3D printing: The first test model of the egg harvesting puffer cave

[mountaintoppufferkeeper]

 My initial 3D printed design just finished took a few days of printing and a few weeks of designing printing in PETG filament. I havent yet got the design programs down just yet so this was printed and designed with Bambu-labs app and an A1 printer.  Yup now im hooked @Lowells Fish Lab

 

It is four parts to start the base ring with a hole for a hose to go through 

 

 

The collector a shallow bowl that has a hole in the center and falls into the chamber the slip fits into.

 

 

 

the cave floor that sits +/- 1/4 inch above the bowl and uses an x poat to center itself on the hole 

 

 

 the cave itself that slips on the top of the collector with a slight overlap down over the outside of the bowl and base by about 1/2". Looks a bit like a puffer cave tophat 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

lots of testing with pellets and flow to follow. The initial plan is to try pao fangi then pao baileyi in this. I also will print a redesign the bowl that makes that lip a vertical wall so that the top slides over and the eggs have only one place to go the bowl below

[Zenzo]

3D printers amaze me. I feel like it's the next frontier in the aquarium hobby. So many of us like to do DIY type projects, and a 3D printer unlocks so many possibilities. Thanks for sharing, and please provide updates.

[mountaintoppufferkeeper]

16 minutes ago, Zenzo said:

3D printers amaze me. I feel like it's the next frontier in the aquarium hobby. So many of us like to do DIY type projects, and a 3D printer unlocks so many possibilities. Thanks for sharing, and please provide updates.

@ZenzoSame here and agreed. Looking forward to updating the learning experiences and eventual successes with this one

[Cory]

Dean and I have been theorycrafting/testing these egg collectors. I'm convinced that automated egg collection is the wrong direction and instead swappable bottoms with a grid pattern over the tray is better. You have to get the right pitch and very smooth cone shape to get the eggs to roll in. Some of the 3d printed trays only get 40% of the eggs into the tray, and most get stuck on the "ramp" part to the hole. Even if you can get super smooth prints, you then need the right slope as well. Where a grid system, over a tray would just work well if you just swap them every say 4 days etc. In deans testing, a pop bottle for the cone out performs the 6 or so different models we've gotten to test that were 3d printed.

[mountaintoppufferkeeper]

3 hours ago, Cory said:

Dean and I have been theorycrafting/testing these egg collectors. I'm convinced that automated egg collection is the wrong direction and instead swappable bottoms with a grid pattern over the tray is better. You have to get the right pitch and very smooth cone shape to get the eggs to roll in. Some of the 3d printed trays only get 40% of the eggs into the tray, and most get stuck on the "ramp" part to the hole. Even if you can get super smooth prints, you then need the right slope as well. Where a grid system, over a tray would just work well if you just swap them every say 4 days etc. In deans testing, a pop bottle for the cone out performs the 6 or so different models we've gotten to test that were 3d printed.

Agreed for most applications. This one is more trying to avoid disturbing the puffer colony none of them. I full expect  multiple unsuccessful learning experiences on the bowl portion. That bowl will have a few versions for sure.

 

The goal is a semi-permanent /permanent cave set up i can pull from as an option when they spawn and eggs are present. The current options are to airline siphon methods I use and limit the disruption to the puffer colonies. I've noticed puffer colonies take months to re-settle if they get disturbed too much

 

The cone is more like what the spotted congo collector @Lowells Fish Lab helped me take from a decent sketch to a physical thing. A cone that holds subwassertang and a hose to pull the eggs to an @Lowells Fish Lab tray. This one in particular collects +/- 95% of the eggs. They sink so roll down and out the hose. 

 

Edited November 20 by mountaintoppufferkeeper

[Cory]

Ha, the puffers are rolling around in the sheets 😛

[mountaintoppufferkeeper]

40 minutes ago, Cory said:

Ha, the puffers are rolling around in the sheets 😛

yeah they like the subwassertang for sure just like i designed it 

[mountaintoppufferkeeper]

It has been a bit tougher to assess if the eggs will roll down the bowl with my simulated egg sinking pellets. They are a bit large. I took out the cave floor to see how the new 3" or so wall on the bowl will function. Pretty happy with that upgrade on this last print

The goal is to have the eggs roll off the floor down the cone and the flow to pull them up into the tray. I added that wall to the cone to prevent any eggs from staying on the edge

 

First run using the airlift hook in a currently empty 60 breeder.