# Yet another scratched glass tank



## Sir Nathan XXI (Jan 29, 2003)

Now the elongatus tank has long scratches near the top of it. No more freaking gravel tanks for me, gonna do fine sand from now on. And I know for sure the Elongatus doesnt do it from current made by its tail so it would have to be holding rocks in its mouth to do this.

By the way I dont clean the glass on this tank, it doesnt get algea on the front

I am pissed off


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## Death in #'s (Apr 29, 2003)

dam that really sucks what are u gonna do get a new tank


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## Sir Nathan XXI (Jan 29, 2003)

Death in # said:


> dam that really sucks what are u gonna do get a new tank


 acrylic only from now on since I can buff out acrylic scratches


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## Raptor (Jan 3, 2003)

I thought sratches on glass or acrylic on the inside were invisible.


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## InSinUAsian (Jan 3, 2003)

So what is causing it? Last time you said it was your big fish that could have scratched, now its on you elongatus tank. Think its still the fish?

~Dj


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## MPower (Jan 29, 2003)

Raptor said:


> I thought sratches on glass or acrylic on the inside were invisible.


 I always thought the same thing. I have scratches from inside of my acrylic tank and you can't see it unless you look from the side to the front. Thats kinda weird that your fish scratches the tank. None of mine has done that.


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## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

Sir Nathan XXI said:


> Death in # said:
> 
> 
> > dam that really sucks what are u gonna do get a new tank
> ...


 but you have to drain a tank to buff the inside.


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

Raptor said:


> I thought sratches on glass or acrylic on the inside were invisible.


 nope there noticable..







i have a few hundred on mine(small ones)...acrylic tank


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## Xenon (Nov 15, 2002)

The fish did not scrath the tank....we have been through this.

Its the boogie man that lives in Nate's apartment.


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## Sir Nathan XXI (Jan 29, 2003)

nitrofish said:


> Sir Nathan XXI said:
> 
> 
> > Death in # said:
> ...


 I saw one for sale that can be used underwater


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## RedShoal (May 3, 2003)

Xenon said:


> The fish did not scrath the tank....we have been through this.
> 
> Its the boogie man that lives in Nate's apartment.


 Stranger things has happened.


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

déja vu.


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## RhomZilla (Feb 12, 2003)

RedShoal said:


> Xenon said:
> 
> 
> > The fish did not scrath the tank....we have been through this.
> ...


 Stranger things like disappearing fish, Ps living in a powerhead filter for weeks, colossum squids.. anything can happen in the aquarium world..

Maybe your tanks haunted, Nate. Revenge of the murdered feeders..


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## RedShoal (May 3, 2003)

Hahaha, feeder ghost has come back for revenge. The scratch marks are actually fish writing. Maybe they are telling your Ps something.


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## Sir Nathan XXI (Jan 29, 2003)

my Ps are making maps on how to take over the world


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## Winkyee (Feb 17, 2003)

Did you ever get pictures of the scratches?
I don't remember seeing them in the last scratched aquarium thread.
Wouldn't acrylic be far more susceptible to scratching than glass?
Even if you can buff it out...


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## Sir Nathan XXI (Jan 29, 2003)

winkyee said:


> Did you ever get pictures of the scratches?
> I don't remember seeing them in the last scratched aquarium thread.
> Wouldn't acrylic be far more susceptible to scratching than glass?
> Even if you can buff it out...


 but at least you can buff them out


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## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

your complaining about that little scratch?


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## InSinUAsian (Jan 3, 2003)

Is that a horizontal and a few vertical scratches? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?

~Dj


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

nitrofish said:


> your complaining about that little scratch?


 lol








Yeah really Nate, what are you complaining about? My tank has much larger and deeper scratches...







I'm not really bothered by them, but they're a real pain in the rear when taking pics!


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## Sir Nathan XXI (Jan 29, 2003)

they are pretty noticeable to the eye, but not much on camera, I am a perfectionist so it just really pisses me off, they are mostly horizontal scratches, they may go up or down about 10-12 degrees at the most though


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

> Xenon Posted: May 12 2003, 01:37 PM ...The fish did not scrath the tank....we have been through this.


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## Sir Nathan XXI (Jan 29, 2003)

I will use sand in new tanks, because it will reduce the fish ablity to scratch the glass with it, and sand is smaller so the scratches will be small if they do

I guess somehow the fish are picking the rocks up in their mouths and doing this


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## InSinUAsian (Jan 3, 2003)

Sir Nathan XXI said:


> I guess somehow the fish are picking the rocks up in their mouths and doing this


 Do you really think so?

~Dj


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## Sir Nathan XXI (Jan 29, 2003)

InSinUAsian said:


> Sir Nathan XXI said:
> 
> 
> > I guess somehow the fish are picking the rocks up in their mouths and doing this
> ...


 how else could rocks srcatch the glass 14" or so above the gravel bed?

its not me doing it


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## InSinUAsian (Jan 3, 2003)

Sir Nathan XXI said:


> its not me doing it


 Its just plain wierd thats all. Maybe your right, and your fish are mapping a way of escape. LoL









~Dj


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## RhomZilla (Feb 12, 2003)

I talked to a LFS employeee and talked to him about your situation. Asked me how old was the tank, what position the tank in the room, and that room temp vs temp in tank. Said that cracks might be the reasons of the tank soon to break apart, and that cracks are introductory of shattering.. plain and simple BS!!!


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

To my own dismay, I'm going to give this thead a little bit more attention. Call me foolish if you like. Nate deserves to get as many answers to his questions as he needs, even though we are going around in circles.

Here is what I found out Nate, short of writing to the glass manufacturers. Which I will do as a final step in this post. I doubt it will satisfy you even if they do reply. But here is what I found in a cursory search on causes of aquario glass scratches. Pay particular attention to #4 which I have also put in bold:

1. Because glass is easy to clean, it is often preferred for tanks where algal growth is expected. You can use razor blades to scrape off the algae from the glass, but if you are not careful, you will soon have scratches. Best is to use one of the many aquarium glass scrapers that are available in pet stores. Alternatively use crinoline, a plastic based fine mesh that is often used in dressmaking. It works very well and removes even the most stubborn algae without too much effort being required.

2. Algae should be scraped from the sides of the tank glass with an algae scraper sponge. Never use metal to scrape with as it will scratch your glass. Besides NO metals should be placed in a tank or aquarium! 
3. When something stronger is needed to remove some kinds of residue, rub with tri-sodium phosphate or cerium oxide. Use caution with these materials. Excessive rubbing on one spot can scratch the glass. They can be obtained at most hardware stores.
Pella never recommends using a razor blade because of the potential for scratching the glass. If someone has used a metallic object that left a mark or small scratch we recommends a 10% muriatic acid solution.
** 4. Once an aquarium reaches its 10th or so year of use, you will notice that the glass is rather dull, and does not have that crystal appearance any longer. This is due to the protective plastic coating on the inside of the glass being removed over the years. Once this happens, the glass itself becomes scratched, therefore dulling the appearance.*

5. Pro Scraper 1. It is made out of special plastic that the Three Bears would appreciate-not too hard and not too soft, but just right to remove algae off the glass or plastic but not scratch. I tried it on the sloppiest of my tanks, the Big Cichlid Aquarium, and it took off all the algae, even algae embedded in the scratches in the glass! In the reef tank, it scraped off calcareous algae easily, flaking it so it can roam about in the currents and re-seed elsewhere. It even scrapes algae off acrylic without scratching. I gave it the ultimate plastic aquarium test by rubbing the corner of the scraper on a piece of dry acrylic-no scratch. The scraper comes with a red plastic blade, and it is this blade that does the trick. Don't make the mistake of taking that blade out, throwing it away and replacing it with a razor blade, as is suggested erroneously in some aquarium supply catalogues.


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

Sorry, I was sleeping on the job!


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## RhomZilla (Feb 12, 2003)

WOW.. #4 has the best potential of a solid reason. But would there be any other indications on how to spot these old tanks, vs just buying a scratched up old tank???


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

grosse gurke said:


> Sorry, I was sleeping on the job!


 Dammit: take half a day off, and see what happens....























btw: I got my tank, scratches included, for very little money, so that's the main reason I'm not complaining. Of course I curse those scratches from time to time, but there's more important things in life, even more because it's a glass tank (so what can I do about it?)


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## Sir Nathan XXI (Jan 29, 2003)

thanks frank, but thats not the problem, I use a soft sponge to clean algae, which I rarely do, I never use any metals in the tank other than titanium heater in the sump

the tank is only 2 yrs old and I bought it new

tank temp is 80, and room temp is about 70 or so maybe higher

its not a crack either, its just a scatch, and my nail catches it if I rub my nail past it

this SUCKS!


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