acrylics

Personally, I'd just use plain ol' float glass. Don't use acrylic, it will warp or "cup" due to moisture absorption. If you want something else, use polycarbonate (like Lexan) as it doesn't seem to warp like acrylic. HTH, James

IIRC Tap sells Acrylite GP in 1/4" but anything thicker is Chemcast. $300/sheet is a good price for 3/4" acrylic but not Chemcast, not for tanks. Personally, I use Polycast, far superior in many ways but you will pay for it, not cheap by any means. Plexiglas G is fine for tanks, not the best but good. Plex G is cell cast, Plexiglas MC is extruded. James

Congrats (clap) For your internship, try the Columbus Zoo, nice folks out there and *very* convenient to the vet school. Columbus Zoo has a marine program though I'm not certain how large it is but being a zoo - would have a broader scope so might be beneficial. Again, congrats James

I have a few, Spears and/or Hayward at about 1/3 the price of GM. If you need it, let me know if you want TxT or SxT or SxS or TxS. I prolly should ask..have you drilled the hole yet? James

Just to throw it out at ya; acrylic is porous, it absorbs moisture and dyes, maybe copper, can't say. Think RO membranes, many are made from very thin acrylic. I doubt it would absorb enough to be problematic or maybe the molecules are too large to readily absorb into the acrylic. James

If you've handled firearms much, you may think the class is fairly lame, usually a "handgun safety course" taught by a certified NRA instructor (usually 3hrs & $25-35). You take the class, get your certificate, take it to the Sheriff's office, get yourself fingerprinted & photographed, pay the fee ($25 or so, ~$10 for fingerprinting, ~$15 for the actual card), wait for your background check to be completed, if approved - you will generally get your card in about 30 days in Washington County but this time can vary from county to county. It is a piece of cake, and it absolutely should be if you are a law abiding citizen in a "shall issue" state. If you have any violent offenses in the past esp domestic violence, *any* charges pending, or any felony convictions - you are immediately disqualified. If interested, practice often & I'd strongly advise a good firearms training course. Some of these courses do train more intensively than many Police do. The average Officer is allotted 250 rounds a yr for training, some of these courses will mandate 400-800 rounds (or more, with accuracy) over a 2-3 day period just to pass the course. While it is expensive and time consuming, I consider it very practical with all things considered Nothing will help you shoot better than trigger time, except a good instructor to help you use that time more wisely. One such source for these courses: http://www.oregonfirearmsacademy.com James

I know this thread may be old but I just read it for the first time First of all, there is no CWP in Oregon, it's a CHL. A CWP specifically is a "concealed weapons permit" which includes daggers, switchblades, and handguns. Oregon's CHL is a "concealed handgun license" which does not include daggers, switchblades, and the like. Carrying of them (daggers, switchblades, etc.) concealed in Oregon is a big no-no and you can lose your CHL for doing so and charged with the crime. Small point maybe but there is a distinct difference. If you have a CHL and pull it out in public at any time that it is not reasonably necessary is considered brandishing a weapon and is another big no-no in Oregon. So the idea of people running around waving them in the air should be dismissed. Everyone I know that has a CHL values it and is not going to risk the permit, their property, not their freedom to show off that they have a weapon. Also, everyone I know that has one and carries understands that it is a huge responsibility, that they must control their tempers far more than most people who do not have a CHL. When you have a CHL, self control is the mantra - you have to calm down those petty little arguments and not allow them to escalate into something bigger. If this means swallowing your pride every now and then, so be it, you simply cannot allow the incident to escalate. Cops and other LEOs understand this, and most CHL holders do as well. There are *very* few crimes involving CHL holders, primarily these people are upstanding, law abiding folks who are willing to go through the proper and legal process of getting the CHL - not the people shooting up malls. To the original question of "would it save lives?" it's a hopeful proposition, but probably doubtful. If someone is really willing to shoot a bunch of folks and then themselves, it's really not going to change. When there's a will, there's a way, unfortunate but true. If someone has a gun to your head or is in the process of doing so, you simply will not have time to pull your *concealed* weapon in time to do something about it. It may help in some instances, certainly, but for most people - the primary tool is their intelligence. The primary goal is safety, get you, your family, and others in a safe location first. Ask any cop or LEO, reaching into your pockets or anything else will get you into all sorts of trouble or dead. All gunmen are nervous and if they are active shooters, will not hesitate to shoot the upstanding CHL holder either, so again evading the situation is paramount. Using the recent mall shooting as an example, if you were there with your family and you suddenly heard shots, your first responsibility is to get you and yours to a safe location. by the time you got this accomplished, many shots could be fired. The CHL would only be of value if you happened to be in a safe location, a good shot, and are of proper frame of mind to get the shot off. Would more CHL holders prove to be a deterrent? Maybe, there are studies that prove this to be true, but these are not scientific studies in controlled environments. While one could say that the states with the most liberal gun laws also have lower rates of violent crime, you must also consider that these states also have the lowest population densities. Cities and states with the most stringent gun laws probably have those laws enacted because of the population densities, hence the violent crime rates so the laws become a reactionary solution that may or may not work. The real problem is that these laws, while enacted with good intentions, do not stop the criminal element from obtaining weapons and using them. They *generally* only stop the average upstanding citizen from obtaining them for purposes of sporting or self defense, I'd point at Washington DC as an example of this, high crime rates yet virtually impossible for the average citizen to own a handgun for any reason. As for being sued; if you are a CHL holder and involved in a shooting, count on being sued. Whether you win or lose is a different issue, but in either case it will be expensive, stressing, and time consuming. Add to that the potential mental anguish that accompanies the taking of a life, this can haunt you for the rest of your life, whether justified or not. Final thought is that holding a CHL and carrying *can* be a valuable resource but is in no means *the* answer to violent crimes. I don't know what is exactly and I don't think there is one answer, probably a combination of things that will never be fully understood. James

All of the above. I've never run a skimmer on any of my tanks. I just don't think they're necessary for many tanks, feed more skim more feed more skim more, etc. Carefully chosen livestock is essential though IMO. To me, many folks get the biggest and best for the "gadget factor". That said, many people get good results with skimming hard and I don't argue with results, just a different way of getting there. James

I'm assuming the tank is acrylic, if so - no need to drain the tank. Get a Micro-Mesh kit www.micro-surface.com kit # NC-78-1 should run ~$40. Completely safe to use in a fully stocked tank though will take some elbow grease on your part. There are a coupla other kits out there, most notably one made by 3M, however I have no experience with it so can't comment on it's effectiveness and can't recommend it for the same reason. I do have plenty of experience with the Micro-Mesh kits and they are quite good. To prep for the use of Micro-Mesh you first have to get rid of the scratch by blending the surrounding material down to the deepest part of the scratch. In general Micro-Mesh will not remove enough material to do this on a bad scratch so coarser grades of wet/dry sandpaper should be used. It is important to use sandpaper that is *just coarse enough* to blend the scratch and not go too far. Going to far will not destroy your tank but will make the remedy that much more difficult and tedious. In practice; get your kit, just using the smallest area of 1200grit Micro-Mesh (like wrapped around your finger), lightly rub the scratch to see if it will blend. If not, you'll have to try 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper, if this won't do it - try 800 grit, if this won't do it - try 600 and so on until the scratch is blended. This *may* produce a haze in the affected area, if so - DON'T PANIC. Once you have the scratch blended, start back up the chain by using the next finer grade so if 600 grit blended the scratch, use 800, to sand out the haze left by the 600, you will have to sand a slightly larger area to fully cover the previous grade. Then repeat all the way up through the Micro-Mesh kit which will be 12000 grit. At the end of this, there may be a slight deformation of the area when viewed from an extremely acute angle but that's kinda to be expected - you did afterall remove an amount of material. HTH, James

1 or 2 sound good, my personal preference for the latter but not a biggie either way IMO. Check out Paul's tank here for an idea on the pop-out. HTH, James

I do like the pop-out but it will take some carpentry and finding a way to do this while matching the rest of the decor may be a bit of a challenge. Since the wall has not yet been built, might make this easier as it's better to plan and build rather than trying to shoehorn a retro build. The single viewing pane is the one real down side of in-wall tanks, so getting some extra viewing area would be cool if possible and the family agrees. HTH, James

Could you make it extend through the wall by a few inches, kinda like a "pop-out" tank? You would get a little more viewing area in front and a little more room in back. 'Course you'd have to have a little room up front and permission from your Wife, but might work? James

I dunno, a guarantee that something will live in someone else's tank for 2 weeks is ludicrous IMO as "someone else's tank" is an uncontrolled environment. And how do you go about collecting on this guarantee? I haven't read the above yet but do they have requirements for your tank? How do you "prove" your tank is up to par? What I'd rather see is a shop that guarantees the animal has been in "their" tank for "X" period of time (2 weeks maybe, dunno) and offer this animal at perhaps a premium. 'Course they wouldn't have to do this to all animals but have a separate system set up for this. I don't know if this is feasible but might be nice. I just don't think that anyone should ask Joel, Travis, or anyone else to guarantee that the animal will live in a customer's tank when they (customers) can't guarantee their husbandry techniques. Hope this makes sense. James

There can be an aethetic value *if* you actually use Starboard or Seaboard as opposed to just HDPE. Many folks don't like the look of clear glass/acrylic on the bottom of their tank and you can get both Starboard and Seaboard in Sandshade and Seafoam (colors) to make a faux sandbed, can get it in black as well. James

I've lost 2 good friends over the last few yrs, always hard. A human friend sent me the following, thinking it may help after the loss of my first. A happy & sad tear comes whenever I read it, and I read it often, hopefully you get the same feeling: A Dog's Prayer, by Beth Norman Harris Treat me kindly, my beloved master, for no heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me. Do not break my spirit with a stick, for though I should lick your hand between the blows, your patience and understanding will more quickly teach me the things you would have me do. Speak to me often, for your voice is the world’s sweetest music, as you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when your footsteps falls upon my waiting ear. When it is cold and wet, please take me inside, for I am now a domesticated animal, no longer used to bitter elements. And I ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the hearth. Though had you no home, I would rather follow you through ice and snow than rest upon the softest pillow in the warmest home in all the land, for you are my god and I am your devoted worshiper. Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for although I should not reproach you were it dry, I cannot tell you when I suffer thirst. Feed me clean food, that I may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding, to walk by your side, and stand ready, willing and able to protect you with my life should your life be in danger. And, beloved master, should the great Master see fit to deprive me of my health or sight, do not turn me away from you. Rather hold me gently in your arms as skilled hands grant me the merciful boon of eternal rest - and I will leave you knowing with the last breath I drew, my fate was ever safest in your hands. James

Don't worry about getting acrylic at wholesale, gotcha covered on that. Lemme know how this project progresses. James

FWIW, this forum is for personal experiences with members/vendors, only. To quote the forum rules "Please relay your experiences with any fish store (or member, my addition), good or bad, in this forum." This means not stories you read about on the net (or any other publication) and not stories you overheard somewhere but rather your own "personal experiences". I'm somewhat amazed that this is a topic for the BOD as it doesn't concern the club in any way. I'm also amazed that a mod didn't pick up on the fact that this thread did not involve a "personal experience" to begin with and close it earlier. As many of you know, I'm usually in favor of letting the crap fly to air it out but this thread did not follow forum rules from the beginning so should not have been allowed to go on. Sorry to all those that have involved themselves with this thread but it simply doesn't belong here. The wording "your experiences" was placed to avoid this kind of hearsay and chatter IMO. Mods & officers: If I'm mistaken on this, please let me know. James

Nope, if anything - just a dip in water and that's it HTH, James

I'm somewhat suprised at the price ATM gave ya, kinda high even for me Go talk to Wade or Dennis again and see what they can do. There are also a coupla shops in the LA area that might be able to help you out, SoCal creations comes to mind, talk to Randy or Steve (IIRC). Envision can do it, no problem, but with the crate & shipping - may not save much but maybe. Tank is too big to safely ship via UPS/FedEx so has to be shipped common carrier. HTH, James

Are you planning on changing the whole set-up or just the bulbs? If just changing bulbs, I used 400w single ended 10,000k and 2 x 75w VHO actinic supplements for my first set of pendants and was quite pleased. For my second set I used a combination of Ushio 250W HQI 10,000k, Radium 150w HQI 20,000k, URI 75w VHO actinic, and URI VHO 75w 50/50 in each pendant, absolutely loved it. Obviously this would be a different set-up. I guess I've just always liked 10,000k with supplemental lighting. Straight 20,000k with nothing else is just too blue for my taste. I have no experience with the 14-15,000k bulbs so can't make any comparisons. Maybe you could just pull out one or two of the 20,000k bulbs you presently have and replace them with 10,000k bulbs and see how like it then? baby steps 'til you find something you like HTH, James

throw some of that popcorn on over thisaway IMO the judicial system has a fine line to ride when it comes to celebrities. It'll be interesting to see how this one plays out.

Apparently the city attorney is claiming that the Sheriff may be in contempt by releasing her. The sentencing judge did not order her release. She has to appear in court Friday morning at 9am. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070608/ap_en_ce/paris_hilton James

Hi Jim Yep, try Harington, (503) 684-099one AFAIK, they do sell to the public James