ABS fumes harmfull to Aquarium?

Hi everyone,

the wiki says ABS fumes can be toxic up to a level to kill birds and cause headaches to people. How about printing with ABS close to an aquarium?

I don't have much space and I am thinking about building one of this carbon activated filters, that have been posted in the forum/google groups.

Lastly, any notes on using ABS printed object in a saltwater aquarium?
I noticed PLA isn't an option, due to the bacterias and high pH of the saltwater.

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Cheers,
Franklin Dattein

ABS is used pretty often in aquarium pumps, so I assume that is safe for the fish. ABS is salt water tolerant.

As for printing close to an aquarium, I can't say that I have ever tried it, but I do know that ABS fumes that react with water will float on top of the water like a rainbow colored oil slick. So if you see an oil slick in the aquarium the answer would be no and use a paper towel to soak up the ABS slick.

I've got a salt water nano near my printer. The aquarium took a shot because I spend all my time with my printer now

I've worried about ABS fumes, too, and recently decided to migrate to 100% PLA. Have toyed with printing a protein skimmer for the aquarium, though.

@Chowderhead,

as far as I understand, if you put PLA in salt water it will dissolve due to the high pH and be consumed by the bacterias.
Biopelets used in saltwater aquariums are very similar biodegradable plastic material.

it makes me wonder though what dose the bacteria turn the pla into, for somethings it might not be a bad choice, like the bio pellets.

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[mike-mack.blogspot.com]

PLA is just a starch that has had the monomer changed into a polymer by heat. Water alone will dissolve PLA within a few months. Add in a few bacteria and it can be dissolved within a few weeks.
I haven't seen any formal papers on what the bacteria do to the PLA during composting, but if i had to guess I would say the bacteria convert the lactide polymer into a lactide monomer and then into lactic acid which they consume. Ultimately PLA breaks down into CO2 and water.
Maybe NatureWorks or Cargill corp. have some papers on it.

Bacteria doesnt directly turn PLA (biopellets) into anything, what they do is utilize the starch along side PO4 and NO3 to grow. This can lead to to removal of nutrients from the water. In the case of biopellets, you use it to increase bacteria population and then to have them be skimmed out by the skimmer as a method of nutrient export. That is how biopoellets work (PLA). Now the alkine solution will dissolve PLA quite fast. take some sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and mix it with water. drop some colored PLA into it and within days you'll get a colored solution that was based on your PLA color.

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Kreativ-e
Tinkerine Studio