Well in trying to remove the pipe from the feeder tank with a spanner I put too much force on the nut which instead of coming undone rotated the pipe and tore it to pieces. I know I should have used two spanners but I couldn't see that the fitting to the tank had a nut on it where I could locate a spanner and oppose the force on the nut I was trying to undo because it was covered in gunk. Oh well I was going to replace the pipe anyway, and it does seem half full of crud.
Undoing this nut to the feeder tank is a Herculean task, more spanners and mole grips and pipe grips to be deployed I think.