicone tubing is food safe, so should be fine with your aquarium. Pretty neat that you can get it in different colors. Might make the regular aquarium set up more interesting, LOL


edit: LOL Lucy.

 

......I've never smelled my airline tubing.

LOL! When I opened the bag I got a good whiff of it- that's what led me to smelling it.

Thanks everyone! I feel a lot better about it now, lol. I'll let it soak in a bowl before I do anything with it.

 

Hi, I agree with the above, it is likely silicone tubing - maybe you can confirm with the place you ordered it from (what did their site say?)

Too - check if it was CO2 tubing or normal air tubing. Not that there's a lot of difference, but CO2 tubing is more 'secure' in that the gas doesn't escape the tubing.

 

This is a link to the product:

It also came in a plain plastic bag, so it didn't really give me much information. It looks like they have a giant roll of it and they just cut off the required amount they need/advertise and send it.