MRSkz Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 http://www.sydneycichlid.com/diy/diytumbler.html is what I've been going on. Now I've got my little tumbler all set up, however I just don't see how it's suppose to work. I don't have the "out take" thingy I just have a standerd gravel cleaner that has a tube out the top. I've cut that off so I'm able to stick the air line down there. Having done this I've set it up in my tank, eggs all nicely secured but it does not force air DOWN the tube only up and out. I have the iar stone up top not down the bottom and being that the only air pump I have is a silent flo 200 it seems to scramble there brains when put the other way with the air stone at the bottom. Please any help/advise would be welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanksman Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 This is a great contraption. On yours is the top of the complete setup below the water level in the tank? It simply is designed to draw water from the bottom, through the egg section, and out the top. It will only work if the top is positioned at best a couple of mm above the water level but would work best if the top is below the water level. You definitely don't want the bubbler below the egg section. Also without the exhaust piece it may not work as well. I suggest if you can't get this piece you heat the top part of your tumbler and crimp it so it has a narrow neck to discourage any water sneaking in from the top as opposed to the bottom. Clear as mud? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoandWilly Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 The way this works is the airstone in the top draws the water up with the bubbles and the water moving up moves the eggs around so they aren't just sitting on the bottom (works the same way as a gravel filter, drawing the water up through the pipe.) you need the air bubbles coming out from down in the pipe but not to far down that they are going to draw the eggs up and shoot them out with the bubbles, to much movement in the eggs can cause them to bruise aswell so you diffently need some way of controlling the air flow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanksman Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 The eggs should have no chance of coming out with the bubbles as they are contained in the middle section. But yeah you don't want to much flow through it that the eggs end up scrambled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malawi_man Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 i use jars and air stones, tublers can only fit a very small amoout of egg in, i have great results using jars so i guess i will keep using them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRSkz Posted March 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 I understand and this is the kind of gravel cleaner I'm using It seems to be forcing air down the tube not water up the tube. I do have the top possitiond below the water line, a an inch or two and the top part just fills with air forcing it down into the middel chamber with the eggs/fry. What am I not doing right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanksman Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 You might have to much air going in. You might need a little tap thingee to reduce the airflow. or The airstone is not sitting in the neck of the gravel cleaner is it stopping the air getting through the neck? Only other thing I can think of is that the neck of the gravel cleaner is too narrow (very unlikely) or more likely that the gravel cleaner tube has too large a diameter which is affecting it. It looks a lot bigger diameter than the undergravel lift tubes which the sydney cichlid page uses. But neither of these things should be an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRSkz Posted March 22, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2006 Sorry that picture was referencing the very top (blue thingy) of the gravel filter. The actual diamiter of it is smaller, much like the one on the tumbler websight. My last thought is the meshing I'm using is to tight. I've used the finest mesh I could fined from a large fish net. I woke up this morning and all the eggs/fry had died as I had not had the air pump going. I was afraid that it would simply push air into the chamber with the fry and the water out leaving them high and dry. Not very happy, and my electric yellows that I partialy (I hope) stripped yesterday would be even less so. The whole thing is 23cm long by 25mm wide. I don't know if that helps or not. The air stone is a small one however the opening at the top is very small, the air line just fits threw w/a little space for the air to escape. All advise/help would be appriciated. I will have this right before even thinking about stripping another fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zev Posted March 22, 2006 Report Share Posted March 22, 2006 without the exhaust piece it may not work as well. Perhaps you could drill some holes in the top, I notice that the exhaust slots take up an area approximately half of the face of the lid thingy. You also said that your hose is quite a tight fit, but has a little space for the air to escape, I notice in the instructions that this needs to be a tight fit, and if it is not, to put a rubber band around the air hose to make it so. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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