So I have been in the reef aquarium hobby for about 4 years now and I am a mechanical engineering student in college with a big interest in 3D printing. I would like to use the knowledge I have to better my reef tanks by printing any parts or things that I need.
Searching through Reef2Reef and other forums I find a lot of talk about ABS, PLA and other more coming plastics however barely any definitive answer as to which one is really safe for reef tanks. I know there aren't definitive studies on the long term affects of plastics in reef tanks however most if not everyone does keep plastic in their aquariums. For those people who have used ABA, PLA or PETG how have those plastics held up in your aquariums? And for anyone who has extensive knowledge in plastics and chemistry in general what is your opinion on using Nylon or Nylon X ( carbon fiber infused)? And finally what type of plastics to industry leaders like ecotech and other companies make their products out of? Thanks for the help, cant wait to see the responses!
Searching through Reef2Reef and other forums I find a lot of talk about ABS, PLA and other more coming plastics however barely any definitive answer as to which one is really safe for reef tanks. I know there aren't definitive studies on the long term affects of plastics in reef tanks however most if not everyone does keep plastic in their aquariums. For those people who have used ABA, PLA or PETG how have those plastics held up in your aquariums? And for anyone who has extensive knowledge in plastics and chemistry in general what is your opinion on using Nylon or Nylon X ( carbon fiber infused)? And finally what type of plastics to industry leaders like ecotech and other companies make their products out of? Thanks for the help, cant wait to see the responses!