Collection: Airline Tubing & Accessories

Soft line and rigid line

Soft airline handles almost every job and is bought either as a short pre-cut length for one tank or on a roll when a whole rack has to be plumbed. Silicone versions stay pliable and cope better with tight turns behind stands. Rigid line in two diameters is the answer where tubing has to stay put rather than curl - dropping straight down a corner, or feeding into a sump without lifting.

Splitting and adjusting air

• A single control valve dials back the air reaching one outlet.
• Gang valves take one pump feed and divide it between two and five lines.
• Check valves prevent water tracking back toward the pump when it shuts off.
• T pieces make a permanent branch with nothing to adjust.

Neat installation

Line clips and a magnetic holder keep tubing pinned to the glass instead of wandering across the display or tugging a stone out of place. A square cut on the tube end seats better on a barb, and pushing the tube fully onto the fitting before touching a valve avoids leaks that look like pump problems.

Aquarium airline is largely standardized in bore, so tubing, valves and stones usually swap freely. Bigger pumps and rigid line are where that stops being true, and those outlets are worth measuring before ordering fittings.