Tropical fish egg incubator

Claim 2

A fish egg incubator comprising, a water tank, an enclosure positioned upright in said water tank for a continuous exchange of water between said tank and said enclosure, said enclosure having an open top end and a closed lower end wall and front and back walls, a fish egg plate in said enclosure and on said back wall, said enclosure positioned in said tank with its open top end submerged in the water to provide fresh water into said other chamber to flow across said egg plate, a dividing wall in said enclosure extending lengthwise thereof to define oppositely disposed chambers interconnected at the lower of said enclosure by said dividing wall being spaced from the lower end wall, and an air stone in one of said chambers adjacent said front wall for causing water circulation downwardly in said other chamber across the egg plate and upwardly in said one chamber.

Claim 3

The structure of claim 1 wherein said chambers being interconnected at the lower end of said enclosure is further defined by said dividing wall extending diagonally from the front wall at the top end to the bottom wall at the lower end thereby providing said other chamber with a reduced cross-sectional area at its lower end for increasing the water flow speed across said egg plate.

Claim 4

The structure of claim 1 wherein said enclosure may be opened for access to said egg plate.

Claim 5

The structure of claim 3 wherein said enclosure includes two pieces, one of said pieces includes said back wall and the other piece includes said front wall and said dividing wall and said pieces may be disassembled to provide access to said egg plate.

Claim 6

The structure of claim 1 wherein said enclosure is disposed at angle to one vertical wall of said tank with the lower end spaced therefrom and the upper end abutting thereagainst.

Claim 7

The structure of claim 1 wherein said tank is positioned in a larger tank and water circulation means is provided to withdraw water from the bottom of the smaller tank and feed it into the smaller tank at its upper end thereby causing water flow from the top to the bottom in said smaller tank.

Claim 8

The structure of claim 6 wherein a mesh screen is provided above the bottom of said tank and supports said enclosure and small fry for circulation of calm water over said small fry.

Claim 9

The structure of claim 7 wherein said water circulation means includes a plurality of perforated pipes on the bottom of said tank connected to a main pipe having an outlet at the top of said tank and an air source is connected to said main pipe for directing air and water upwardly.

Claim 10

The structure of claim 8 wherein said air means and said air stone have separate independently operated controls.

Claim 11

A fish egg incubator comprising, a water tank having a mesh screen spaced above the bottom, a water pump connected to a plurality of water feeder pipes on the bottom for drawing water downwardly through said screen and said screen being adapted to receive fish eggs and small fry whereby the water movement thereby stipulates the wave action produced by parent fish swimming thereover and a water circulator in said tank and including a pair of upright chambers separated by a common dividing wall having an opening at the bottom thereof and a fish egg slate being positioned in an upright position in one of said chambers and an air stone being positioned in the other chamber for producing air bubbles which rise to the top of said other chamber and thereby causing water to flow smoothly and quietly without air bubbles or turbulence downwardly in said one chamber over and along said slate and through said opening into said other chamber.

Claim 12

A fish egg incubator comprising, a water tank having a mesh screen spaced above the bottom, a water pump connected to a plurality of water feeder pipes on the bottom for drawing water downwardly through said screen and said screen being adapted to receive fish eggs and small fry whereby the water movement thereby stipulates the wave action produced by parent fish swimming thereover and a water circulator in said tank and including a pair of upright chambers separated by a common dividing wall having an opening at the bottom thereof and a fish egg slate being positioned in an upright position in one of said chambers and an air stone being positioned in the other chamber for producing air bubbles which rise to the top of said other chamber and thereby causing water to flow smoothly and quietly without air bubbles or turbulence downwardly in said one chamber over and along said slate and through said opening into said other chamber.

Claim 13

The structure of claim 10 wherein said wall is oriented to decrease the cross-sectional area of said one chamber downwardly towards said opening whereby water speed is increased in said one chamber as it approaches said opening.

Claim 14

The structure of claim 11 wherein water from said tank is drawn into said one chamber at the top thereof and emptied from said other chamber into said tank at the top of said other chamber.

Claim 15

The structure of claim 12 wherein said water circulator includes two half sections with one section including a bottom wall supporting said slate and said other section includes a top wall and said common dividing wall and a lower end wall cooperating with the lower end of said common dividing wall to provide said opening connecting said adjacent chambers.

Claim 16

The structure of claim 13 wherein said water circulator is positioned in an inclined position on said screen and against one tank vertical side wall.

Claim 17

The structure of claim 10 wherein a pair of control valves are provided, one operatively connected to said pump means and the other operatively connected to said air stone for opening said pump means and air stone independently of each other.

Claim 18

The structure of claim 10 wherein said tank includes a top section and a bottom section with said top section having an open bottom and including said mesh screen and said bottom section having said feeder pipes and a bottom wall and each section including sidewalls cooperatively engaging each other to define a tank chamber.

Claim 19

The structure of claim 10 wherein said incubator is positioned in a larger water tank and means being provided for exchanging water from the incubator with water in the larger tank.

Claim 20

A process of incubating fish eggs comprising the steps of, placing the fertilized eggs in a water circulator on a surface, drawing water smoothly across said eggs without turbulence or air bubbles thereby simulating the fanning action of the parent fish swimming back and forth over the eggs by said surface being oriented in an upright posture and being in one of a pair of adjacent chambers with the other chamber including an air stone which produces air bubbles which rise to the top of the other chamber and draws water downwardly over said eggs and out of said one chamber and into said other chamber, and said one chamber having a cross-sectional area smaller at the bottom than at the top and being in communication with said other chamber at the bottom of each whereby the speed of the water is increased as it moves across said eggs.

Claim 21

A process of incubating fish eggs comprising the steps of, placing the fertilized eggs in a water circulator on a surface, drawing water smoothly across said eggs without turbulence or air bubbles thereby simulating the fanning action of the parent fish swimming back and forth over the eggs by said surface being oriented in an upright posture and being in one of a pair of adjacent chambers with the other chamber including an air stone which produces air bubbles which rise to the top of the other chamber and draws water downwardly over said eggs and out of said one chamber and into said other chamber, and said one chamber having a cross-sectional area smaller at the bottom than at the top and being in communication with said other chamber at the bottom of each whereby the speed of the water is increased as it moves across said eggs.

Claim 22

The process of claim 18 wherein the step of placing the eggs in a water circulator includes placing the incubator in a larger water tank wherein water is drawn into said one chamber from said water tank and emptied into said tank from said other chamber thereby maintaining fresh water moving across said eggs.

Claim 23

The process of claim 18 wherein upon small fry beginning to appear in said eggs the eggs and small fry are placed on a mesh screen spaced above the bottom of the tank and smooth and quiet water is drawn downwardly in the tank through the screen and past the eggs and small fry.

Claim 24

The process of claim 20 wherein the step of drawing the water downwardly in the tank includes providing a plurality of feeder pipes on the bottom of the tank under the mesh screen and pumping the water out of the bottom of tank by injecting air in an upward direction in an upright outlet pipe connected to the feeder pipes.