Windy
Active Member
I thought others might like to see what a 3d printer can do.
I have a fish room and I keep clownfish pairs in 20 gal high tanks. The tanks are all hooked to a central system, but each tank has a separate feeder. I feed 3 times a day with dry food and once a day with Fertility Frenzy. Each feeder has a modified funnel below it to keep the food in place until it gets wet and sinks. Otherwise, the food goes out the overflow of the tank. It’s a version of a feeder ring. The problem with my design is that it uses a funnel and there is a slope to the upper end. Dry food slides down the slope and a little bit sticks at the water line. Over a few days this builds up and starts to rot, so my food sinker works but requires a lot of cleaning. Not good when I am gone for a week. Here is the picture of one feeder:
And here is the funnel:
Along come a 3d printer and I redesigned my sinker ring and printed it in ABS plastic. This is what it looks like:
Here it is ready to drop in:
It fits:
And here it is in use:
So my next project is to replace my Oscar Overflows. This design is used to skim water from the top of the tank and if it plugs has a screened overflow on top for safety. I make them from PVC fittings. They are fragile and hard to make. My new design may not be round but I will show you what it looks like when I get one printed. This is an Oscar Overflow:
I have a fish room and I keep clownfish pairs in 20 gal high tanks. The tanks are all hooked to a central system, but each tank has a separate feeder. I feed 3 times a day with dry food and once a day with Fertility Frenzy. Each feeder has a modified funnel below it to keep the food in place until it gets wet and sinks. Otherwise, the food goes out the overflow of the tank. It’s a version of a feeder ring. The problem with my design is that it uses a funnel and there is a slope to the upper end. Dry food slides down the slope and a little bit sticks at the water line. Over a few days this builds up and starts to rot, so my food sinker works but requires a lot of cleaning. Not good when I am gone for a week. Here is the picture of one feeder:
And here is the funnel:
Along come a 3d printer and I redesigned my sinker ring and printed it in ABS plastic. This is what it looks like:
Here it is ready to drop in:
It fits:
And here it is in use:
So my next project is to replace my Oscar Overflows. This design is used to skim water from the top of the tank and if it plugs has a screened overflow on top for safety. I make them from PVC fittings. They are fragile and hard to make. My new design may not be round but I will show you what it looks like when I get one printed. This is an Oscar Overflow:
