Moss Ball with Screw Cap Shrimp Aquarium

Hello friends of the underwater world,

I was looking for a clever way to visibly integrate my moss into my small Kallax shrimp tanks. Moss is an absolute must for a small shrimp aquarium, but larger hardscape is not possible here due to space limitations

The small roots and stones were already intended for epiphytic plants that can attach themselves there with their adhesive roots. So where to put the important moss

This led to the idea of creating a pretty functional moss ball. I sat down at Fusion 360 and designed a semicircular dome with a screw cap on the underside for easy filling

The screw cap is intentionally curved inwards so that only a 1cm wide gap for the moss remains inside the dome. This means the moss is forced to grow outwards through the hexagonal holes and does not compact inside the dome's hollow space, where it would not be visible at all. Aside from that, even a small amount of moss can form a good base for rapid outward growth. Furthermore, the moss ball is securely closed by the screw cap, allowing the ball to be easily placed elsewhere later without the moss falling out or floating away

Print the dome with 100% infill, then it will definitely not float. I printed a test run once with tree supports and once with standard supports. The normal supports yielded a cleaner print result (especially on the thread). However, these supports are a bit more difficult to remove. Tree supports are easier to remove, but I experienced a few loose layers on the thread. However, these did not impair its function

Let the ball cool down completely first, then grab a pair of pointed pliers as a tool to carefully and patiently remove the supports

If you are thinking about printing several moss balls, you should duplicate the object directly the appropriate number of times, as this saves print time

I printed in PLA Basic Mistletoe Green from Bambu Lab. I thought the color was most similar to moss and therefore not as conspicuous

I would be very happy if you would rate, like, or comment on my print profile. I also always enjoy seeing how my print profile is brought to life by others – feel free to share photos with me. Boost me to support my work and reward my time spent on this project