11-29-2013, 08:22 PM
Ben Franklin said sloth was the father of invention! Had to travel 600 miles from my frogs for Thanksgiving and no froggers nearby to lend a hand, so what to do?
Young girl next store can take care of my tortoise and turtle while I'm away, but I can't expect her to handle the fruit flies or open the vivs to spray the tanks. Sooo, I invented a "system" that might be of some assistance to some of you in similar situations where a neighbor can help out.
First, the flies. I took a clear plastic cup and removed a small section with a Dremel cutter and siliconed over it some mesh for air. Added a tiny amount of media. Taped two magnets on opposite sides of the cup. Insert the dusted flies (dusting keeps them manageable). Insert the mouth of the cup inside the tank facing the inside glass and attach two corresponding magnets to the outer glass. Now, all your vacation helper has to do is pull one or both of the outer magnets off, the cup drops into the tank and the flies are released.
For humidity, I simply took a humidifier and attached 1/2" plumbing piping so as to join five tanks and set the humidifier on a timer. Don't fool with sealant or glue so that you can make adjustments as you assemble the piping. The fittings are snug enough to make gluing unnecessary. Make sure all piping runs upwards so that any collecting condensation falls back into the humidifier rather than clogging the piping. I will upload a video to photobucket to show you how nicely this humidifies each of the tanks.
Worked like a charm for me. Hope this helps some of you. Pics here: http://s248.photobucket.com/user/ems...ion%20Vivarium
Eddie
Young girl next store can take care of my tortoise and turtle while I'm away, but I can't expect her to handle the fruit flies or open the vivs to spray the tanks. Sooo, I invented a "system" that might be of some assistance to some of you in similar situations where a neighbor can help out.
First, the flies. I took a clear plastic cup and removed a small section with a Dremel cutter and siliconed over it some mesh for air. Added a tiny amount of media. Taped two magnets on opposite sides of the cup. Insert the dusted flies (dusting keeps them manageable). Insert the mouth of the cup inside the tank facing the inside glass and attach two corresponding magnets to the outer glass. Now, all your vacation helper has to do is pull one or both of the outer magnets off, the cup drops into the tank and the flies are released.
For humidity, I simply took a humidifier and attached 1/2" plumbing piping so as to join five tanks and set the humidifier on a timer. Don't fool with sealant or glue so that you can make adjustments as you assemble the piping. The fittings are snug enough to make gluing unnecessary. Make sure all piping runs upwards so that any collecting condensation falls back into the humidifier rather than clogging the piping. I will upload a video to photobucket to show you how nicely this humidifies each of the tanks.
Worked like a charm for me. Hope this helps some of you. Pics here: http://s248.photobucket.com/user/ems...ion%20Vivarium
Eddie