Would you buy this?

[MauiAnglerReef]

I got a 3d printer and I am thinking of setting up a small store for unique custom aquarium items designed by me.

I designed this model as a test, and it works perfectly. I call it “Ring of Corals”

It’s a very unique frag rack that can adjust height like a screw.

I used PLA for the one in the video, but I will use a transparent PETG on the final product.

The price would probably be around like $10 - $15 but shipping costs 20 bucks cause I’m in Hawaii

Would you buy this?

 

[MauiAnglerReef]

 

[MauiAnglerReef]

Bump

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

I'm not much on frag racks that sit in the sand, but I see one design issue with this in that if you stick it near a powerhead it'll potentially drop your corals down as the powerhead spins the rack. I also wonder if it'd be really top heavy

 

[MauiAnglerReef]

I'm not much on frag racks that sit in the sand, but I see one design issue with this in that if you stick it near a powerhead it'll potentially drop your corals down as the powerhead spins the rack. I also wonder if it'd be really top heavy

Good point, I never thought about a power head… and maybe I’ll make the screw shorter as well

I could also add places for magnets and put the rack on a ball joint so you can stick it on a wall

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

Good point, I never thought about a power head… and maybe I’ll make the screw shorter as well

I could also add places for magnets and put the rack on a ball joint so you can stick it on a wall

I'm no engineer, but if you made a removable bit near the threads similar to a motor keyway this design could work. Just make it easily removable. Pop out the keyway, twist up the ring a few rotations, put the key back in. I could see this working for acclimating corals to higher light.

 

[exnisstech]

I think the base will need to be larger and and or weighted to prevent it from falling over. I was actually looking for something like this recently to add some tester frags to a tank. The tank has 3/4 glass as well as a 4" euro brace so a magnetic rack doesn't cut it.

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

I think the base will need to be larger and and or weighted to prevent it from falling over.

My thoughts exactly. I also thought this would be cool in a peice of that flat on the bottom base rock, and drill a hole in it and stick this in it, make it as tall of your rock structure and it would be super easy to acclimate your corals to lighting intensities

 

[MauiAnglerReef]

Maybe it could be an acclimation piece then instead of a permanent rack, I could easily make the base bigger. Also when I get the PTFE filament, I will test it in my tank that has a power head.

 

[BryanM]

If I was a frag rack user I'd probably buy it. I tend to glue or place things in my tank though.

 

[MauiAnglerReef]

I updated the rack

 

[UncommonSense]

I updated the rack

A wing nut on the threaded shaft below the frag rack threads would work well to lock the rack in clocked orientation; tightening two nuts together makes a remarkably strong locking effect!

(I’ve used this trick many times to extract threaded studs from cylinder heads, just the friction fit of two nuts tightened together is enough to unscrew the entire stud using the nuts!)

 

[MauiAnglerReef]

It comes with 6 frag plugs and because of the 2nd nut it is very strong

I will put it up for order hopefully this week

 

[Blitheran]

Maybe add a lip to the bottom so you can place small rocks to make it bottom heavy?

Or make the base screwable so you can remove it place a rock on the rod and screw the bottom plate back on to make it bottom heavy

 

[MauiAnglerReef]

Maybe add a lip to the bottom so you can place small rocks to make it bottom heavy?

Or make the base screwable so you can remove it place a rock on the rod and screw the bottom plate back on to make it bottom heavy

 

[UncommonSense]

Another pro tip, assuming you don’t already know…

— McMaster-carr offers free DXF files for a lot of their inventory! You can just pull all your hardware dimensions off steel hardware DXFs to print in plastic!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I think it is neat. Have you tested it with heavier objects being in the frag slots? I just wonder how it would do with a lot of weight, stuff bumping into it, and wavemaker/return pump flow hitting it