3D Printer Art for in the Aquarium.

[BillT]

Unusual decorative elements to put in your tank.

If your going to print this, don't use PLA (somewhat water soluble), use ABS (same plastic as used in drainage plumbing parts).

http://www.fabbaloo.com/blog/2016/6/6/design-of-the-week-waterscapes?utm_source=Fabbaloo+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=f31a6bbb91-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f52584965b-f31a6bbb91-113929457

[Mugwump]

,,,now that's different...

[BallAquatics]

What we need Bill, is a bunch of grids with specified hole sized based on the size of fish eggs.  How wide will those things print?  It would be fantastic to have a grid just slightly wider than the inside tank measurement made from a strong but pliable material like HDPE.  I workig with lots of HDPE pipe in environmental remediation and came to love it for it's versatility.

Dennis

[Mugwump]

What we need Bill, is a bunch of grids with specified hole sized based on the size of fish eggs.  How wide will those things print?  It would be fantastic to have a grid just slightly wider than the inside tank measurement made from a strong but pliable material like HDPE.  I workig with lots of HDPE pipe in environmental remediation and came to love it for it's versatility.

Dennis

yes, it would....I could use a couple/few myself....

[BillT]

Can't say I have heard of any HDPE for 3D printers. But this is an approach I have thought about.
You could drill a bunch of holes in an HDPE sheet (boring (double meaning)), but then you might have to deburr the holes (doubly boring).

Printing something flat with a bunch of holes in it should not be so difficult, but the horizontal dimensions are usually not so big (maybe 5" x5") so you would have to make several and join them together somehow.

I have used meshes (which are pretty cheap for the area size you get to cover) with various hole sizes mounted (hinged or removable) on large holes in the top of large flat boxes for either collecting eggs, or just letting them fall in there away from the parents so they can get a chance to hatch.

The let the eggs hatch in there approach has worked well for my Danio jaintianensis fish. Those guys don't seem so interested in eating the young hatchlings.

I have a box that fits in a 10 G tank with about 1/2 inch of space on one side and 3-4" at the front. Its a hassle to remove and replace it since it is close to the size of the tank interior which is probably I started leaving it in.
The meshes are easy to cut, but finding a box of a convenient size (with a see through front) is not so easy.

It might be possible to print some kind of mesh support thing in small parts that would hold the grid up and provide a clear view of what's in there, but you could no pick it up and remove it with the eggs inside.
Or you could custom make a box of your desired dimensions.