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Re:MetaFrame tanks
>Hello Folks:
> Does anyone know of a source for getting the old Metaframe (metal frame)
>tanks refurbished -- new glass, slate, and bedding sealant. I have an old
>one I like and want to keep. It sprang a leak today. I am getting a new
>larger glass tank, but happen to like the looks of the old Metaframe.
> Now for the good stuff -- some of you attended last years AGA conference
>in Chatanooga. What kind of temptations can one expect to encounter there?
>I have heard of the plant auctions and wonderful guest speakers, but are
>there manufacturers and vendors of aquarium equipment as well? Booksellers?
>I am trying to get a clue as to how much I will want to spend for such
>temptations and how much carry-on luggage space I need to allocate on my
>return trip.
> Thanks, Diana
I still have one of the old metaframe slate bottomed tanks. It sprang a
leak about 25 years ago, and I removed all the inside silicone, cleaned and
dried THOROUGHLY, and applied a liberal amount of new silicone. The tank
is still in service today. I don't think you have to separate the glass
sides and slate bottom. If you remove the inside silicone, the rest of the
silicone will still hold things together.
One of the big temptations, if collector's blood runs in your veins will be
the auction. There are all kinds of hard-to-get aquarium plants, and lots
of people get involved in bidding wars. One way to recoup some of your
losses, is to have some stuff of your own in the auction. Also, there
will be people selling plants out of the backs of their vans in the parking
lot. "Pssst! Wanna see some good looking Crypts?" I think that vendors
will be more represented this year than last. Some of the vendors had
items in the auction. The Tennessee aquarium, itself, is something that
must be seen. It is the largest freshwater facility in the U.S., and has
huge tanks and stunning displays, some of them with aquatic plants planted
by Charlene Nash, flourishing at great depths. And, has she got a budget!
I saw one setup, perhaps a thousand or two thousand gallons liberally
planted with Madagascar lace plants. There are the talks---Hey, we are
going to have Takashi Amano, among others! Then there all the people---all
the movers and shakers in AGA---all getting together and talking and having
impromptu slide shows. There may even be the English version of the book
on aquarium plants by Kasselmann avaliable for sale, unless it keeps
receeding into the future, mirage-like, as it has done the last year or
two. It is impossible to say that anything is more attractive than
anything else. I can't imagine anything short of bubonic plague that could
keep me from coming!
Paul Krombholz, in central Mississippi with fine, sunny June weather