Nano coated (algae proof) aquarium glass?

[Q43]

So, I’ve seen nano coatings magically repel water, stains, etc. on many different surfaces, but I’ve always wondered if the same technology could be applied to aquarium glass. In theory, this would prevent algae from growing on it and could also reduce salt creep and hard water stains since any droplets would just slide right back down into the water. Well, I just stumbled across a product that claims to do just that. This German company supposedly developed a nano coating specifically for aquarium glass that is completely safe for fish and is so slick that nothing can stick to or grow on it for 5 years. However, it seems too good to be true since I can’t find a single review for it anywhere. If it really does everything they claim, shouldn’t there be a bunch of people talking about it? Does anyone know of a product like this being used for a reef tank? I reached out to the company to ask what the stuff is made of (what’s being leeched into the water over those 5 years?) and whether they have any evidence of it actually working. If they can present any proof to back up their claims, I just might be crazy enough to try this stuff out on my new tank build. I’ll probably run an ICP-OES test on my water after a few weeks to see if anything spikes. Stupid? Or brilliant? Wouldn’t it be amazing if I never had to scrape algae again?

Link: Percenta Nano Coating for Aquariums

 

[NowGlazeIT]

Sounds brilliant in theory!

 

[eggplantparrot]

Please document this if you try

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hydrophobic coatings will not repel algae. All kinds of proteins and other molecules bind to it rapidly, and then organisms bind to that. That's why teflon coated ships are not a thing. This article discusses algae attachment to various surfaces:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4754892/
If you want to strongly repel marine life, you need a much more complicated system, like this one that puts a thin, self repairing nonwater liquid coating (SLIPS) on the glass or metal:

https://adaptivesurface.tech/marine/
Certain combinations of hydrophilc peaks with valleys can also work, as noted in the link above.

 

[Q43]

I did some more digging and found out that this stuff is made from titanium dioxide nanoparticles, which is definitely NOT safe for corals. A study published by NIH found that “Exposure to nano‐TiO2 caused significant Zooxanthellae expulsion in all the colonies”. So much for that idea. Maybe someone could try it out on a fish-only aquarium.

 

[NoahLikesFish]

how do i get a nano coating for my exterior. i get so mad when i see spots on my glass.

 

[Q43]

how do i get a nano coating for my exterior. i get so mad when i see spots on my glass.

There’s quite a few products out there that would probably be fine for tank exterior. Here’s one.

 

[NoahLikesFish]

There’s quite a few products out there that would probably be fine for tank exterior. Here’s one.

that link dosent work

 

[Q43]

that link dosent work

Oops. Try this one:
GYEON Quartz Q² View - Ceramic Coating for Glass

 

[One-Armed Bandit]

So, I’ve seen nano coatings magically repel water, stains, etc. on many different surfaces, but I’ve always wondered if the same technology could be applied to aquarium glass. In theory, this would prevent algae from growing on it and could also reduce salt creep and hard water stains since any droplets would just slide right back down into the water. Well, I just stumbled across a product that claims to do just that. This German company supposedly developed a nano coating specifically for aquarium glass that is completely safe for fish and is so slick that nothing can stick to or grow on it for 5 years. However, it seems too good to be true since I can’t find a single review for it anywhere. If it really does everything they claim, shouldn’t there be a bunch of people talking about it? Does anyone know of a product like this being used for a reef tank? I reached out to the company to ask what the stuff is made of (what’s being leeched into the water over those 5 years?) and whether they have any evidence of it actually working. If they can present any proof to back up their claims, I just might be crazy enough to try this stuff out on my new tank build. I’ll probably run an ICP-OES test on my water after a few weeks to see if anything spikes. Stupid? Or brilliant? Wouldn’t it be amazing if I never had to scrape algae again?

Link: Percenta Nano Coating for Aquariums

The product info states it protects against external pollutants. This specifically implies it is used on the tank exterior surfaces while imho it can only help prevent algae buildup if it is applied to the interior surfaces. I'm sorry... fish friendly or not; I don't want my glass cleaners even trying to gnaw away on a clean Nano surface and possibly ingesting it. I know glass and acrylic are totally nontoxic and cannot be ingested. If there is even a chance that fish could ingest it and their stomach acids could interact with it and create a toxic byproduct during its breakdown, I'm not taking it and will never be sold on such products. I'm inherently lazy and like to do things the easiest way possible, but not at the expense of risking my charges.

 

[One-Armed Bandit]

The product info states it protects against external pollutants. This specifically implies it is used on the tank exterior surfaces while imho it can only help prevent algae buildup if it is applied to the interior surfaces. I'm sorry... fish friendly or not; I don't want my glass cleaners even trying to gnaw away on a clean Nano surface and possibly ingesting it. I know glass and acrylic are totally nontoxic and cannot be ingested. If there is even a chance that fish could ingest it and their stomach acids could interact with it and create a toxic byproduct during its breakdown, I'm not taking it and will never be sold on such products. I'm inherently lazy and like to do things the easiest way possible, but not at the expense of risking my charges.

 

[One-Armed Bandit]

Oops. Try this one:
GYEON Quartz Q² View - Ceramic Coating for Glass

NOT AQUARIUM SAFE!

 

[Staghorn]

I don’t know about you guys, with regards to the exterior of the aquarium, of course, but I’ve tried that rain x on my windshield of my car, and it is a smudgy mess. I don’t know if maybe a ceramic coating would be different cause I’ve never had that done, but I imagine anything you can just apply to the outside of your aquarium is gonna have to be stripped off the aquarium and reapplied? By the way, this is my observation I don’t know what I’m talking about here.