It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

I went home over the weekend for a school reunion of sorts, but I also wanted to take care of some aquatic business using my dad's wide selection of power tools. I was able to cut a hose-sized hole out of the top of my small vacuum. Additionally, I drilled a hole through a bottle cap as part of my plan to upgrade the CO2 production to a full 2-liter bottle.

However, when I brought my new contraption home, I came to several realizations. First, the sponge was enough to choke the flow and create the noise I was trying to avoid. Second, the vacuum was so narrow that the bubbles didn't have a chance to escape and churn; instead, they were swept by the still powerful flow down the tube and out the sponge. So it looks as if I will have to stick with the bigger vacuum. Of course, it is still too long to point down, so I will have to take it back home and cut it down on another weekend.

In order to keep the downward flow from blowing up a lot of substrate, my plan is to "cap it off" with half a cylinder that will redirect the flow up and around the downward facing tube as well as keeping the sponge inside. I will have to improvise using either the bottom of a water bottle, the cap to a spray can, etc. The fun never ends!