Setting up an aquarium in your home or workspace can enhance its overall aesthetic value of it. But sometimes, you may find some scratches on your aquarium, which destroy its beauty of it and influence the mood of viewers.
So why does your aquarium get scratches? How to remove them and how to get rid of them? I think these questions are what you are concerned about when you notice scratches on your aquarium. And this article is going to help you solve this problem.
What are the common materials used to make an aquarium?
Before we get to the point, I want to share with you something about the materials used to make an aquarium. The most common material is glass, which makes the scratches more obvious compared to other materials, such as ceramics. But there is more than one type of glass in the world. In the following, I’ll introduce 3 types of glasses and their traits to you.
Normal glass
The first one is normal glass. It is commonly seen in our daily life but is not suitable for building an aquarium. This Viridis glass is fragile and not so transparent. When exposed to rain and sun, it will deform.
Float glass
The glass paste enters the tin tank through the control gate and floats on the surface of molten tin due to gravity and surface tension of its own. Then, it will enter the cold tank to make both sides smooth and uniform, and the corrugated disappear. This is how we make float glass.
This dark-green glass has no corrugation on its smooth surface and is super perspective with a certain toughness. This kind of glass is not easy to deform and very transparent, which is perfect for aquariums.
Acrylic glass
It was originally used in airplanes, but now the material is more common in our daily life. The aquarium made of acrylic glass is light and tough. But it is easy to be scratched and not so transparent. Thus, it is also not suitable for making aquariums.
How to remove aquarium scratches?
In the following, we’ll share with you 3 methods to remove the scratches. But before that, you should know the tools you must use in each method.
They are the hand drill and a buffing wheel. It can help you polish the surface after you put some materials on the scratches. Considering that friction will create heat, you should pay attention when operating the tools.
Basic cautions you should notice are as follows:
- Please use the lowest setting to operate the hand drill.
- Spay some water on the contact area to avoid glass melt and fragmenting.
- Use a towel to wipe the residuum of the materials to avoid secondary scratches.
- Slowly and gently apply the drill and buffing wheel around the whole scratch area. Do not concentrate on one place for too long and do not push too hard.
Use toothpaste
Amazing, right? Don’t doubt, that using toothpaste can is an easy way to remove aquarium scratches! If the scratches are light, you can just brush the toothpaste on the scratches. But if the scratches are too wide, you may need the help of a hand drill and buffing wheel. To get rid of the toothpaste getting rope, don’t forget to spray some water on it.
Polish them with Cerium Peroxide paste
This kind of material won’t dissolve in water, so you don’t have to worry that it will influence the water parameters. To get a cerium oxide paste, you need to mix water and powder, and the ratio is 2:1. This material will work well in removing the fine scratches in your fish tank.
After putting the paste on the scratches and dampening the wheel with it, you can start to remove the scratches. But please remember the cautions we mentioned above. Use gentle force and spray water regularly.
Fill up with liquid glass resin
If the depth of scratches on the glass is at medium level, the above 2 methods may not work. Here comes the third way-using liquid glass resin to fill up the scratches.
Fill the scratches with the liquid glass resin, and allow it to stay on the area for about 24 hours. After it dries and sticks firmly to the scratches, use a wet buffer to remove excessive resins. Then, clean the surface and you’ll find no scratches anymore.
How to get rid of aquarium scratches?
The scratches are mainly caused by your cleaning tools, such as the algae scraper. Thus, to get rid of aquarium scratches, you should pay attention while cleaning your fish tank.
If you encounter some hard and stubborn dirt on the tank glass, do not use scrapers to remove it directly. Instead, use some vinegar to soften and loosen it first. After some time, you’ll find the dirt is easier to remove, you may even don’t need a scraper.
If you have to use a scraper, check if there are tough particles on the surface. You can test it on some spare glass before using it. And while using it, start gently.
Conclusion
The scratches on a fish tank can be annoying. But this happens even in an experienced aquarist’s tank. After knowing the cause, you can find it’s easy to get rid of scratches on fish tanks. But removing them can be complex and difficult. Hope the methods given can help you remove the scratches on your fish tank.
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