Can’t Clean used Reef Tank Glas :/

[GlassMunky]

I was recommended this product to use on severely stained windows, from hard water, instead of replacement from a window company. They said that they use it all of the time to clean the water stains, I tried it and it really does work. I haven’t tried it on my tank yet, but it does state that it is aquarium safe. I get it through Amazon. It might be worth a shot.

yea id stay away form that.... it doesnt say its safe to use on the INSIDE of a tank.... ANd the fact it says it has a "protective film that lasts for 6 months" says do not use this in a reef tank

 

[GlassMunky]

"CONTAINS: LAS Complex CAS# 27176-87-0, Surfactant CAS# 9016-45-9, Silica Flour CAS# 14808-60-"

 

[GlassMunky]

CAS RN | 27176-87-0 | Dodecylbenzene Sulfonic Acid​

https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/product/mm/492016

 

[GlassMunky]

Personally i wouldnt want those used on my tank

 

[The_Paradox]

Those would be fine to use on an aquarium as long as you cleaned it after. As for the stains it looks like etching similar to what coralline does. If that’s the case the fastest way to fix it is a felt wheel working up cutting paste to polish. You probably need at least 2 wheels if you want it perfect.

 

[Reefering1]

Cerium oxide?

 

[twentyleagues]

Cerium Oxide is what you need. Its quite a bit of work but in the end it is worth it. From what I found there are 2 a white and a red get the red one. This is a polishing compound applied with a polishing pad and I used a drill, I used foam and wool. Keep a spray bottle with rodi in it and mist your work area regularly keeping the polish damp. The tank I used it on is 28x28x24" inside dimensions, I worked in 12x12" areas. I wish I had done a before and after on this tank best I can do is show you the after and one of my 30g that I tried everything and possibly more that you tried and its still hazy. Looked ok dry, not terrible filled with saltwater, plainly visible with reef lighting.

I have very hard well water and keep a lot of rift lake freshwater fish because of the hardwater. Most of my tanks have this haze on them. While filled with water and under typical freshwater lighting you cannot see it but as soon as its dry or you put some blue light on it bam! there it is.

I had help from a reefer here. I dont see it in my threads so I probably jumped in on one of these and he sent me a pm gave me his phone# and we talked for about an hour. Super helpful I have tried to get his attention on the forum after but he hasn't replied so I wont bother here. Basically he said although the directions say not to let it dry he discovered by happy accident that if you do let it dry and then buff it off by hand with a soft cloth it actually comes out cleaner then if you dont with half the work time. You do need to be careful as this could scratch the glass if there is a large chunk and you push too hard. I saw no ill effect and the glass on my 80g cube is very clear. Now if only it took the scratches out from my Fahaka picking up rocks and running them across the glass.....

Ill post some pics in a minute.

 

[twentyleagues]

This has water in it. Super clear.

Lights on.

This is the 30g. I am not sure if it comes through in the pic or not but if you can see the spots that look black those are actually clear spots and the rest is "frosted" the back glass is black which is why the clear spots look black. Any way this is what the tank above looked like before cerium oxide. It also had a very strong water line at the surface like yours.

 

[Reefering1]

Now if only it took the scratches out from my Fahaka picking up rocks and running them across the glass.....

That puffer did what!!?!
The 1st time i see that, he would b getting the FAhAKA there

 

[twentyleagues]

That puffer did what!!?!
The 1st time i see that, he would b getting the FAhAKA there

Oh yeah. Hes a Turd. Spits water at me, splashes me, picks up rocks and runs them across the glass, I have very large wood pieces in with him that he will bite and pull to try to move them, pulls up plants except in his "hiding" spot, kills guppies for sport. Unless I interact with him for at least 30min everyday he acts out. I have a ping pong ball we play with, and giving him large snails or crayfish once a weeks helps curb any acting out. No rocks in his current tank either.

 

[The_Paradox]

Cerium Oxide is what you need. Its quite a bit of work but in the end it is worth it. From what I found there are 2 a white and a red get the red one.

That’s Iron oxide then which is your polish. White is cerium which is your cut. Will go faster if you cut then polish. I usually sand first then cut then polish. Waterline on a tank that size usually takes about 15-20 minutes if you are familiar with the process.

 

[Reefering1]

Oh yeah. Hes a Turd. Spits water at me, splashes me, picks up rocks and runs them across the glass, I have very large wood pieces in with him that he will bite and pull to try to move them, pulls up plants except in his "hiding" spot, kills guppies for sport. Unless I interact with him for at least 30min everyday he acts out. I have a ping pong ball we play with, and giving him large snails or crayfish once a weeks helps curb any acting out. No rocks in his current tank either.

So he's basically like a pit bull puppy in a fish body

 

[Reefering1]

That’s Iron oxide then which is your polish. White is cerium which is your cut. Will go faster if you cut then polish. I usually sand first then cut then polish. Waterline on a tank that size usually takes about 15-20 minutes if you are familiar with the process.

What grit sandpaper do you use? And sand wet, right?

 

[twentyleagues]

That’s Iron oxide then which is your polish. White is cerium which is your cut. Will go faster if you cut then polish. I usually sand first then cut then polish. Waterline on a tank that size usually takes about 15-20 minutes if you are familiar with the process.

I guess its more pink then red but it says cerium on it. I did exactly what "he" said and it worked well. I will try your method next time as there are plenty options for me....lol. Maybe its a mix like a 2nd step between the white and red? IdK I still have quite a bit left and have the bag I could post a pic. Took me about 3-4 hours to do the whole tank.

 

[twentyleagues]

So he's basically like a pit bull puppy in a fish body

Thats an accurate description of his behavior having had both.

 

[twentyleagues]

@The_Paradox

 

[VintageReefer]

Thats an accurate description of his behavior having had both.

Throw one of these in for play time

https://a.co/d/gCPy2Vn

 

[Garf]

@The_Paradox

Presumably, if you are not Californians there's nothing to worry about?

 

[twentyleagues]

Throw one of these in for play time

https://a.co/d/gCPy2Vn

Lol I wonder how big those are? He currently is about 8-10" and live peacefully with 2 about the same size synodontis catfish. I dont want him tearing them up. So probably not the best idea to teach him to kill larger fish. The guppies can be food I am ok with that. I just dont like when he hunts them just to kill them and not eat.

 

[twentyleagues]

Presumably, if you are not Californians there's nothing to worry about?

Like pretty much all the things! lol