I bought a used 29 gallon (advertised on CL as a 30, grrr) and stand on Craigslist for $30. I was origionally going to use the stand for my 20long, and sell or store the tank. I was looking at it today and think if I could get the scratches out if it I might keep some dwarf cichlids in it. Is there a cheap way to get rid of scratches?
Is there a way to get scratches out of a glass tank?
- Thread starter Tropical
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Shadowraven
Aquarium Advice FINatic
That depends. How deep are the scratches?
You can get scratches out of glass, but you need to sand them out with a polisher. That can be difficult for someone who is not familiar with the process. It is also not generally a good idea to do to an aquarium.
You can change to deflection strength of the glass if you sand it too much. That would make the glass break more easily than it otherwise would. Even if you only sand a small area you will still have a weak spot in the glass.
If they are only light scratches, then it's not too big a deal. Deeper scratches wouldn't be worth the effort because you will compromise the integrity of the glass.
You can get scratches out of glass, but you need to sand them out with a polisher. That can be difficult for someone who is not familiar with the process. It is also not generally a good idea to do to an aquarium.
You can change to deflection strength of the glass if you sand it too much. That would make the glass break more easily than it otherwise would. Even if you only sand a small area you will still have a weak spot in the glass.
If they are only light scratches, then it's not too big a deal. Deeper scratches wouldn't be worth the effort because you will compromise the integrity of the glass.
ejaramillo01
Aquarium Advice Addict
Some scratches are visible when the tank is empty, and look really bad, but once the tank is full with water, if they are not deep, they are not noticeable, try!!
Shadowraven
Aquarium Advice FINatic
ejaramillo01 makes a good point. Try filling it with water to see if the scratches are a problem. If they are, and on only one side, turn that side to the back and cover it with a background. It they are on the side, you can still cover those as well.
Greenmaster
Aquarium Advice Addict
i3k
Aquarium Advice FINatic
if the scratch is deep, you can fill it with clear nail polish.
Shadowraven
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I would avoid using anything with acetone in it anywhere near an aquarium. Full or empty.
Greenmaster
Aquarium Advice Addict
+1
But you might be able to get a glass repair kit... not sure of the ingredients though...
You could also try using some acrylic glue... putting a little on at a time and waiting for it to dry in between, repeating until the crack is filled. It may make some visual distortions but it won't be as bad as a deep scratch.
Shadowraven
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Not sure what is in acrylic glue, but I believe that it is ethylene or acrylic ester. I don't think it is cyanoacrylate (super glue). I still don't think I would use that either.
Maybe some silicone adhesive would work, but I'm not too sure of that.
Maybe some silicone adhesive would work, but I'm not too sure of that.
Greenmaster
Aquarium Advice Addict
Are you saying that you wouldn't use acrylic in a glass tank? If so why?
Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
Tropical said:
I'm surprised that a glass tank has scratches on it, the previous owners must have over done the cleaning a bit lol. I have a 29g I'm testing right now (no scratches) and aside from checking the silicone before we got it I plan to let it sit filled to the rim and check it everyday for a week to 10 day to make sure it's solid. Better to find out it's not going to stay together now out in the garage, than filled with fish sitting in our bedroom
.IMO, you should fill it and do a little tapping on the glass to make sure it's not going fratcure (I tap all the panels on mine everytime I check it) before setting it up in your house.
As for getting them out, there's a way to polish scratches out (it's tricky to do though), but avoid using any fillers that will poison your furture fish.
Greenmaster
Aquarium Advice Addict
If it was my tank I would start by seeing if the scratches are that bad when there is water in the tank. If I felt that they were too bad I would fill them with acrylic (there are many solvent cements out there just make sure you get the one that turns into acrylic when dry)http://www.hitechglazing.com/product/42845/40285
Shadowraven
Aquarium Advice FINatic
When you say "use acrylic in a glass tank" do you mean acrylic itself (as in Plexiglas) or acrylic glue?
Greenmaster
Aquarium Advice Addict
I mean the acrylic glue that when it dries it is acrylic.
Shadowraven
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Ah, I think I know what you mean now. If you are talking about a liquid acrylic cement, I would still be concerned about anything that uses a solvent base around an aquarium. Solvent base glues almost always leave a residue after they dry. That is my primary concern.
Greenmaster
Aquarium Advice Addict
How do you think they make acrylic aquariums...
Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
Greenmaster said:
It'll leach into the water column and poison the fish.
I agree with filling it to see if they're noticeable, at the same time making sure the glass is sound.
Greenmaster
Aquarium Advice Addict
ROFL
Shadowraven
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that they used a silicone based glue, just like in glass aquariums. Like I said before I'm no expert on acrylics or acrylic glue.
While answering you, I looked this subject up on the net. It appears that something called WeldOn is being used to build and repair acrylic tanks. It appears to be what you are talking about and harmless to fish when dry. Seems kind of strange considering how toxic that the warnings say it is.
They say that silicone is OK for light duty jobs where you are attaching something like silicone baffles to glass, but acrylic glue is necessary for plexiglas tanks. The jury is out on whether you can use acrylic glue to repair scratches in glass, unless you've had some success in that regard. From what you said above, it seems that you do.
But back to the topic at hand. I found the following non-toxic method on the web:
1) Apply a white, non-gel toothpaste to a light scratch on a glass surface. Make sure the entire scratch is covered liberally with the toothpaste.
2) Allow the toothpaste to harden. This should only take a few minutes.
3) Wipe off the toothpaste with a soft cloth. Buff the scratched area in one direction to avoid added new marks to the glass. In most cases, you will see that the scratch is gone once all of the toothpaste has been removed.
4) Mix together a paste from white vinegar and ground mustard seed to tackle slightly deeper glass scratches. Ground mustard seed is available in the spice aisle of your local supermarket. Start with a tablespoon of the dry mustard and add a few drops of vinegar at a time to avoid making the mixture too wet.
5) Slather the mustard-and-vinegar paste onto the scratch, allow it to dry and buff off with a cloth.
Sounds interesting. This is a method for removing scratches from automobile glass. You might try that. You would think that the toothpaste wouldn't hold up, but I know from experience that when it dries it is like concrete.
While answering you, I looked this subject up on the net. It appears that something called WeldOn is being used to build and repair acrylic tanks. It appears to be what you are talking about and harmless to fish when dry. Seems kind of strange considering how toxic that the warnings say it is.
They say that silicone is OK for light duty jobs where you are attaching something like silicone baffles to glass, but acrylic glue is necessary for plexiglas tanks. The jury is out on whether you can use acrylic glue to repair scratches in glass, unless you've had some success in that regard. From what you said above, it seems that you do.
But back to the topic at hand. I found the following non-toxic method on the web:
1) Apply a white, non-gel toothpaste to a light scratch on a glass surface. Make sure the entire scratch is covered liberally with the toothpaste.
2) Allow the toothpaste to harden. This should only take a few minutes.
3) Wipe off the toothpaste with a soft cloth. Buff the scratched area in one direction to avoid added new marks to the glass. In most cases, you will see that the scratch is gone once all of the toothpaste has been removed.
4) Mix together a paste from white vinegar and ground mustard seed to tackle slightly deeper glass scratches. Ground mustard seed is available in the spice aisle of your local supermarket. Start with a tablespoon of the dry mustard and add a few drops of vinegar at a time to avoid making the mixture too wet.
5) Slather the mustard-and-vinegar paste onto the scratch, allow it to dry and buff off with a cloth.
Sounds interesting. This is a method for removing scratches from automobile glass. You might try that. You would think that the toothpaste wouldn't hold up, but I know from experience that when it dries it is like concrete.
Mr. Limpet
Aquarium Advice Addict
Greenmaster said:
You do understand that acrylic plastic used to make tanks isn't the same as acrylic glue? Glues use caustic agents to "weld" plastics together which won't even adhere to glass
.http://www.wetwebmedia.com/glstkscratches.htm
