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davidf

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Recently I've been talking with some acrylic manufacturers and the idea of egg tumblers came up.

Instead of importing Jehmco and other tumblers from overseas at full retail prices, I'm thinking of designing and manufacturing my own. I've been breeding mbuna for about 3 years, so I have some knowledge, but nothing compared to what is on here. What I am after is input and feedback from people as to what features they'd like to see in a tumbler, whether it be for mbuna, haps, fronts etc. These may include shape, material, sizing, air lift system and anything else you may think of.

So key features that are already on the table include (I'll be updating this post and list as suggestions come in) ;

- Acrylic

- Laser Drilled 1mm Holes in screens

- Dual screen 'airlock' in the bottom to prevent fry/eggs being poached by tankmates

- Removable bottom screen for cleaning/access to airlock

- Removable lift tube for cleaning and adjusting

- Wide base (40mm - 35mm interior - at this stage) diameter ( may be available in several sizes)

- Threaded lid for easy access while keeping fry secure

- Height of tumblers in numerous sizes

- Inclusion of quality air tubing, valves etc

Any ideas are welcomed, along with feedback on other tumbler features which worked/didn't work.

At the moment with the basic design, these tumblers are looking to be very competitively priced, with discounts offered for members.

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My 2c

Ensure you can access/open the second screen on the bottom otherwise if an egg or very small fry drops between the screens and grows a bit before you notice you can remove it without getting brutal.

I prefer Not to depend on suction caps to keep it upright as they have limited longevity (and if it's just suspended by airline ensure it never opens unexpectedly )

The screens in the jehmco ones are too small in diameter for most of my purposes.

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Thanks for the feedback Laurie.

The removable bottom screen is something I will definitely include. With the suction cup longevity, is it an issue of the cup losing suction or the cap material perishing?

In the current design there is a 6mm hole in the centre of the screw cap to allow air line to pass through, with a small air stone attached to prevent the tube from receding.

If you had your choice of diameter, what would suite your needs?

Cheers,

Dave

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I would love to see one with out the rubber o-ring to hold the bottom section on. I find if they have been out of water a while they can stick together.

I dont think adjustable height is worth while and I like the diameter of the Jehmco ones.

I also would like to see the top section (where the air rises) shorter. I have found the longer the tube is the more current is created by the buubles rising. I have found it hard to get the perfect air flow. With the longer top, it seems, that small changes in air flow cause large changes in water flow. I think a smaller/shorter top section would make it easier to adjust. I breed Mbuna and tropheus and find I am constantly changing the settings depending on egg size and what other air driven "things" are running on my air system.

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Thanks Josh,

The upper and lower section will be secured with a screw in type attachment, as well as the lift tube. The egg chamber lower screen, upper screen and lift tube will all be removable for cleaning and access via threaded fittings. The current diameter is 35mm, and with an egg chamber height of 50mm. The lift tube will 35mm diameter.

Did you have an idea of lift tube height? My current dimensions include a height of 100mm

Thanks,

Dave

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  • 1 year later...

i know this is an old thread but did you make any of these or not.

Had several designslaid out and priced with an overseas acrylic manufacturer, but the project was put on the back burner because of work commitments.

From memory if there was a group buy of 50+ units, the price was under $7 a unit. That was with a design including threaded removable top and base, with an acrylic laser cut screen.

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