is PLA Reef safe?
- Thread starter GHOSTLY
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dragon99
2500 Club Member
No it's not. Use PETG
www.reef2reef.com
3d printing plastic reef safe
My buddy bought a 3d printer and said he can print anything for me. I asked him to print me a random flow nozzle. He though he had the hatchbox black pla which is reef safe but had this overture stuff. Does anyone know if its reef safe. If not, im not gonna risk it. I can always buy a know reef...
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Gtinnel
10K Club member
I've had stuff printed out of petg in my tank for around 2 years without issue. I've had printed items in my tank in the past that were printed with pla but I switched after reading that it was questionable on whether it's safe or not.
GK3
Valuable Member
PLA when totally dissolve if submerged, it’s not a question of if but when. All of that goes into your tank which is no good. My recommendation is to use AbS or PETG.
BadSquishy
Community Member
I’ve got several 3D printed parts made from black PLA in my tank. Been there for nearly a year and never had any issues. Coralline grows right over it.
BadSquishy
Community Member
Yes, totally ok. Just to set your mind at ease, PLA is totally nontoxic and is considered a very environmentally friendly plastic. It’s also been researched extensively, here’s a review paper if you’re interested:
Poly(lactic Acid): A Versatile Biobased Polymer for the Future with Multifunctional Properties—From Monomer Synthesis, Polymerization Techniques and Molecular Weight Increase to PLA Applications
Environmental problems, such as global warming and plastic pollution have forced researchers to investigate alternatives for conventional plastics. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA), one of the well-known eco-friendly biodegradables and biobased polyesters, has been studied extensively and is considered...
www.mdpi.com
Gtinnel
10K Club member
More than likely it'll be fine, but why not just get some petg. It's nearly as easy to print with and IME gives more structurally sound prints also.
OP
OP
GHOSTLY
2500 Club Member
My school has a 3D printer for 10 cents per gram. They only got have PLA. They have no intentions on getting the other ones
Isopod80
Valuable Member
I think you'll probably be OK in the short term. Just know that it's a bioplastic designed to degrade easily, depending on the manufacturer it's been known to have undesirable impurities, and it's often said to swell when in contact with water. If the filament your school has happens to be listed as PLA + I would avoid it due to the additives.
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I use PLA in my tank for test and fit, then print out of PETG for the final version. I've had some PLA stuff in for 6-8 months with out issue. I recently printed a flow diverter for my gyre pump from silk PLA and it's doing fine.
Gtinnel
10K Club member
What's the advantage of doing a test print in pla if you want the item to be petg anyway? Pla is cheaper but it's not by much.
Reef AquaCult
Well-Known Member
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I have a pla dosing line holder submerged for 3 years no problems. I wouldn’t be too worried about it
OP
OP
GHOSTLY
2500 Club Member
I dont have enough for that
Paleozoic_reefer
Valuable Member
I think you'll find that the answer to this will always be split down the middle. I personally have PLA printed material in my tank and sump and they have been there, in some cases, for well over a year. Corralline grows over almost all of it over time and seals it right up. From my experience, not only has PLA not degraded but I do not see any negative side effects from any printed items. I also don't think I've ever seen a post that states that a specific issue in someone's tank has directly happened because of PLA degradation and has tests (ICP or otherwise) to prove it. With that being said every tank is different (water chemistry, lighting intensity, filtration, livestock, etc.) so it could very well be that in some tanks PLA would degrade over time and harm the tanks inhabitants. If your dead set on using PLA I would print small parts and test them in the tank monitoring any subtle changes over time. If anything negatively begins to happens over a few weeks/months then perhaps ABS or PETG is the way to go for your tank.
