Lowell's Fish Lab

Thinking Outside the Tube

Added 2023-06-09 03:23:05 +0000 UTC

As I mentioned before, the uplift tube (specifically the opening to attach an airline fitting) will be subjected to the most wear and tear over time. Repeated compression of the material will eventually lead to a looser fit. Is that catastrophic? Probably not. But I have this nagging anxiety that some day, this will be a headache for those who don't personally own a printer for replacement parts.

I've always ruled out the possibility of printing a male end stem. It would be so fragile and likely very difficult to print. Recently I had a "why didn't I think of this before?" moment and made an opening that encloses the tube from the outside. It's thick enough to be strong, and makes contact with a flexible tube rather than a rigid fitting. My hope is, this brings the wear and tear to near zero.

The opening tapers narrower toward the back and there are two vertical ridges that "bite" the tube, locking it into place. Tubing isn't difficult to pull back out, but it isn't going anywhere without help. This worked for me using both thin and thick wall tubing, including vinyl.

Try this now, skip the Advil later.