January 8, 2026
Description
A suspended feeder for feeding slime mold to slime-feeding springtails, for a 16oz deli cup.
The feeder is attached to the wall of the deli cup via magnets embedded in the print, and a couple of magnets adhered to the outside of the cup with your adhesive of choice (I prefer museum putty).
You place slime-covered oats into the bowl, and then the slime mold will send tendrils downward onto the substrate, where the springtails can feed from it. This helps to keep the springtails off of the slime-covered oats themselves, so they can be removed more easily once they start getting moldy.
I recommend wrapping some copper tape around the arm just before the bowl. The slime mold avoids copper, and this keeps it from traveling up the arm.
Each feeder requires 4x 1/4" diameter x 1/16" thick disc magnets. I recommend using epoxy-coated magnets for the ones embedded into the print, just to be sure they won't start corroding from the moist environment.
These are the magnets I recommend
The model is meant to be printed with .2mm layer height and requires supports. It also requires magnet insertion mid-print, so you have to insert a pause at the 20.00mm layer.
License:
Creative Commons — Public Domain