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Joined 3 years ago
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Cake day: July 18th, 2023

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  • I’m not an expert on this, but I’ve worked with fresh and saltwater aquaria for years and here’s what I can say: food grade plastics should be fine to use, since they are not supposed to break down in water. I 3D print a lot, and PLA is not safe for aquaria because it is made of plant material and biodegrades in water over time, while PETG is generally safe for aquaria – but you have to be careful of what dyes/colors are used, same with ABS and nylon so long as they say ‘food grade’. Fish are pretty tolerant afaik, while invertebrates (especially crustaceans and cnidarians) are typically more sensitive to contaminants. That said, polypropylene (PP), and high density or cross linked polyethylene (HDPE or XLPE) are considered safe so long as they are virgin plastics (not recycled material). The surface and porosity makes a big difference in how long the plastics will last before biofouling – basically, microbes will form a biofilm and eventually other things will start growing on the surface, but periodic cleaning should keep this from building up. Also, keep in mind that each type of plastic has different tolerances to temperature, pH, etc., and the age of the plastic matters.

    As an aside, there are micro/nano plastics everywhere. It’s unavoidable at this point. One of the biggest concerns for aquaria is other types of contaminants – other chemicals that are added to plastics (e.g., BPA) and heavy metals used in pumps, heaters, etc. Electronics and their plastic housings eventually fail, surprisingly often and quicker than expected at times, and the stuff that leaches out can cause a lot of harm to the animals, not to mention if a heater cooks the tank or just stops maintaining temp and the animals get too cold.





  • Local foraging: edible and medicinal flora native to the area, along with which plants to avoid. And perhaps less practical, but I’m partial to local wildlife identification because it’s fun :D

    Someone else already mentioned comms, and I just want to add that this is a very valuable thing. Building a network of trustworthy people in your community and teaching them how to program and use radios would be absolutely life saving in emergency/disastrous situations. Maybe it’s the prepper in me, but it’s good to prepare for the worst and hope for the best with the current climate.

    I’d say a series of basic survival courses that could be broken down by topic:

    • First aid/CPR
    • How to start a fire without a lighter
    • Building shelter
    • Wilderness survival
    • Methods for obtaining potable water

  • My old manager was stopping by the store he used to work at that I still worked at the time. He was a friendly guy who trained me on my first job, and I of course trusted him. He claimed to have a business opportunity for me that would pay loads higher than what I made there, which was barely above federal minimum wage in the early 2010s, and that I was the hardest working person he ever managed and that he was taking a chance on me. We scheduled a time to meet at some cafe to discuss, he spent probably 2 hours hyping up the position, that I would be my own boss and get to employ my friends if they were interested to work for me. In the entire time, he never even mentioned WTF the business was, whether it was selling a good or service, nothing. I had to directly ask him what it was at the end of his spiel, and he said it was selling insurance (Primerica I think?) and that I would have to pay a monthly fee and pay to complete some training first, but that I would make so much money it wouldn’t matter. He asked for the names and numbers of 10 of my friends, to which I said that I’m not giving their info without their permission. Then he pressured me to text my friends to get their permission on the spot, and I stupidly did ask a couple of friends. I was young and dumb, barely out of high school. Luckily I felt that something wasn’t right so I told him it sounds like a plan and would get a hold of my friends later, but that I needed to go home. Of course I called my mom on the way home who told me it was a pyramid scheme, so I texted my old manager to let him know since I figured he was just as unaware as me. He denied it of course, trying to get me to meet up again, saying he didn’t explain it right, etc. I warned everyone that I worked with, and have never seen him again. Fuck MLMs, man.