Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 89.djvu/777

 Popular Science Monthly

��763

��To Keep the Water in the Aquarium

Clean and Fresh Ax aquarium for the lioiue ina>' he M~\ ctiuipiied with a simple contrivance for keeping the water clear and fresh, thus overcoming the only difificulty in maintaining one. The aerator shown works simply and will go for months without other attention than to provide water for the suppK' basin.

In the drawing showing the apparatus there are the fish tank, suppl>' basin, and glass tubing from the basin to the tank. The si- phon forces a supply of air through the water in the fish tank. The tank consists of a baseboard which is slightly larger than the tank itself, four square posts and four pieces of heavy glass. The base piece should be cut from wood I in. thick. Screw two strips of wood across it on the under side, one at each end, to pre\"ent it from warping.

The corner posts are to be shaped as shown in the drawing with a rebate for the glass on the adjacent sides and a piece fitted in the inner angle to hold the glass in position. The base is also grooved* on the sides and ends for the glass. Fit the posts by sinking them intoa J/4-in. mortise cut in the base piece and then put a long screw into the end of the post through the base piece.

In fitting the glass bed in place use white lead putt>' made up with a little powdered rosin to cause it to harden quickly. The wood of the tank should be \arnished and allowed to stand for one week before the tank is filled.

The aerating apparatus is made from J^-in. glass tubing with a piece of ?4-in. tube for the air-recei\cr and two corks.

���An aquarium with an automatic supply basin and an aerator.

��The ^4-i'i glass tube is 7 in. long and is fitted with a perforated cork at each end. A hole about j § in. in diameter is filed in the side of the glass.

Fit the 34-'n- pieces of tube through the corks, one at each end. Take the lower piece, which should be about 3K ft- long, heat one end of it and form into a slightly bell-mouthed shape. The lower end is also heated and bent as shown in the illustration.

The upper piece of glass, which shtnild be of a con\enient length, is bent in he form of a s\phon. F"or the supply basin use a glass jar.

After all the parts of the aerating apparatus have been fitted to- gether, fill the fish tank and put the aerator in position; fill the supply basin also nearly to the top with clear water.

The upper part of the li-in. glass tubing is now taken out of the cork, and filled with water, holding a finger on each end. Then slip one end of the tube into the supply basin and the other through the cork of the air- receiver.

If this is correctly done, it will be found that the water begins at once to drop from the upper pipe, taking its supply from the basin on the wall bracket, and before very long it will be forcing a supply of air through the water in the tank at regular intervals. — John Y. Dunlop.

��Making a Serviceable Fireless Cooker

THE cooker illustrated on the follow- ing page can be made with two or more pots, although the drawing shows only one. The outer part of a double boiler will serve for the pot. The first requirement is a stout box of suitable size, with llie cover hinged. To prc\cnt warping, it should be reinforced with

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