Scratch Repair

[tenohfive]

Long story short...can the scratches in the pic below be repaired? If so, how, and how much work is it likely to take to do? Original glass thickness is 10mm if that makes any difference, and it's a 350L tank.

 

[micko]

I've heard toothpaste will take out scratches, if you use it with a cloth. Keep rubbing over and over it. I'm not sure if this works though as I've never tried it.

 

[Proxo]

It looks like someone was drawing the devil sign (or whatever it is) on your fish tank?

 

[soybean]

I have heard the polish jewelers use to clean gem stones will remove glass scratches. Depends how deep it is I suppose. Might need an electric buffer which probably means a professional.

 

[moochy13]

i was looking to do this to the windows of my car. basically, if you can 'feel' the scratch with your fingernail, you're pretty much out of luck. if you cant feel it, some compound should do the job. i didnt use any in the end, i just replaced the windscreen, so cant reccommend anything. and if you get something, test it ont he back of your tank if you can, make sure it doesnt create any scratches itself.

 

[tenohfive]

It's not my fish tank, it's a tank I was thinking about buying. Apparently kids, magnetic algae cleaners and gravel don't mix.

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has first hand experience of this sort of scratch repair.

 

[James9114]

im no expert but that looks well beyond repair

 

[moochy13]

im no expert but that looks well beyond repair

when i first opened the thread and started typing, the photo didnt open. once i had finished, i saw the photo and thought the same thing. cant you just turn the tank round ? also this is why i dont own a magnetic cleaner, even getting sand caught in it could be bad news.

 

[tenohfive]

I'm inclined to agree. I'm not sure if you can get away with just turning it around - I would have thought the existing owner would have done so already if that were practical. It's a Rena Aqualife 350/120 if anyone knows any different?

 

[moochy13]

i wouldnt count on it. if the damage was done with a magnetic cleaner, then the damage was done with the tank full of water. it would be a big job to turn that tank round, emptying most of the water, rearranging the power leads, filter, decor, plants (as it would all be back to front if not). if somebodies already thinking of getting rid of it, they wont go to that bother to hide the scratch.

 

[Monty-2010]

i wouldnt count on it. if the damage was done with a magnetic cleaner, then the damage was done with the tank full of water. it would be a big job to turn that tank round, emptying most of the water, rearranging the power leads, filter, decor, plants (as it would all be back to front if not). if somebodies already thinking of getting rid of it, they wont go to that bother to hide the scratch.

Id tend to agree with that

 

[noisysprings]

I have some experience in polishing out scratches in glass.

I would advise against buying because although any scratch can be polished out, what you are effectively doing is creating a lens at that point.

What this would do is cause a distortion point in your viewing window.

Hope this helps with your decision.