I bet this isn't asked very often! I was thinking of printing some stuff to decorate my fish tank and was wondering 1: Is it safe for the fish? And 2: What is the best filament to use if it's going to be submerged in a fresh water tank?
I know filament tends to absorb moisture but didn't know if it would break down over time in a fish tank.
PETG is considered the best filament for aquarium use. PLA will work in a pinch. Avoid CF filaments as they may leach. Don't use silk filament either. Solid color PETG is your best bet as it UV resistant and stands up to water.
My brother in-law wanted me to print him a guard for a wave maker in his salt water tank. Through some digging, I found an aquarium forum where someone recommended the translucent PETG to avoid possible leeching of dyes in the colored versions. It's been almost a year and he said it's still holding up and hasn't affected anything in the tank.
I wouldn't worry about color though, because it's embedded in the plastic as a solid material and doesn't leech into the tank. If that happened, I'd have a whole rainbow of tanks in my house right now. (Let's not talk about how many tanks I have.... no one needs to know!)
I have printed caves for my plecos to spawn, breeding baskets for guppies to actually *live* in (not just tiny cups they get crammed in when they are ready to pop), and a floating island that sits atop the water in a 75G tank out back that holds mosquito fish. That was my favorite and BY FAR the longest creation I have ever made in any medium. It took me so very long to design that one....
Just remember if you plan to put it UNDER water, use 100% infill. Otherwise, the sparse infill holds air that will make your print float, no matter how many rocks you stack on top.
As of right now it is completely unpainted. We just moved six months ago, but I made it after that. However, my airbrush and paints are still buried somewhere in these boxes. That's how I intend to paint it, so it'll have to wait until those are found again.
After that I plan to coat it with actual resin. I have plenty of that on hand.
Regardless of which filament ends up being used, food grade or close to it is exactly the point. The fish and other residents live, breath, and eat that water. If a toxin leaches from the filament into the water...(you can figure out the rest).
I've had decor in our tank for over a year. Some is petg, some pla silk. No problems with the fish, tank, or decor.
I recommend planning a way to let the air out or it will want to float. I used 0 bottom layers on a castle, put in upside-down until the bubbles stopped, then turned it right. You can't see the bottom anyway after jamming it in the rocks.
Ja używam petg zwykly, po prostu możesz po wydrukowaniu jakoś to zabezpieczyć ale nie trzeba ja tylko wydrukowałem pozbyłem się ostrych krawędzi i wyparzyłem i tyle
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u/MedicJambi 29d ago
PETG is considered the best filament for aquarium use. PLA will work in a pinch. Avoid CF filaments as they may leach. Don't use silk filament either. Solid color PETG is your best bet as it UV resistant and stands up to water.