My Fishtank Contraption
Here are some scans of the fishtank contraption, for you to better visualize.
I keep a bath towel over it, since it will sputter water out occasionally. It will leave a white residue, which can easily be cleaned with wax and a rag, but it gets tedious.
As you can see, even this tank has gone through some revisions, with all the different holes in the top. The one corner is cut away to allow the air tubing entrance.
Also, you can see dirt that the filters weren't able to pick up. Along the bottom is quite a bit of larger granules. I'll need to buy one of those little fishtank suction gizmos. Also, if you look at the various items that are filters, you can see that they have absorbed a good quantity of dirt. These were changed about a week ago, and the coins had already been soaking for awhile... so it is still working.
Inside, to facilitate water current as well as high oxygen, are 4 bubble wands. I had 5, but there just wasn't quite enough room for them all to stick to the bottom effectively. I started with the little 39 cent stones, but the wands last a lot longer, cover a lot more area, and are more easily affixed to a stationary position, among other things.
I also use an old style filter that you used to put fish filter and carbon inside, in the one corner. Next to that, is a new style partially submerged filter that hangs from the side. I think it's rated 40 gph, so ideally the water is being filtered about 8 times an hour. Honestly, I think the old style filter works better, at least it seems to absorb more dirt in the filter.
Also, I have three filter media bags along the bottom. One bag of deionization material, one has filter, the other is a combination of each. There is also a bag of deionization material and a bag of filter in the hanging filter on the side.
I have done some tests, and the deionization material does indeed help keep the water "clean". Tests of pure distilled water ran between 5 and 9 ppm, while water with the material ran 0-1 ppm. The way it was explained to me, water is mineral hungry. That's why it is useful in soaking coins... it absorbs minerals from the dirt encrusting the coins, which loosens it. But water can only hold so much. The deionization material makes the water "drop" the minerals, making it hungry again. This is far from a scientific explanation, but it makes sense to me.
The main storage components are the wire mesh containers that I bought from Wal-Mart for around $2 each. They don't seem to rust. They have large enough holes in the mesh to allow good current, but are small enough to hold anything but the tiniest AE5 from falling through. I believe each will hold about 1000 coins, but currently I have perhaps 350-400 in each.
I cut some holes in the corner with wire cutters, so the stainless steel all thread could fit through. When I first started this version, I used inexpensice stainless plated bolts... but they rusted. So I had to find stainless, and all thread was the only thing I could find that would be long enough. The all thread is about 12" long... but I need to cut off 3" or so from the top... I just never get around to it. Two rods of stainless all thread were around $16.
At the very bottom of the all thread, I have a stainless nut and washer, that the basket sit upon. I then put another washer and nut on the other side of the mesh, making it stable. I repeated this for the top basket as well, as well as attaching it to the top of the plastic lid.
Also, I have two cup sized containers suspended in the area that the baskets don't take. I drilled a couple hundred holes in each, suspended them by a thick string, and attached it to an S hook/Alligator clip through the lid. I keep "special" coins and artifacts here, so I can find them easily.
Everything included, hardware wise, such as air pumps, container, all thread, filter etc etc, ran perhaps $60. I believe it holds around 5 gallons of distilled water. I usually use a low concentration of washing/baking soda added to the water as well, to increase cleaning power as well as stave off bronze disease. I have yet to have bronze disease while using this and similar contraptions. I bought the deionization material at http://www.kfswater.com/DI/. It's the mixed bed resin, 2 liter pack. I have used maybe 1/4 of it so far in 6 months of testing.
One fundamental item that isn't pictured are the two plastic sharks in the fishtank. My mother says that these are very important... so you better heed her!
Any questions, comments or ideas, don't hesitate to contact me here, just use the subject line of coins or such so I don't delete it.
