Has anyone replaced front glass on a large tank?

[KSzegi]

I recently purchased a used 300 gallon dd tank and have been unable to get the film off the front starphire glass no matter what I've tried. Rather than giving up on the tank I'm considering just replacing that front glass. I'm looking for advice and/or tips from anybody who has done this! Would you do it again yourself or am I better off trying to find someone with more experience in this to do it for me?

If you would do it again yourself, is there any valuable lessons you learned while doing it that you would pass along to help me avoid any mistakes?

 

[swannyson7]

What type of film is it? Have you tried soaking a towel with vinegar and letting it sit on the glass for a few hours, followed by scraping it with a razor blade?

 

[Paul_N]

What type of film is it? Have you tried soaking a towel with vinegar and letting it sit on the glass for a few hours, followed by scraping it with a razor blade?

+1

I had a used tank with a white film and couldn't get it off no matter what. I laid the tank on it's face on a blanket and poured enough vinegar to cover the surface and let it sit for a day. The film came right off with a rag after that. There are some older tanks I have seen threads on where the glass gets this haze that can never be removed but those tanks are usually years old like 10-15+ If this is a 300DD, it can't be that old.

 

[KSzegi]

What type of film is it? Have you tried soaking a towel with vinegar and letting it sit on the glass for a few hours, followed by scraping it with a razor blade?

+1

I had a used tank with a white film and couldn't get it off no matter what. I laid the tank on it's face on a blanket and poured enough vinegar to cover the surface and let it sit for a day. The film came right off with a rag after that. There are some older tanks I have seen threads on where the glass gets this haze that can never be removed but those tanks are usually years old like 10-15+ If this is a 300DD, it can't be that old.

I have no idea what the film is! When I bought the tank I assumed it was just a "typical" buildup of calcium/lime/salt ..... and that it would be pretty straightforward to clean. Boy was I wrong. I have tried the vinegar, both hot and cold and keeping it on the surface for 24 hours. I have been trying everything I could think of for the past week ..... vinegar, vinegar and baking soda, clr, lime away, muriatic acid, razor blades, ammonia, acetone, thinner ..... and buffing with de. Nothing has made any improvement to it at all.

I had a suggestion today to try cerium oxide .... so I have that on order. Will be here Wednesday and I will try that but after that I just don't know what else to do short of replacing the glass.

Supposedly this tank is only about 2 years old but was used as a water mixing station ..... so maybe too many wet/dry cycles or something caused the glass to etch. I was able to clean the sides pretty darn well but the starphire front just won't clean up at all. Tried filling the tank too, hoping that it wouldn't be noticeable but no such luck.

I'm absolutely beside myself ..... i went with the used tank since it was "cheaper" and had the customizations that I liked - eurobraced and coast to coast external overflow. Now it's looking like a really bad idea .....

 

[KSzegi]

At the start of the week before trying all cleaning methods ......

Yesterday after tyring a weeks worth of cleaning and filled with water ..... and it actually looks better in the photo than it does in person.

 

[KSzegi]

Just thought I'd update the thread ...... the cerium oxide worked!! Not done yet but a few more hours and I'll be able to get on with the build!!

 

[Troylee]

cool steel wool might do the trick also...

 

[jstuver]

Steel wool on glass? It wouldn't scratch it?

 

[Lateral72]

Steel wool on glass? It wouldn't scratch it?

Glass is harder than plain steel.

It will only scratch if you have a sharp point, which steel wool does not have. If you used a paint razor and nicked it with the corner, you'd have a really nice nick/scratch to talk about for many years.

 

[jstuver]

Hmm I may have to try that. I posted a thread as I am having issues with a film I can't get off the glass, I was pointed in the direction of this thread. Good info, thanks

 

[Hahnmeister]

Is this the "tin side" of the plate glass we are talking about?

 

[-Logzor]

Glass is harder than plain steel.

It will only scratch if you have a sharp point, which steel wool does not have. If you used a paint razor and nicked it with the corner, you'd have a really nice nick/scratch to talk about for many years.

I highly recommend NOT using steel wool on glass. Using the fine stuff, such as 0000, works...and will not scratch the glass...at first. Keep in mind 0000 steel wool shreds into tiny pieces as you use it, so you end up with tiny rusted steel wool particles that you can't get rid of, they stick really well to the glass and it's a nightmare. I am fairly certain the rusted steel wool will leave tiny micro scratches, although once the tank is filled up you can't notice them. Regardless, I DO NOT recommend using steel wool.

I have heard that placing vaseline on glass overnight will remove the white haze.