bubble tubes

[Mathew Kensett]

Has anyone ever built their own bubble tubes? I need to build a few,
roughly 3-4" in diameter and about 6-8 feet tall. Would I get better
colours from the effect if the light is gelled and the water clear or
the light white and the water coloured? Also, do you have any warnings
on how to build it, I think I have the idea but shortcuts and advise are
welcome.

thanks for your time,

Mat

[Purelight99]

Use normal water with a colored light. also, put a check valve between the base
of the tube and the air pump to keep the water where it is supposed to be.

>Subject: bubble tubes
>From: Mathew Kensett mken...@home.com
>Date: 6/3/01 7:04 PM Pacific Daylight Time
>Message-id: <3B1B180E...@home.com>

[Clive Mitchell]

In article <3B1B180E...@home.com>, Mathew Kensett
<mken...@home.com> writes

If you colour the water the light level will darken as it passes through
the coloured medium. If you use clear water and coloured light it will
look much brighter with consistent colour from bottom to top. Plus of
course you can change the colour at will with something like a Geni
Color Blaster (Taiwanese DMX colour projector), or even just a colour
wheel.

If possible keep the pump above the level of the top of the water, since
this is a simple way of avoiding backflow. You could also use a one way
valve to prevent water coming back into the aquarium air pump if it was
mounted in the base. These items are available from your local aquarium
shop.

To keep the water clean a small amount of bleach or chlorine could be
added, but be careful not to add anything that causes the water to foam.

--
Clive Mitchell