# scratch repair



## qwerty (Dec 15, 2009)

I've got a few scratches on my aquarium. They're very small and very shallow, and if it weren't for them being in the dead center of my front pane, I'd have no problem ignoring them.

It's a glass aquarium and I've done some reading and it seems hydrochloric acid, or cerium oxide is the solution to fixing this.

Now I'm just wondering... Has anyone tried this, and how big of a project is it time, effort, and risk wise...

I'm fairly certain these scratches should be repairable, they really aren't that deep at all... They just happen to be right in the dead center so I can't help but notice them. I'm sure other people wouldn't notice them without looking for them.

If I could do this in about an hour or two without taking a big risk of weakening the glass, damaging it more, or contaminating the tank water, then I think I'd be willing to put in the elbow grease to do it. Especially if I could avoid using the drill with the buffer head, since it's a fairly shallow scratch. Otherwise I'll just have to live with it.

Anyways, just looking for people who've done this before to comment, thanks!


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

Can you not drain the tank, and then flip it 180 degrees (so that the back becomes the front)?

It may be easier than using cerium oxide. That will require you drain the aquarium, and get a drill with a buffing head. It will take at least 3-4 hours of constant buffing to get the scratches out. 

I recall reading a report of how someone did it while the aquarium was filled...


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## qwerty (Dec 15, 2009)

haha, nah, rotating it 180 degrees would also mean removing a substantial amount of substrate to move my driftwood (it's burried to the bottom), which would also mean replanting all my plants... And it's a pretty planted tank... Not to mention the back is painted black.... Which really, you'd think woulda been the first reason I gave...

I've been looking at some claims that tooth paste and elbow grease will remove very minor scratches, or at least improve their appearance...

I think I'd be more willing to try toothpaste, since it's not as toxic as cerium oxide, so I could probably do it with the tank just partially drained and with all the plants and inhabbitants still inside.

I'd test it on a small quarantine tank first just to make sure the toothpaste doesn't scratch the glass itself or anything like that...


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