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Credit where credit is due, this project is partially inspired by Paul b and his invention.
>You can view it here<
So, thank you Paul.
Update: I will leave the pictures for the first edition up, but there is a second version below that is much better. The old pictures will only be in the Attatched Thimbnails.
Now, on with the show...
The idea was to add a way to allow live food to be slowly introduced into the tank. Since Mandarins are slow eaters it would be a very good way to feed them.
I won't get into too much, i'll just tell you how it works..
The first part is a feeding tray that can be permanently left in the tank. It has a tube going into the tray and a screen over the tray to allow the mandarins to sit on top and eat the food as it comes through the screen. The tube going into the tray goes up and to the top of the tank where there is a disconnect coupling.
The second part is a bottle that is filled with BBS or other live foods. It has a threaded cap with an O-ring seal. Then a shutoff valve lid is screwed on and shut so you can turn the bottle over. The assembly is then attached to the disconnect coupling on the tank.
Third there is an air valve on the bottom of the bottle, that once inverted and placed on the tank is now the top. The valve is attatched to a tube that goes all the way down into the bottle..
How it all works is, once you release air valve, air will go into the bottle, and subsequently bubble through the water. This will keep the foods suspended and aerated. As the air goes in, water goes out. Down the tube into the tank and into the feeding tray. All the while carrying the foods into the tray. You can adjust the bubble slow or fast, depending on the rate at which you chose to feed.
As long as the bottom of the air tube is just slightly above the water level in your tank it'll work just fine If everything sits too low and the bottom of the air tube in the bottle is below the water level, nothing will happen. If the whole thing is waaay too high it will create a huge vacuum and suck the food out like fleas into a hurricane. Just a few inches above the tank and it'll work like a charm.
>You can view it here<
So, thank you Paul.
Update: I will leave the pictures for the first edition up, but there is a second version below that is much better. The old pictures will only be in the Attatched Thimbnails.
Now, on with the show...
The idea was to add a way to allow live food to be slowly introduced into the tank. Since Mandarins are slow eaters it would be a very good way to feed them.
I won't get into too much, i'll just tell you how it works..
The first part is a feeding tray that can be permanently left in the tank. It has a tube going into the tray and a screen over the tray to allow the mandarins to sit on top and eat the food as it comes through the screen. The tube going into the tray goes up and to the top of the tank where there is a disconnect coupling.
The second part is a bottle that is filled with BBS or other live foods. It has a threaded cap with an O-ring seal. Then a shutoff valve lid is screwed on and shut so you can turn the bottle over. The assembly is then attached to the disconnect coupling on the tank.
Third there is an air valve on the bottom of the bottle, that once inverted and placed on the tank is now the top. The valve is attatched to a tube that goes all the way down into the bottle..
How it all works is, once you release air valve, air will go into the bottle, and subsequently bubble through the water. This will keep the foods suspended and aerated. As the air goes in, water goes out. Down the tube into the tank and into the feeding tray. All the while carrying the foods into the tray. You can adjust the bubble slow or fast, depending on the rate at which you chose to feed.
As long as the bottom of the air tube is just slightly above the water level in your tank it'll work just fine If everything sits too low and the bottom of the air tube in the bottle is below the water level, nothing will happen. If the whole thing is waaay too high it will create a huge vacuum and suck the food out like fleas into a hurricane. Just a few inches above the tank and it'll work like a charm.
