Things I learned today

[b125killer]

I was trying to clean the acrylic aquarium and found out that green scotch bright pads and razer blades scratch the acrylic. It's a good thing I was already thinking that might happen so I tried it on a spot that won't be seen. Now I need to figure out how to clean it. For now it's vinegar and a soft cloth.

[Frank The Plumber]

What about the white pads by scotch brite. They are 3000 grit.

[b125killer]

I'll have to try them. Using a rag just isn't doing anything. I guess it's a good thing I'm not planing to use it as a show tank. I do know it was used a saltwater tank. Is there anything special I have to do to it to get it ready for freshwater?

[Mugwump]

not really, wash well, and lots of vinegar.....you can place a vinegar soaked paper towel on it and let it work...then try to rub it off...diluted lime away too.....rinse well and rinse again...air dry..

[BallAquatics]

You can probably polish out your scratched area using tooth paste...

Dennis

[b125killer]

Do you use the tooth past like your brushing your teeth? or just wipe on and off? I'm not that concerned with the scratches they are small and on the inside of the divider. I almost think once it has water in it they won't be see. The build up I need to get off. I'm not to sure if it's salt creep or calcium build up. I'll put vinegar soaked towels on it before I go to bed and see it that helps. It's not that much I just want it off especially if it's salt creep. Now I know why I like glass aquariums there much easier to clean.   

[PaulineMi]

If its difficult to remove its most likely calcium/lime scale. The salt creep on my brackish tank is way easier to remove than the lime scale.

You can always taste it to find out. JK.... 

[BallAquatics]

Do you use the tooth past like your brushing your teeth?

Yea, it works just like that expensive polish they recommend for tanks.  I've been using it to polish out marks on motorcycle windscreens for years...

Dennis

[Jdmcfast]

You can probably polish out your scratched area using tooth paste...

Dennis

Any particular kind? Or just any tooth paste?

[Jdmcfast]

I wonder if it would work for those foggy headlights too?

[BallAquatics]

No particular brand...  it's like a very mild form of rubbing compound.  It will take the haze off of headlight covers but it's the cheap material they use that causes the problem and they will haze back up.

Dennis

[BillT]

I think there are plastic scrapers made for acrylic tanks.

I tend to use stronger acids (phosphoric acid {for sterilizing beer making equipment} or muriatic acid {HCl}) to get rid of lime deposits, but I don't usually do it with fish in a tank I am working on.

[b125killer]

I want to be careful of what I clean the tank with. It's a bigger tank and it's way to cold to take it out side to use the hose on. I need to use something that's going to be easy to clean out. I'm going to try the tooth past. There are some small scratches on there that I would like to get out. also going to look for a scraper for acrylic.  This will teach me to get a used acrylic tank. Good thing it's not that bad.

[Frank The Plumber]

Tooth paste has a mica in it. Just for giggles I  have used it to see what grit I thought it would be. A 3,000 grit final glaze polish gives a mirror like shine on a black clear coat job. With a 2500 you see a bit of swirl, swirl is fine line scratches. about a 1500 and you see a lot of swirl on the black, the clarity is affected. I took a 3,000 polished surface and applied a toothpaste which you could feel the grit in your teeth on. This took the polish job to about a 1200 in my opinion. I used a baking soda toothpaste like a sensodyne to toy with that. In my opinion the sensodyne was around the equivalent of an 1,800 grit or so. Not really good clarity in the polish though even at 1800 grit. I have used a clay bar on my polished job and it will remove fine line scratches in the polish. I'm not sure about what might be in a clay bar but if it is safe that might really work well.