Update on lamp blowout

["David A. Youngker" <nestor10@mindspring.com>]

Well, save for the shrimp, a few snails and one single Ram (of the four I
picked up just two weeks ago), no one seems to have suffered yet. The Ram
may have just had a heart attack for all the information they provide in
such an event, though ;-)

Teresa -

I'm not sure just _which_ compounds are used in this application - never
bothered to check into it. I'm hoping that simple water changes will remove
the majority, especially coupled with having removed about a 1/4- inch of
the substrate for any that might have "settled". If nothing else, I figured
that the vacuuming would remove the glass shards caught up in it.

Cleaned out the filters, too.

What concerns me is the nature of those compounds, though. Mercury as an
element isn't nearly as dangerous as either a vapor or just about any
combination to form a compound. It normally affects the nervous system -
there's a reason we have the phrase "Mad as a Hatter".

Since there are no discernible immediate concerns, I wonder about their
longevity and reproductive status.

The Rams I just picked up - they can be replaced. But in the tank with them
are the Pertensis, of which I have only _one_ female. And _all_ of my
breeding stock of C. Panda. The Red Minors are not a concern in _this_ area
because they aren't potential breeders.

But I should keep a close eye on them during the next few days to gauge
whether or not the _glass_ will present a problem internally - especially
the Corys.

Juergen -

No, it wasn't the 55- gal I showcased, but it _was_ one of the lamps. This
particular tank _is_ one I was getting ready for this year, though.

The MV had been placed atop for a photo shoot - I needed _slides_ for
Amano's competition, so I was shooting Ektachrome under various lighting
types for their photographic effects. The 29- gallon is the only one I have
that's planted in a style suitable to the ADA Layout contest, and since this
_is_ Amano, and we are only allowed to enter _one_ slide (with a paper
copy), I knew the photography would, unlike our own AGA contest, rely pretty
heavily on the _photograph's_ composition as well as the tank's in judging
appeal.

Charlene Nash, the horticulturist I work with at the Aquarium (and is the
coordinator for this year's AGA Convention again), needed an American entry
into the contest on short notice to ease relations somewhat for something
she's working on convention- wise. This tank was perfect for it, but the
extended deadline didn't leave any margin for error - I had to cover all the
possibilities in one session. The MVs were the last lights used, so I just
left them on for a couple of days.

Unfortunately, I rarely use a cover glass. So when the lamp broke free...

And, in line with the rest of this year so far, when Wolf took my slides for
processing, they didn't bother to inform me that the turn-around time on
slides is a *week to ten days*. So basically, I've suffered all of this for
naught because there's no way I can make the deadline now...

-Y-

David A. Youngker
nestor10@mindspring.com





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