Pegasus Posted September 27, 2002 Report Share Posted September 27, 2002 Hi All, I had accumulated around fifteen 20ltr pails with lids and have used them for various things, but I was sat watching the fry in one tank getting slowly devoured one by one, and having no spare tank or heater I though of using one of the pails. I bored a couple of holes around 12mm just slightly higher than the depth of the tank in question (2x1x1) . In one hole I pushed an "L" shaped uplift, and in the other a 100mm by 12mm overflow pipe. The pail sits at the side of the tank... but could sit some way away if you extended the pipes. Not very pretty, but it will only be there for perhaps a week until the fry get their sea legs, or more fry come along I filled the pail up to the overflow with preaged water that was heated to the same temp as the tank, then set the flow on the uplift working. I left it running for an hour to check it out, and to keep track on the temperature and allow the two lots of water to mix. The uplift draws water from the tank which goes into the pail, which overflows back to the tank. I placed a fine mesh over the uplift and on the inside end of the overflow pipe, then transferred the fry. The pail needs no light, as the lights from the tanks are adequate enough and illuminate the inside of the pail quite well. The lid just sits on the top to keep the draughts out. The temp remains constant in both the pail and the tank, without using an additional heater or filter system, and the fry are safe and happy. Because they are equalised the fry can be quickly dropped into the pail without stress, and no worry about water conditions or temperature. Since making it I have used another one, but have cut a 300x200 window in the front and bonded a 4mm curved acrylic screen to the inside of the pail with silicone. A few minutes under the grill made it flexible enough to bend to shape. I can now leave the lid on and keep track of the fry. Regards, Happy Days Bill (Pegasus NZ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 27, 2002 Report Share Posted September 27, 2002 You sneaky little cheapskate! What a great idea!! Do you have trouble with the fry losing colour against the white of the pail? Perhaps they are not in it long enough for it to be a problem. I am thinking of when you transport fish in polystyrene containers and they lose their colour as they try to adjust to the colour of their surroundings. Now, where I did I see that spare bucket?... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted September 28, 2002 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2002 Hi Caryl,... Thanks Fry look Ok, and I just threw a bit of plant in there for a bit of security for them, but my attempts at sealing acrylic to very hard nylon/plasic, or whatever it is, was not 100% as I have a slight dribble, but I usually dribble a bit when the fry arrive Actually, it works brilliantly, and the curved viewhole makes the fry look like "Mini JAWS" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey Posted September 28, 2002 Report Share Posted September 28, 2002 Gee Bill, you really are the master of DIY. If you aren't making something, then you are thinking about how to make something. You must have a hell of a time falling asleep at night with all those ideas floating around in your head. BTW, that is a really good idea, and considering I use about 5x 25 litre buckets at work a week, then I should be set. Just a word to anyone new to fishkeeping who wants to try this, make sure that the buckets are totally free of any sort of cleansing products before using them for fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted September 28, 2002 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2002 Hey Joey, Good to see you posting again, and thanks for the input. No... I don't sleep much, and love the fishy DIY. (Less stenuous than the other type ) My containers were quite clean as they were used for a food products, and as you say, paint pails and chemical containers should be avoided, even if you do scrub them out. I really got the idea while I was watching my DIY external filters and it looked feasable, so I gave it a go. The uplift creates just enough current to keep the water moving gently, and as of yet I have not lost a single fry, which would be easy to spot on the white base of the pail. Cleaning out will be a breeze when the time comes, I will be certainly making more of these for future use. Regards, Bill (Pegasus) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennis Posted September 28, 2002 Report Share Posted September 28, 2002 how many fry u got in there bill? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted September 28, 2002 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2002 Hi Dennis, Not many at the moment, and not Angels unfortunately (the eggs fungused.. possibly due to an imature pair) These are just livebearers that are from some fish I bought for one of my grandsons, and there's about twenty, with no losses to date He'll be chuffed to bits when he gets back from Auckland where he went for a couple of weeks for the mid term break. Might as well start them young.. he's 9, but my 3yr old one loves the fish as well and comes every day to see his favorite ones, which are the Plecostomuses and the Corydoras, which he finds quite hard to pronounce at times Regards, Bill (Pegasus) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennis Posted September 28, 2002 Report Share Posted September 28, 2002 I got my fist goldfish when i was 3 and i 24 now so i aready been keeping fish for over 20 years i just breed my first goldfish i got about 200 baby orandas they just over a week old and doing well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted December 17, 2002 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2002 Managed to take a few pics of my Saver and my daughters Breeding trap. http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/grumpy ... SAVERS.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted December 17, 2002 Report Share Posted December 17, 2002 Pegasus, Your breeding trap looks to be more like 4L in volume rather than 2... Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted December 17, 2002 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2002 Mmmm... Might be right there Andrew... It says 4kg on an unchopped one. Probably would hold 4ltrs... but not with the mesh on it Better edit my site he he.... sneaky All done.... Thanks. BTW: The colored is in my wife tank.... not my sort of thing, but she likes the colours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennis Posted December 17, 2002 Report Share Posted December 17, 2002 your plants in your tank bill look good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted December 17, 2002 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2002 Just stripped it out on Saturday Dennis. Had so much plant I couln't see my fish. Planted two more two foots with the overgrown bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delta Posted December 17, 2002 Report Share Posted December 17, 2002 Hi Pegasus, I think you've mentioned this bucket set up on Boronia too? But now that I've seen the pics it makes a bit more sense now. I want to make a few of these!!, how does the water get into the bucket? I'm not sure I understand although I can see all the pipes connecting them, do you use a pump? Also if I filled one with gravel do you think it would work like a filter? If the overflow was long enough to reach the bottom of the bucket? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted December 17, 2002 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2002 Hi Dianna, Thanks for the interest. The upper pipe in the pic is the one that draws water from the tank and into the pail. It works on the principle of a simple airlift by having the airline going into the bottom of the long portion of the pipe that extends into the tank. This forces water up the tube and into the bucket. A cheap air pump would do this job. I suppose the same principle could be used for a filter if you blocked the bottom bit of the pail off with a perforated disk so that the outlet pipe only drew the clean filtered water back into the tank. The airlift pipe entering the pail could be then extended and several holes drilled in it to give a better flow over the filtering medium. Regards, Bill (Pegasus) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted December 18, 2002 Report Share Posted December 18, 2002 Could use a powerhead to either suck the water in or pump it in. Anything bigger than a small powerhead might require making the bucket airtight around the lid. Don't know how difficult that would be. But it would make a nice big cannister filter if you did it right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cat Posted December 20, 2002 Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 I am going to be spending the weekend making a few of these!! I have had two large batches of angel fry and two lots of kribensis. Have more babies than I know what to do with now. Can I leave angel fry in with the parents for awhile? They are free swimming now and I am putting micro worms and brine shrimp in the tank but a lot seem to end up in the stones at the bottom and the fry dont go down there. I have got one lot of babies in a rearing tank and am feeding them the same as the main tank but if I could leave the fry in the tank it would be a lot easier. The krib babies are easy enough as they feed on flake I have ground up to a dust. If anyone is interested in krib babies soon let me know. I have about 100 at this stage and I suppose more to come!!! May have to separate the lovng couples. The pet shops here arent really that interested and I dont think it is fair to buy fish of people for 20 - 50 cents each and then sell them on to other people for 6 - 8 dollars!! They should pass the savings onto the customer and people would probably go back for other stuff. Just my opinion. (Cheap skate ah?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted December 20, 2002 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 Hi Cat, Sounds like you're gonna be busy this weekend If the parents are caring for the young, I would leave them at this stage till you get a rearing tank ready for them... JMO though I would also try to restrict your micro worm feeding to one end of the tank and just lightly vacuum it every other day to clean any excess food up. Depending on your setup, you could also just gently slide the gravel to one side at the end you feed so that you have the bare bottom of the tank showing, but if you have a UG filter fitted you won't be able to do this. If you do it over a day or so it shouldn't upset things too much. If you need some extra help with the fry savers, drop me an email Happy Days for you Bill (Pegasus) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cat Posted December 20, 2002 Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 Just been out to feed them and the mother angel is so protective. She hates the lid coming off the tank let alone putting food in there!! Seems they will be ok for awhile. Just had my best batch of brine shrimp hatched. I am so pleased that I have got the right recipe now. I hated wasting the eggs ... too expensive. However all going great. I cant move the stones. U/G fitted and a simple sponge filter also. I keep the micro worms to a minimum as I hate the smell etc. It is a good batch too but gees ... could there be a worse smelling food??? :lol: :lol: I have my brine shrimp going in 2 litre milk bottle. We have drilled a hole in the lid of the bottles and I poke the air hose down the handle part to the bottom. One each day and that seems a good days worth of feeding. Leaving them for three days before feeding them out instead of the 24 - 36 hours the pet shop advised. Have the bottles sitting in a tank with a heater in it and it is kept quite warm (about 32 degrees). I have kept increasing the heat till I got it right and ... hey presto ... results. I was going to make a hatchery like Pegasus described but all my tanks are full so am doing it this way. Does keeping them in the dark make it better? Mine are sitting on a ledge in the garage. They get some sun on them. Must be ok as I have a good batch tonight but wonered if it makes it even better if they are kept in the dark. (A bit like my better half is :lol: :lol: ) I also syphon some brine shrimp off then tip the water back into the container until the next feed. Is this ok? Or should I be replacing the water with fresh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted December 20, 2002 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2002 Hi again Cat, Only reason the big Brine Shrimp Hatcher that I designed has a dark side is so that it can be partitioned off from the smaller area where the live shrimp will finish up. If the "peephole" is opened on the DARK side of the hatcher, and a light placed over the small end, the live shrimp will swim through the "peephole" and into the smaller end of the hatcher, and be free of shells, which are all left in the dark side of the hatcher. So in answer to your question, No.... they don't need the dark to hatch, and darkness will not improve the hatch. Hatching at a low temp will take longer than at a higher temp. I also syphon some brine shrimp off then tip the water back into the container until the next feed. Is this ok? Or should I be replacing the water with fresh? This is the way I do it, and never add fresh water when using a small hatcher. The foot for the UG filter you are after is a simple rectangle of plasic 20mm X 30mm with a hole in the middle which is 10mm diameter. Sounds a piece of cake compared to the fry saver Regards, Bill (Pegasus) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cat Posted December 21, 2002 Report Share Posted December 21, 2002 The foot for the UG filter you are after is a simple rectangle of plasic 20mm X 30mm with a hole in the middle which is 10mm diameter. Sounds a piece of cake compared to the fry saver Ya know ... its about the same time as last night I read your tip on U/G feet but tonight it makes sense!!!!! Must of had a 'blonde' moment. (Sorry to all the blondes out there :oops: ) Doesnt sound hard at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted December 21, 2002 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2002 Mmmm... you had me wondering there for a while... he he. Instead of trying to make the little bit that the pipe goes on, just push your airline directly down the pipe once it is in place so it almost reaches the bottom.... works just as good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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