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when u guys go to his bbq bring him a fish as a present that would be cool and he would have a stocked fishtank in a day.
 
when u guys go to his bbq bring him a fish as a present that would be cool and he would have a stocked fishtank in a day.

lol !!! that'd be kewl :D .
but then if everyone brings a fish (counting 50-100 people going to his bbq) i think the fish tank would get over packed :lol: .
now Ben if you want some kenya trees, or devil's hand OR a yellow tail damsel then you're more than welcome to it :D .
 
funny guys.. no tankwarming gifts required for the BBQue.. just come and enjoy yourselves. Of course if you bring a little something something, I won't/can't say no, but seriously, not required nor expected at all.

So got a little update on the lighting rack today. Ken took it into work with him this morning and it turns out the rack is too big for the the adonizer machine :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: the maximum length is 3ft and well this bad boy stretches to about 4. That said, i'll probably go out and try to find a good clear coat from Lowes or home depot or something. Has anyone ever clear coated aluminum before? Can anyone recomend a good brand?

And even though the adonizer isn't going to work out, there is an upside to it and that is I get my lighting rack back soon ;)
 
no u guys should bring him a frag of the corals u have so he will have a reef easily.
 
Of course if you bring a little something something, I won't/can't say no, but seriously, not required nor expected at all.

So if we bring a little sump'n sump'n, should it be for the dry bar or the wet bar? :D
 
I'm starting to put together a fish list. Let me know what you think:

Existing fish:
  • Purple tang
  • squarebox anthias male
  • squarebox anthias female
  • maroon clown
  • bicolor blenny
  • flame hawk
  • pygmy angel - blue and yellow


Fish I'm 99.9% confident I'll add with time:
  • 1 psychodelic mandarin
  • 1 regular mandarin
  • 2 Bangai cardinals

Fish I'd like to add, but need your advice on:
  • Heniochus or two - reef safe? i REALLY want a big clam too and I've heard so not good things about butterfly fish and clams before.
  • small maroon clown to try to pair up with my big momma - this could be tough - she's mean
  • Pipe fish or two - save with inverts?
  • Another pair of clowns like true percs - can I mix any other clowns with my mean maroon moma?
  • blue hippo tang - can I mix with a purple tang?
  • blue throat trigger (male) - what's your'e experience with these?
  • 4 more female squareside anthias so I can have a harem

henacious are like tangs they like to be kept in groups of usually 3 and i think they are reefsafe let go check and they are really cool fish i saw them schooling at pet co a mom and a baby it was cool.
 
ok well i read and they are a hit and miss with reef and clams are in their diet.
 
So if we bring a little sump'n sump'n, should it be for the dry bar or the wet bar? :D

ha ha.. Seriously, not required Jan and I mean that. But I'll answer your play on word's with another..."whatever floats your boat" - hardy har har har.. sorry, it was lame i know, but I just couldn't resist.

I picked up some rustoleum clear gloss laquer for the lighting rack. Hopefully this does the trick. I'm testing it on a little scrap piece first to be sure.

ps_spec_lacquer.jpg


if anyone knows of a better product, please let me know quickly.thanks much,
Ben
 
lets see how it goes why dont u do a test strip of it on a 1sqft block of wood and see hwo it does.
 
I am a finisher by trade so i think i can help you a bit on this.
Anything you buy at lowes or homedepot is going to yellow over time. There is a product you can use on metal thats non yellowing called Moisture Cure. It comes standard and non yellowing. It is the same stuff on your car for a clear coat. You can get it from most hard wood flooring distributors or on line. Just google it. Brad names are Heartco, Mcgrevor <--- my favorite and theres a few more.
Its a xylene base so get some xylene from Lowes for thining and clean up. Wear a respirator for sure! This is not a high you want ;)
 
I called around to a bunch of hardwood floor companies, but people either didn't know what I was talking about or did and didn't know where to find it. If anyone knows of a place local that carries, feel free to shout it out.

Another alterternative though may work that I got from talking to a guy at the welding store are zinc corrosion plates - you know, like the one's they use on boat motors in the ocean. Do you think a couple of those might work if I screwed them into the frame? if it did, I could bypass the whole clear coating all together. thoughts?
 
IMO, yellowing over time is not going to be that big of an issue. I'd bet it will likely take a year or so to amber in which time you will adjust to it and not care so much about having a pristine sump, light rack, etc.. Sheesh, its not a piano here folks, just a light rack in the Garage.:D Of course, JMO and I have alot of them.
 
IMO, yellowing over time is not going to be that big of an issue. I'd bet it will likely take a year or so to amber in which time you will adjust to it and not care so much about having a pristine sump, light rack, etc.. Sheesh, its not a piano here folks, just a light rack in the Garage.:D Of course, JMO and I have alot of them.

what.. you don't like the zinc plating idea Duane :D. I wonder how bad a yellow/amber we're talking about here. As you know, I've spent a lot of thought, time, blood, sweat, and tears, and of course $ on this lighting rack and I'd hate to have it not turn out like I want it to just because I could've used a better sealer/coating on it. That said, if it's a barely noticable yellow, I can probably deal. If we're talking a fairly noticable yellow in a few years, I'll be pissed. FFrankie - how bad is it do ya think?
 
I would use the non yellowing product. You worked hard on this thing. Not the time to cut corners imo. Your other option is to bring it to a body shop and have them Clear coat it. Check out all your options before putting on a product that will just flake off over time, yellow and bring disappointment down the road.
 
Without properly prepping aluminum your products won't adhere well enough to serve just purpose. You can spray aluminum & it will dry & stick but they make some sort of coating that will act like a glue so paint/ clear coat will adhere better. Now who & where I don't know, I just know I tried Painting aluminum and it doesn't seem to adhere very well, maybe these days you can get off the Shelf products that will work better, been a long time since I tried that. 2cents :D
 
OK then, I told you I had alot of opinions. They arent all good.

Give this place a call.

Fisheries Supply
(206) 632-4462
1900 N Northlake Way
Seattle 98103

They supply alot of the boat refinishers in the area.
I'd bet they will have a marine grade finish that will work. It'll cost you dearly though.
 
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