Modular Marine Larva & Egg Collector

thingiverse

A set of parts to collect pelagic larvae and eggs in a marine aquarium. There are several versions of several of the parts to suit different tanks or uses, but the basic setup includes: One collector mount (thumbscrews as needed, rimmed mount or base mount are recommended) One surface skimmer (tall is recommended) One airlift pump (tall is recommended) One splash guard (superglue to the top of the airlift pump) One holding basket with its mesh retainer You will need an airpump and line (mid power or more with a valve is preferred) to power the airlift pump and you will need a suitable aquarium safe mesh (200-250 micron nylon mesh is recommended, this can be cut from a filter sock) and a little assembly. Print the required parts (some will need supports), glue the splash guard to the top of the airlift pump as pictured, cut the mesh to size and glue through it with the mesh retainer holding it in place on the holding basket's window (superglue was my choice). When you use it, put the surface skimmer and holding basket in the mount, then drop the airlift pump in and tune the airflow to run the skimmer intake a little below tank level. Works best with flow off, the flow and aeration generated by the airlift pump will help keep things oxygenated in the tank while running it. If collecting phototactic larvae, place a dim to moderate light on the ring above the surface skimmer's intake. Using the light diffuser can help, but also fits a Lumintop Tool AA flashlight which can be used on low mode. The standard larva collector mount holds on with algae magnets mounted on the tabs (use at least two) whereas the rimless mount just goes over the rim and uses thumbscrews to fine-adjust the height of the skimmer's inlet to adjust water level and airlift pump flow. Both mounts have small tabs that you can use a rubber band to hold down the airlift pump if it doesn't stay on its own. I am including the original height surface skimmer and airlift pump, but the tall version of both perform better - more stability and water throughput. The holding basket mount is sized for a standard rimmed 10 gallon tank and just holds the holding basket. This means you can collect eggs or larvae from your display, then pull the whole holding basket out and transfer it to a tank for holding or hatching. I don't recommend keeping larvae in that small a space for more than a few hours, but the bottom of the holding basket also has a spot for an airline to keep eggs tumbling or flow moving. A demonstration of the parts and how this is used can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jIloJ_VN8A&ab_channel=DaJMasta October update: Consider the Larval_Collector_Rimless_Mount deprecated and the current version is the Larval_Collector_Rimmed_Mount. The rimmed version will fit the same rimless tanks, but also incorporates the geometry from the basket holder that fits over a rimmed 10 gallon tank rim, so it's just a more versatile version of the holder.