Great solution!When I made up an external water vacuum I used silicone tubing and had the same "kinking" problem. I used this cable management plastic coil wire wrap around the tubing to help alleviate the sharp bends.
Just a thought, maybe it could help you out.
do you have a pic of the stand?
I bought a used acrylic sump. After a month or so, it started to leak. What I found out was the guy pulled a fast one and sealed it with silicone just to sell it. The silicone had came loose and I was able to remove it with no effort. I understand you are doing it for cosmetic, but I have a feeling over time it will come loose and look bad.
maybe some type of epoxy that you can add color and shape it like silicone. I think your best bet is buying a colored acrylic sheet maybe 1/2" thick. Cut it at a 45 then glue it at the seams. Not only does it look good, but added strength. This should be easy for someone your skill. You can order colored acrylic at eplastics.com
You got a beautiful setup with very nice sump. Black flexible tubing? IMO, doesn't look right with what you got. I personally would stick with colored pvc. If you're trying to avoid elbows and 45's, maybe try your hand had heating pvc and bending it. It will look aesthetically better. Also, you don't have to order colored pvc from BRS. Your orange box store caries it as well.So I have been redesigning my flex tubing to avoid kinking, and to make things more manageable and less likely to individually kink, I designed and printed these tube retainers. It forces the tube walls to keep shape and not crush. As a result it also makes it harder to bend, I haven't decided if that is good or bad yet, but I may have to adjust the spacing or add more retainers to give the tube enough structure.
