Abstract
An artificial habitat for a variety of aquatic taxa, including fish, which provides dynamic habitat consisting of buoyant, corrugated high or low density polyethylene pipe split longitudinally as to form two or more strips of ribbed material that curls to mimic aquatic plant genera such as Vallisneria.
Claims
1. Artificial habitat for use in lentic aquatic ecosystems for a variety of taxa including fish, comprising: two or more buoyant, flexible, corrugated strips of high or low density polyethylene, cut from corrugated high or low density polyethylene pipe, having a length between 2 and 15 feet and a width between 1 and 4 inches, connected to a base of corrugated pipe as to form a single continuous unit.
2. A fastening system where the artificial habitat of claim 1 can be frictionally held in place or bolted, as to attach one or more to a length of high or low density corrugated pipe.
3. The artificial habitat of claim 1 where a fastening system is used to attach two or more of the units in groups up to 100 to a plurality of weights made from chemically resistant metal.
4. The artificial habitat of claim 1 where it is arranged in a spoke style array from an aluminum central hub.
5. The habitat of claim 1 radiates outwardly from the arrange of claim 4 to form an organic and unpredictable appearance.
6. The habitat formed by claims 4 and 5 wherein it is suspended at a specific depth to that of the benthos.
7. The artificial habitat of claim 1 wherein, once submerged in a lentic aquatic ecosystem: curls to create a biological appearance similar to that of the structural complexity of macrophytes, particularly Vallisneria and similar species; the corrugation provides an increase in surface area for growth of valuable periphyton relative to overall size of the habitat; and that movement induced by turbulence from wave driven currents provides a dynamic habitat similar to that of the movement of submergent aquatic vegetation.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the face of a corrugated strip resulting from cutting high- or low-density polyethylene pipe longitudinally;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of corrugated strips terminating into the base of a high or low density polyethylene pipe;
[0016] FIG. 3 illustrates a typical embodiment of the present invention where buoyant strips terminate into a base that is attached to a weight and then submerged in a lentic aquatic environment;
[0017] FIG. 4 shows a cross section view of an alternative attachment of strips terminating into a base that is fastened to an additional corrugated pipe;
[0018] FIG. 5. is a view of another means of frictional fit of one corrugated pipe through another corrugated pipe by means of a cut and bending;
[0019] FIG. 6. illustrates an additional embodiment of the present invention where arms of the habitat radiate outwardly from a central spoke, or aluminum hub, that is then suspended at depth in lentic aquatic environment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] The present invention utilizes buoyant strips 1 of corrugated material, as shown in FIG. 1, for use as artificial habitat where the alternating grooves and ridges are formed from cutting corrugated pipe longitudinally as to split it into two or more sections. Width of buoyant strips 1 range from 0.75 to 3.0 inches and length of buoyant strips 1 range from 12.0 to 120.0 inches. These strips can be cut from high or low density polyethylene pipe wherein corrugation is distributed evenly throughout the length of the material.
[0021] FIG. 2 shows the buoyant strip 1 connected to an uncut corrugated pipe base 2 to create a whirled pattern composed at a minimum of two buoyant strips 1 and a maximum of twenty buoyant strips 1. The diameter of the corrugated pipe base 2 ranges from 1.0 to 5.0 inches. Means of attachment between buoyant strips 1 as it connects to the corrugated pipe base 2 is provided by precise and uniform termination of tooling 3 as to not split the corrugated pipe fully.
[0022] Examples of typical embodiments of the invention are groups of one, or more, units of corrugated plastic pipe cut longitudinally to form two or more buoyant, flexible strips in lengths ranging from 2 to 10 ft that connect to an uncut corrugated plastic pipe base that is fastened to a chemically resistant weight to be submerged as artificial habitat in lentic aquatic ecosystems as in FIG. 3. Buoyant strips 1 connected to uncut corrugated bases 2 forming a unit, are arranged and fastened 4 uniformly to a chemically resistant weight 5 as to allow vertical placement to that of the horizontal plane of the benthos when submerged in an aquatic environment.
[0023] FIG. 4 demonstrates an alternative means of attaching corrugated strips 1 connected to a base 2, shown as a cross section of corrugated pipe 6 wherein whirled buoyant strips 1 connected to base 2 with a singular cut are then fastened 7 to a section of corrugated pipe 6.
[0024] FIG. 5 yet further illustrates another arrangement of base 2 that is frictionally fit to a section of uncut corrugated pipe 6. The base 2 is slit horizontally as to allow another corrugated pipe 6 to be inserted into space 19 created by the slits as to lock into position and hold the base 2 containing whirled buoyant strips in a horizontal position to that of the benthos. Sections of uncut corrugated pipe may be utilized as attachment points for buoyant strip 1 and uncut base 2 units in either a frictionally fit horizontal position or attached via a fastener as shown in FIG. 4.
[0025] An additional example of embodiment of the invention are groups of one, or more, units of corrugated plastic pipe cut longitudinally to form two or more buoyant, flexible strips 1 in lengths ranging from two to twelve feet that connect via fasteners to a hub 15 and arranged in an outwardly facing polar array as to form a spoke to extend the units in a horizontal plane to that of the benthos as in FIG. 6. The buoyant strips 1 connected to a base 2 with a singular cut as to allow coupling and then fastening over a uncut corrugated base 6 shown in FIG. 4 are utilized in a spoke style setting where five or more elongated bases 6 with both buoyant strips 1 with greater than one couple base 6 and associated strips are arranged in an outwardly facing polar array 14 connected to a further buoyant hub 15 via fasteners 5 as to form a spoke to extend in a horizontal plane to that of the benthos, which may be suspended at specific depth vertical from a plurality of weights 17 to that of the benthos 16.
[0026] A further example of a typical embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 5, are groups of one, or more, units of corrugated plastic pipe cut longitudinally to form two or more buoyant, flexible strips 1 in lengths ranging from 2 to 10 ft that connect to an uncut corrugated plastic pipe base 2 that is slit as to couple onto an additional uncut corrugated plastic pipe and attached by a fastener so that the strips radiate outwardly from the uncut corrugated plastic pipe forming a whirl of strips. The embodiments described represent the principal arrangements of the invention but should not be limited by the designated examples and therefore possible combinations inclusive to the design of corrugated, flexible, buoyant plastic material will include all methods, embodiments, and variations thereof for use in artificial fish habitat.
[0027] The habitat can be positioned at a variety of depths with the preferred placement where all components of the system are under, or just breaking through, the surface of the water as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6. The corrugated strips can be arranged individually; grouped together in one or more bound units or attached horizontally radiating out from an uncut corrugated pipe that is vertically arranged as in FIG. 6. Length of strips of corrugated pipe can range from 2 feet to 10 feet and width range from 0.5 to 3 inches.
