SLA (3D Printed) Aquarium Safe Resin

[Tihsho]

I'm fairly sure I know the answer and I've seen it covered in a few threads over the years, but with the changes in materials and technology I wasn't sure if there was an update.

I've got a few designs that require being printed with the SLA process, so I'm on the fence of do I continue working with the model I'm designing or do I axe it and take the model as a reference for making it FDM friendly.

I've printed tons of aquarium parts over the years in PETG without an issue, but the SLA process is where the unknown is. I've seen some people have reached out to FormLabs, a company who tend to be a head of the curve in regards to SLA and know their resin's very well, and their response seemed to say the parts were marine safe, though they recommended that the marine application was more so for boats or marine equipment rather than enclosed environments like aquariums. Last update I could see that someone got from them came out in 2019.

 

[Ron Reefman]

anybody here big into 3D printing that can help?

 

[m_t_r_86]

I'll help bring this thread back to life.

I too have been wondering this. Many things i print on a fdm printer would be an easier print on a sla like anenome guards and other intricate parts.

 

[AdamD76]

I have printed a few things on the Form2 in the tough resin. They were in the tank for about 6 months with no ill effect i could see. I did cure them extra long just to make sure. I don't have pics. They were nozzles for the return.

 

[Bufu11]

Anyone else? Looking for a reason to add to the printer collection lol

 

[afrokobe]

hopefully someone has an answer to this... I already have a resin printer and would need to go out and buy a fdm one if I were to print some parts.

 

[J.durk]

I would also like to know!

 

[Vivid Creative Aquatics Verified Sponsor]

We are playing around with resin SLA and resin printed parts. And so far so good. The key being that you want to make sure the parts are thoroughly washed and cured. Raw resin can be highly toxic, but cured resin has no real issues.

The challenge really is just getting the printed part as clean and as cured as possible. This can be a hard for parts with lots of nooks and carnies or internal spaces

The other thing to watch out for is exposure to UV light. UV light will generally causer the part to continue to cure and ultimately get brittle. However, parts that are in the sump do not generally get exposed to a lot of UV light - at least not like they would in the display tank. Most parts we have tested or seen other do that are intended for the display tank have a limited lifespan.

 

[Malcontent]

I was thinking of buying a resin printer but changed my mind after reading a few studies on toxicity.

 

[nullbreached]

I was thinking of buying a resin printer but changed my mind after reading a few studies on toxicity.

Thanks for the link. And that study also references other studies into PETG as well—so that may not even be as safe as presumed for FDM printing as I had hoped. Especially for a closed environment. Yikes.

 

[etyrnal]

i wonder if pH makes a difference, and temperature

 

[etyrnal]

i also wonder if the toxicity is removed by filtration... i.e. the levels winding up being too low to cause harm if the filtration is constantly removing any leached out

 

[robojunkie]

I have printed a few things on the Form2 in the tough resin. They were in the tank for about 6 months with no ill effect i could see. I did cure them extra long just to make sure. I don't have pics. They were nozzles for the return.

Hey Adam. Are you still running the same returns? How were you able to get them to stop curing? I'd actually like to print an RFG in a smaller size than FDM will allow. I'm also trying to find out f anyone has anything other than anecdotal evidence around whether certain resins are reef safe when cured properly.

Thanks!

 

[robojunkie]

We are playing around with resin SLA and resin printed parts. And so far so good. The key being that you want to make sure the parts are thoroughly washed and cured. Raw resin can be highly toxic, but cured resin has no real issues.

The challenge really is just getting the printed part as clean and as cured as possible. This can be a hard for parts with lots of nooks and carnies or internal spaces

The other thing to watch out for is exposure to UV light. UV light will generally causer the part to continue to cure and ultimately get brittle. However, parts that are in the sump do not generally get exposed to a lot of UV light - at least not like they would in the display tank. Most parts we have tested or seen other do that are intended for the display tank have a limited lifespan.

How long have you been running SLA printed parts in your tank at this point? Is the tank fully stocked? Are you seeing any change in coral growth or fish behavior? I just want to be sure before I pull the trigger on this. I may test in my hospital tank first.

 

[Vivid Creative Aquatics Verified Sponsor]

How long have you been running SLA printed parts in your tank at this point? Is the tank fully stocked? Are you seeing any change in coral growth or fish behavior? I just want to be sure before I pull the trigger on this. I may test in my hospital tank first.

On and off for about a year now - Unfortunately the longest we have been able to get a part to last in the display tank without becoming brittle is about 1 to 2 week, unless the parts are printed extremely thick, in which case you get a few more weeks.


SLA parts last much longer in the sump, where they are not expressed to as much light - particularly UV light

Hey Adam. Are you still running the same returns? How were you able to get them to stop curing? I'd actually like to print an RFG in a smaller size than FDM will allow. I'm also trying to find out f anyone has anything other than anecdotal evidence around whether certain resins are reef safe when cured properly.

Thanks!

We manufacture the patented Random Flow Generator® pretty small - how small do you need to go?

 

[AdamD76]

Hey Adam. Are you still running the same returns? How were you able to get them to stop curing? I'd actually like to print an RFG in a smaller size than FDM will allow. I'm also trying to find out f anyone has anything other than anecdotal evidence around whether certain resins are reef safe when cured properly.

Thanks!

They cracked and i replaced them with store bought abs parts. I don't know if they cracked on their own or I did it adjusting them.

 

[Simon_V]

Hello all.. I have just registered to reply to this thread because I am looking for information about the safety of resin printed objects in aquariums (though I am looking at freshwater). I have both an SLA and an FDM printer. I print PETG objects for my tanks but only in clear. I found out last week that not all filaments are tank safe. I printed a basket to hang on the side of the tank to plant some emergent plants in the tank and the filament was gold. The tank was a live food tank with a large daphnia culture going in it. I used PLA+ instead of PETG (but I am assuming the same issue exists in PETG) and I came out the next day and almost the entire culture was dead. I did some more digging and found that the metallic filaments are made by incorporating real metal powders and one of the metals in the gold filament was copper. Now I have read about how toxic copper is to aquatic invertebrates but it didn't twig to me that the filament actually contained metals that would leech into the water so quickly and in such large amounts. The filament was significantly lighter the next day. So whilst some filament printed objects might be safe for aquariums, not all of them are. I would stick to clear PETG to make objects for the aquarium. I reprinted the basket in clear PETG and so far my copepod and amphipod culture has remained unaffected. This brings me to resins. I think the answer lays in it depends which resin you use. I use Siraya Sculpt and Anycubic Basic clear. The Sculpt is classed as an engineering resin for its high strength and high temperature tolerances. It gets this from having various metals infused in it to form a very viscous suspension that reinforces the crosslinking during the curing process. The Anycubic Basic clear is much less viscous, not as strong, and much faster to print on my RGB SLA printer (hanging out for the new 6K mono printers about to hit the shelves). I think the clear would be a much safe option for aquariums than the Sculpt though I have not tested it. I am wanting to make a CO2 diffuser for a tank but am cautious given the terrible smell these resins have whilst printing. You can get around the continued UV degradation by applying a coat of marine aquarium safe spray paint to the part after you have cured and dried it.

 

[Simon_V]

Uh oh! 3D printed objects found to be toxic to fish

Researchers have discovered that plastic objects created by both types of popular 3D printing techniques do serious harm to fish, at least when it comes to zebrafish embryo development.

reefs.com

Though when they say STL they mean SLA

 

[Simon_V]

I also messaged Anycubic today asking them if there was any known toxicity issues with using their resins in aquariums and their reply was they wouldn't recommend it (without giving specifics).

 

[nvcheeko]

I Print all my Stuff in PETG and PLA i have mount in my tank PLA for nearly 2 years, and i have had ABS too for Resin i woudnt recommend it as most marine tanks have UV lights so it will just over exposure and go brittle, They might last few months in tank but i woudnt rish it. I just know from my experiance i print parts in RESIN and only last few months in direct sunlght.