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Re: Polyurethaning the floor

Hi Amy,

    I've sanded and applied polyurethane to floors in rooms with aquariums
on a number of occassions with no detrimental effect on the tanks or their
inhabitants. If you are running an air pump of any kind, I suggest you turn
it off though. My biggest problem has always been how to get the floor
finished under the tank... this alone may be reason to break your tanks down
and moving them while the floors are redone. If you are leaving the tanks
where they are, you will want to drape them with a sheet or plastic to keep
the dust from sanding out, and of course open the windows for ventilation
while the finish is curing.

    Be aware that polyurethane and lacquer are not the same thing. If your
floor is being finished with a solvent based lacquer (which smells like nail
polish remover), I would be concerned about its effect on your fish. It is
also EXTREMELY explosive, and very rarely used on floors.

    Hope this helps, and good luck.

Ron Barter,
Perth, Ontario 

----------------------
> Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2001 15:14:45 +0000
> From: "Amy Ayukawa" <amyayukawa at hotmail_com>
> Subject: Polyurethaning the floor
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> I have a 55 gal and a 30 gal in my living room. We have parquet floors,
> which over the years have become strippped of their lacquer and now look
> kind of dirty. My husband wants to have the floor resanded and
> polyurethaned, but I'm concerned that the vapors from the polyurethane will
> kill the fish.
> 
> What's the best way to sand and lacquer the floor without harming the fish?
> 
> Thanks,
> Amy