Necklace Aquarium, aka oxygenated vessel

[jago25_98]

Wouldn't it be great to be able to carry around some triops in a container.

The only problem is that such a thing needs aerating with o2 as a minimum... and how do we do that? That is, how do we let air in and out but not water?

Such a container would also be useful for transporting things - plants, bacterial samples, algae, even some foods.

I've been thinking about it and the best I can do is a plastic bottle with a small tube valve punched in the top. The only problem is, it doesn't let enough air in. I guess I could try covering the bottle with hundereds of one way valves...

Any ideas?

The key thing is that the thing moves in all directions so you can't just have the top off the container to let air out

 

[jago25_98]

see attached pic, clear?

 

[herp_mommy]

What!?

 

[BigJim]

If you're only using this for short term transport, you'd be better off with a bigger container so you don't have to worry about oxygenation. I understand the appeal of a living necklace, but I don't think it's very practical.

 

[Tim Wheatley]

Water cannot pass through small holes unless there is great pressure as it creates a skin. Simply drill a small hole in the top?

 

[jago25_98]

Thanks Tim... I tried that one! Somehow the water kind of sweats out, I can't seem to get the holes small enough... I guess that's what goretex is about.

To be honest it's not just about having a nacklace, it's about being about to transport any lifeform that requires a source of oxygen... so that could be triops, kefir or algaes.

I am now going to try, as a stop gap to grow my own algae from seawater and seaweed but I don't think it will be easy... because it's hard to get such a thing through customs when traveling!

 

[Tim Wheatley]

Ah, probably an evaporation issue. When it becomes a gas it can probably escape.

 

[Swimzebras]

Put a living 02 breathing creature in with the algae.....algae=O2 the the creature=CO2.....each supplies the other with what it needs....I once had a betta in a huge bottle, but there wasn't enough surface area for gas exchange! So what do I do? Add a plant and viola! Internal gas exchange! Everyone's happy.....I've seen little glass balls filled with water, algae, shrimp, and bacteria. It never needs to be opened b/c the shrimp eats the plant and the bacteria eat any dead shrimp! Talk about a self-sustaining ecosystem!

 

[jago25_98]

Thanks Swim I'll try that out. Well, I'm trying to revive dried algae as that's all I got right now but when I get chance to go to the beach I'll get some real stuff and try to combine it with kefir... we shall see!

I note from aquaponics that getting s system balanced enough to seal and be fully sustaining can be tricky though...? ...will see...

 

[jsoong]

Well, what you need is a semi-permeable membrane - something that will let air across (on a molecular level), but not water. Something like the membrane in a heart-lung machine ...

However, you will still need a fairly large surface area to get enough O2 exchange (even if you have access to an oxygenator membrane, or a lower tech version - I have heard of fish transport bags that are permeable to air), so not exactly practical even as a carrying vessel. You are essentially proposing to engineer an artificial organ (say a leaf) ... that is the realm of high end nano-tech research.

Something like this - for an air permeable fish/plant transport film:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/...nd+Apr+from+10-12+BST+for+monthly+maintenance

 

[Tim Wheatley]

Kordon produces breather bags which are supposed to allow oxygen exchange. Take a look at them.