3-D Printed Aquarium "Stuff"

[Alesha]

I don't have a 3-D printer, but we have a friend who does. He told me to take a look in the Thingiverse and see if there was anything I could use. 

Well...37 pages out of over-130 pages later...I had a whole list of things I "neeeeeded." 😆

Does anyone else use 3-D projects in your aquariums? There were some incredibly creative things there! I'd love to know if you found some cool "thingi" to use in your fishy world.

[Steph’s Fish and Plants]

I don’t have a 3D printer myself but a while back I won an Instagram giveaway from someone who does and makes betta training rings! I can only imagine the variety of things you’ve found. I know there’s a saltwater guy who has a website and several 3D printers and one of the many things he sells is tube drying racks, I feel like that would be my first thing I’d do. And maybe a new brine shrimp stand for the ziss Hatcher 😅 but I’ll probs just do the PVC tip

[TheDukeAnumber1]

Yes! \ (•◡•) /

I designed and use and or have used these!

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3891884

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3774602

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3456731

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3375040

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1282574

Plus a few more odds and ends that I never posted. My favorite though is a small scoop I printed to be just the right size for my feeding and bottles with a little pocket on the end for a magent. It's my little secret that I carry it with me everythere lol, I never forget to feed my fish on time.

@akconklin

What are some of the things you're excited about? I don't think I ever searched thingiverse so deeply for aquarium stuff as you have.

Edited October 21, 2020 by TheDukeAnumber1

[BisScottie Non-Ya]

15 minutes ago, Steph’s Fish and Plants said:

I don’t have a 3D printer myself but a while back I won an Instagram giveaway from someone who does and makes betta training rings! I can only imagine the variety of things you’ve found. I know there’s a saltwater guy who has a website and several 3D printers and one of the many things he sells is tube drying racks, I feel like that would be my first thing I’d do. And maybe a new brine shrimp stand for the ziss Hatcher 😅 but I’ll probs just do the PVC tip

   Could you post or DM a link to the saltwater 3D printer guy please? I love everything about 3D printing but I can't afford a printer :/ Would anyone know of a website that allows you to send them 3D printing designs to made and they ship out to you after its been created?

46 minutes ago, akconklin said:

I don't have a 3-D printer, but we have a friend who does. He told me to take a look in the Thingiverse and see if there was anything I could use. 

Well...37 pages out of over-130 pages later...I had a whole list of things I "neeeeeded." 😆

Does anyone else use 3-D projects in your aquariums? There were some incredibly creative things there! I'd love to know if you found some cool "thingi" to use in your fishy world.

   Thanks for bringing this up! I have so many ideas to model now. Do you think we would need a certain type of filament to keep it fish safe? 

[TheDukeAnumber1]

1 minute ago, BisScottie said:

I love everything about 3D printing but I can't afford a printer 😕

Just to throw it out there, my 3d printer that I have been using for years now was I think $180 shipped to my door. Was a DIY kit that I had to build and calibrate myself but IMO the work and learning that came with it was worth it, and if you love 3D printing you may find it worth it too.

Just weight that against the cost of other ppl printing it for you :)

[BisScottie Non-Ya]

Just now, TheDukeAnumber1 said:

Just to throw it out there, my 3d printer that I have been using for years now was I think $180 shipped to my door. Was a DIY kit that I had to build and calibrate myself but IMO the work and learning that came with it was worth it, and if you love 3D printing you may find it worth it too.

Just weight that against the cost of other ppl printing it for you :)

That's a good point! Would you be as so kind to DM me a link to the one you purchased please? 

[Steph’s Fish and Plants]

@BisScottiei believe his YouTube is FishofHex. I’m not sure exactly what else he does but you can certainly start there and poke around.

[Alesha]

1 hour ago, TheDukeAnumber1 said:

 

@akconklin

What are some of the things you're excited about? I don't think I ever searched thingiverse so deeply for aquarium stuff as you have.

Oh my word, @TheDukeAnumber1, the puffer house is so stinkin' cute!!! What a great idea!

The thing I'm most exited about is a set of clamps to keep my light on my tank:  

Finnex Stingray LED aquarium light retainer by jslaker - Thingiverse

WWW.THINGIVERSE.COM

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The mounting clips that come with this light don't really secure the light to the tank very well and I've had a couple of scares with the light nearly getting knocked into the tank as a result. This slips over the factory mounting clip...

That will make my life SO much better! Ha!!!

He also did a ring to keep the duckweed contained. I'm not a cat person, but it's just so darn cute! And of course, the round one is awesome too.

I was also looking at these:

 

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2590150     Python cover

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2888394     Plant basket

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3782941     Plant holder

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3128443     Scissors/Tweezer holders

 

It's a whole new world in the Thingiverse, isn't it?! Brilliant name, whoever came up with that.  🙂

[Cory]

Maybe once I finish moving I"ll get into this. I've been wanting to for 5+ years. Is it as simple as having a working 3d printer, then downloading those thingverse files and clicking a print button essentially?

[Alesha]

15 minutes ago, Cory said:

Maybe once I finish moving I"ll get into this. I've been wanting to for 5+ years. Is it as simple as having a working 3d printer, then downloading those thingverse files and clicking a print button essentially?

I think that's the basic idea. I'm sure @TheDukeAnumber1 could answer this better than I. Some of the projects can be modified, but it does take some measuring skills & my friend uses what he called a "screen caliper" to make changes. It's all a wee bit over my head. 

I hope you find time to try it out! 

[Lizzie Block]

@Dean’s Fishroomhas this reallyyyy cool 3D printed device that sits at the end of a hose for filling up tanks and it dispurses water around so you don't disturb your plants/substrate. It worked super well when we filled up an aquascaped 75 gallon on Sunday! Nothing floated or got uprooted during fill up. 

Looks sorta like this :

[Alesha]

3 minutes ago, Lizzie Block said:

@Dean’s Fishroomhas this reallyyyy cool 3D printed device that sits at the end of a hose for filling up tanks and it dispurses water around so you don't disturb your plants/substrate. It worked super well when we filled up an aquascaped 75 gallon on Sunday! Nothing floated or got uprooted during fill up. 

Looks sorta like this :

@Lizzie Block, Maybe this?

H2O Diffusor fürs Aquarium by HGW - Thingiverse

WWW.THINGIVERSE.COM

---

Um das Aufwirbeln des Sandes beim Wasserwechsel mit dem Schlauch zu verhindern, habe ich...

 

[Lizzie Block]

1 minute ago, akconklin said:

@Lizzie Block, Maybe this?

H2O Diffusor fürs Aquarium by HGW - Thingiverse

WWW.THINGIVERSE.COM

---

Um das Aufwirbeln des Sandes beim Wasserwechsel mit dem Schlauch zu verhindern, habe ich...

 

Yes! There it is! I should have known it would be on Thingiverse. 😅 I'd love to get my hands on one of these. It would make water changes on aquascapes a cinch. And a more reasonable size than the kitchen colander I'd been using. Just need to find someone with a 3D printer... 

[jefferz]

I've printed a couple of things but nothing that goes in the tank.  If you're going to make stuff to go in your tank, make sure they use ABS or food grade PETG filament.  If you use PLA, the most common type of filament, it will disintegrate in your tank.  PLA is usually made of corn but the dye used is toxic.
One of the best things I've made is a test kit holder for the API FW Master kit.  I love it and would highly recommend making one if you have a printer.  
I've also made a mount  to hold a computer fan for cooling.  For my friends SW sump I made a dosing line holder.
I like my 3d printer, but if the object is commercially available I'd rather buy it.

[Andy's Fish Den]

7 hours ago, Lizzie Block said:

@Dean’s Fishroomhas this reallyyyy cool 3D printed device that sits at the end of a hose for filling up tanks and it dispurses water around so you don't disturb your plants/substrate. It worked super well when we filled up an aquascaped 75 gallon on Sunday! Nothing floated or got uprooted during fill up. 

Looks sorta like this :

I won something similar to this in a raffle on a plants and shrimp page, I like the idea and concept but the inside must not be even or something as water barely comes out of a couple of the holes. 

I also got some shrimp hides that a fellow member of my local fish club has been making. 

[Alesha]

3 hours ago, jefferz said:

One of the best things I've made is a test kit holder for the API FW Master kit.  I love it and would highly recommend making one if you have a printer.  

@jefferz, that test kit is awesome! And thanks for the information about the different kinds of filament. I didn't know that. 

[TheDukeAnumber1]

9 hours ago, Cory said:

Maybe once I finish moving I"ll get into this. I've been wanting to for 5+ years. Is it as simple as having a working 3d printer, then downloading those thingverse files and clicking a print button essentially?

Typically yes. My process is to make an STL file or get an STL file from thingiverse, run it through a program called slicr to get g-code, throw it on the printers SD card, check the print bed and hit go. When everything is as it should be the whole process takes 5min. Some of the more feature rich printers will have things like bed auto leveling so you never have to level the print bed and some have software that can make things a little easier.

@jefferz & @akconklin

I've had PLA in my aquariums for years and it does not degrade, it is technically bio-degradable but that is very misleading since that process will only take place in an industrial setting at like 140 degrees. I also tested it by burying some in a compose bin I have but 2 years later when we took out the compose it had not degraded at all. As for the toxic dye I doubt that is true either. PLA is generally considered food safe and additives are locked up in the PLA anyways, I have yet to notice any negative effects from adding PLA or ABS to my aquariums.

I used to print with ABS but it is a pain in the butt sometimes for tending to warp larger parts, I almost exclusively use PLA and would recommend it for anyone who is starting out.

Edited October 21, 2020 by TheDukeAnumber1

[Alesha]

54 minutes ago, TheDukeAnumber1 said:

 

@jefferz & @akconklin

I've had PLA in my aquariums for years and it does not degrade, it is technically bio-degradable but that is very misleading since that process will only take place in an industrial setting at like 140 degrees. I also tested it by burying some in a compose bin I have but 2 years later when we took out the compose it had not degraded at all. As for the toxic dye I doubt that is true either. PLA is generally considered food safe and additives are locked up in the PLA anyways, I have yet to notice any negative effects from adding PLA or ABS to my aquariums.

I used to print with ABS but it is a pain in the butt sometimes for tending to warp larger parts, I almost exclusively use PLA and would recommend it for anyone who is starting out.

Thanks for the additional info, @TheDukeAnumber1.  Experience is almost always the best teacher, in my opinion. 🙂   

[josh@jtri.com]

The salt water community over at Reef2Reef has a TON of models posted.  A long thread on filament types too.   

3d Printed Aquarium Parts Archive Thread | REEF2REEF Saltwater and Reef Aquarium Forum

WWW.REEF2REEF.COM

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With all the different things being made and shared in the 3d printing world it can be really hard to find what is even available to us reefers. To help remedy that I thought I'd start an archive...

 

[Kyogadude]

This conversation is #Nerm Level 1000. And I read the whole thing 😉

[Streetwise]

I bought a Fluval Plant Nano for a fishfam friend, @AquariumThoughts, so he could come up with a mounting bracket for rimmed tanks, and he is documenting the whole process. I haven’t tried a prototype yet, but it looks cool so far.

 

 

3D file: 

Fluval Nano Light Rimmed Tank Adapter by AquariumThoughts - Thingiverse

WWW.THINGIVERSE.COM

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Design to attach the Fluval Nano Light to a rimmed tank as opposed to a rimless tank that they include in the box. Design Process - Part 1: https://youtu.be/-B6p9HLLmDk This design requires a stainless steel...

 

Edited November 22, 2020 by Streetwise

[Streetwise]

Dave @AquariumThoughts, I finally watched your new video. Thank you! I really appreciate you sharing the design. I plan to order a few of the final iteration.

 

[AquariumThoughts]

@StreetwiseI hope it works great for your usage. Only part that might be problematic is the hole where the screw goes into the nut. A little drilling fixed that for me.

[Alesha]

I thought I'd show off a few things our friend 3D printed for us. 

These hooks were brilliant. Just super-glued them on the inside of the door of the aquarium stand.

 

This little moss dome was so cute, but I thought instead of gluing the moss on the top, I'd stuff it inside the dome. I'm hoping it will start growing out all the little holes. I call it my "BioDome". 😆

And this little plant basket was an uh-oh. I forgot to tell my friend that my tank has a rim. These were planned for a rimless tank. So...I popped off the little hooks and added/glued in 2 suction cups. They hold my pothos really great and even a stem of lucky bamboo too! 

I still have other goodies that I haven't had time to get to. I'll share them when I do! 🙂

Alesha (akconklin)

[Daniel]

I now know what I want 3-D printed. Earlier today I thought I could see a little aquarium inside of one of @akconklin's aquariums. This would be a really cool piece of decoration.

But what would make this decoration even cooler would be that the little piece of aquarium decoration then had an even littler aquarium as decoration inside it as well. Sorta of a recursive surreal hall of mirrors thing.