I have some unsightly scratches in my aquarium glass from cleaning the insides of the tank with a fairly non abrasive sponge (go figure).
Has anyone tried to remove scratches from glass? There seems to be a variety of approaches, products; wonder who has had success.
Thx
Scratches in Aquarium Glass
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FishNChips
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DonkeyFish
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Re: Scratches in Aquarium Glass
I learned the hard way how soft low-iron glass is and would love to hear if anyone has a secret also. In my travels I’ve yet to find something.
It is not murder if you're killing snails.
Re: Scratches in Aquarium Glass
Personally, I won't use low iron glass. I think it's foolish in the extreme to use it. Oh, aren't you lucky, your glass is super clear, so now you can see right through into your super not clear water. Who cares? Its softer than regular glass, so it scratches incredibly easily, thus you're combining the disadvantages of acrylic and glass.
Unfortunately, it is not practical to remove scratches. For very light scratches, I've had some success using toothpaste (!!), just like you do for a CD or a DVD (do people still have those?). You can get them out that way. I've also used the acrylic buffing compounds, and a random orbit sander + buffer to polish them out, with mixed results -- it depends a bit on luck, and how bad the scratches are. Of course, you have to completely drain the tank, and it's got to be a sizable tank to be worthwhile.
Finally, I've actually removed scratches with cerium oxide. Nasty stuff. Don't do it unless it's a big tank -- it's really not worth it.
Unfortunately, it is not practical to remove scratches. For very light scratches, I've had some success using toothpaste (!!), just like you do for a CD or a DVD (do people still have those?). You can get them out that way. I've also used the acrylic buffing compounds, and a random orbit sander + buffer to polish them out, with mixed results -- it depends a bit on luck, and how bad the scratches are. Of course, you have to completely drain the tank, and it's got to be a sizable tank to be worthwhile.
Finally, I've actually removed scratches with cerium oxide. Nasty stuff. Don't do it unless it's a big tank -- it's really not worth it.
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DonkeyFish
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Re: Scratches in Aquarium Glass
Tell us how you REALLY feel, Josh.
I still love my low-iron tanks, even with scratches. The sparkling clarity rivals new acrylic any day. And at least it’s harder to scratch than acrylic
I still love my low-iron tanks, even with scratches. The sparkling clarity rivals new acrylic any day. And at least it’s harder to scratch than acrylic
It is not murder if you're killing snails.
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FishNChips
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Re: Scratches in Aquarium Glass
@Joshua
Thanks for the response, very interesting. I ordered some cerium oxide and will first try buffering by hand and then by orbital buffer if the first doesn't work. That said, can you clarify what you mean by nasty stuff? From the Youtube videos, doesn't seem to hard to work with and I am going to try it with a half full tank and some plastic wrap to protect the water/fish. I will let you know how it goes.
P
Thanks for the response, very interesting. I ordered some cerium oxide and will first try buffering by hand and then by orbital buffer if the first doesn't work. That said, can you clarify what you mean by nasty stuff? From the Youtube videos, doesn't seem to hard to work with and I am going to try it with a half full tank and some plastic wrap to protect the water/fish. I will let you know how it goes.
P
