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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

Sealing wooden canopy??

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23 Jun 2012 19:13 - 23 Jun 2012 19:14 #1 by maggy88 (Wayne Mc Glynn)
hey all i have a wooden canopy i made for a 4ft tank and i'm wondering how to seal the underside of it against condenstaion etc? I've given it a few coats of gloss but i don't know if that will work, then i saw this stuff in lidl next week and i wonder if it would be suitable or harmful to fish?

www.lidl.ie/cps/rde/xchg/SID-ADB3E849-4F....xsl/index_22109.htm

cheers, wayne
Last edit: 23 Jun 2012 19:14 by maggy88 (Wayne Mc Glynn).

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23 Jun 2012 23:26 #2 by woodstock500 (Robert Glascott)
I think you'd be better off with marine varnish to be honest. It's designed for external use on yachts, exposed to the elements, but also internal as well. Condensation is always an issue on a boat, especially if you have people cooped up below for any length of time. Any marine chandlers will have it and maybe a good hardware store. Good luck with the hood!
Rob

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23 Jun 2012 23:57 #3 by maggy88 (Wayne Mc Glynn)
alri nice one rob ;)
cheers, wayne

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24 Jun 2012 13:39 #4 by CrustyCrab (Peter Biddulph)
I'd go with polyurethane-based clear varnish, not marine. Heat can make it flake. But a few coats of white gloss will do the job just fine. Just make sure that it is well cured (leave for 24 hours after fully dry) before using.

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24 Jun 2012 14:01 #5 by stretnik (stretnik)
Replied by stretnik (stretnik) on topic Re: Sealing wooden canopy??
You never mentioned what material the Hood is made from?

Kev.

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24 Jun 2012 14:11 - 24 Jun 2012 14:12 #6 by stretnik (stretnik)
Replied by stretnik (stretnik) on topic Re: Sealing wooden canopy??
www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/diy...ase-tell-me-you.html

This is interesting for anyone using Medium Density Fiber Board

Kev.
Last edit: 24 Jun 2012 14:12 by stretnik (stretnik).

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24 Jun 2012 17:07 #7 by CrustyCrab (Peter Biddulph)
A couple of coats of PVA seals MDF ready for painting.
Helps stop the "swell" when it gets wet too!

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24 Jun 2012 19:13 - 24 Jun 2012 19:13 #8 by maggy88 (Wayne Mc Glynn)
hey sorry i forgot to mention its either 8mm or 10mm ply, i've given it 4 coats of gloss so i think i'm going to leave it with just gloss and see how it goes, i can always give it a coat of something else afterwards. i'm also going to use an adhesive foil under the hood to reflect light back into the tank so between that and the gloss i'm hopin i'll be ok?!!

thanks lads, wayne
Last edit: 24 Jun 2012 19:13 by maggy88 (Wayne Mc Glynn).

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24 Jun 2012 21:53 #9 by stretnik (stretnik)
Replied by stretnik (stretnik) on topic Re: Sealing wooden canopy??
Hi Wayne, steer clear of reflective foil, it will oxidise and turn black, try to get some white plastic , like soffit or fascia, glue it to your lid and it will work flawlessly.

Kev.

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24 Jun 2012 22:29 #10 by maggy88 (Wayne Mc Glynn)
hey kev, i've been using the same foil on the flaps of a rio 180 for over a year now, haven't had any problems with it yet so i think i'll chance it again on the other hood. its stuff i got in b&q i think its for using as a splash back in the kitchen etc? well it was in the kitchen section anyway :unsure:

wayne

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24 Jun 2012 22:41 - 24 Jun 2012 22:42 #11 by chambers (Ken Spengler)
Hey Wayne,
I agree with Kevin, the foil turns black, and off the shelf reflectors often just lose their reflective qualities and become more a diffuser rather than a reflector.

I've recently used white guttering for reflective purposes whilst installing 8 x 39w t5 tubes into a six foot tank hood with great success. I bought a few lengths of half pipe guttering, and again cut those halves into halves, so one is left with quarter pipes if that makes sense. I stacked these up next to each other, with t5 fittings on the crests of the quarter pipes, and the reflection works a treat, and you have no worries of losing reflective qualities or oxidation.

I've attached some pics of the first two rows of t5's, the other two rows are at the back of the tank.
Attachments:
Last edit: 24 Jun 2012 22:42 by chambers (Ken Spengler). Reason: Explaining photos attached

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