Old Tank

[Orion]

A while back I bought a used 40 gal that was about 15 years old. The tank itself is in good condition, no leaks and minor chips, but the glass is scratched on the inside. Also there is what appears to be hard water, or mineral deposits on the outside of the tank. I have tried every cleaner walmart has to get rid of the deposits, and none of them even touches it! What do I need to do to get rid of both the scratches and the deposits?

 

[toodles]

I don't know of anything that can remove scratches from glass....if there is something, I'd like to know about it too!

The hard water deposits can be removed with vinegar. Lay the tank down on the side you want to work on and pour the vinegar directly on the deposits and let it sit for a couple of minutes. A little bit of scrubbing and it should come right off. Make sure you rinse the tank really well when you are done, especially since you have been using other cleaners.

 

[Orion]

Well, thankfully, and unusualy, all of the mineral deposits are on the outside of the tank. I have used no cleaners whatso ever on the inside. I have seen a glass scratch repair kit, but im not sure if they are even worth fooling with. The scratches arent near as bad as the deposits on the sides.

 

[toodles]

On the outside????

I wonder how that happened?

 

[Orion]

Yeah, beats me. Ive seen stranger, but not much. The woman my wife bought it off of said that she had kept an oscar in there for like 15 years. The tank had no hood, or glass or anything to cover the tank. My guess is that over time, all the splashing the oscars do just sort of collected there, and the really strange thing is that it is really only on one side, not the front, back , or the other side. who knows

 

[YZFR1rider]

what I think is she had a filter hanging on the side of the tank and it was always wet or it was from an air hose maybe just a guess.

Matt

 

[Orion]

hmmm....very good possability. I just cant get the darn stuff off!! I have even laid my dremel tool to it!

 

[Torpedo]

I vote for a new tank!!!!! Too much work for me.

 

[Orion]

hehe, me too. But once agian I am forced to deal with the one who controls the money....my wife!!!!

 

[sinsug]

What you can do is soak a dishtowel or washcloth or whatever in the vinegar and then let it sit on top of the water deposits. Let it sit there as long as you need to. Vinegar is great for stuff like that, but sometimes you have to let it sit for a good while.

 

[Orion]

I havent tried vinegar yet, I will probably when I get home. Thx.