In the course of owning an aquarium, most likely during a cleaning, a scratch might occur on the aquarium’s glass or acrylic surface. Depending on how noticeable it is, it might be something you decide to ignore, or something you want to get fixed. Thankfully, most scratches in glass and acrylic are reasonably easy to repair. Editor’s Note: We wanted to know how the professionals do it, so we asked our friend Jon Wolf for some tips. Jon has been an aquarium consultant for over 15 years with Blue Planet Aquarium. If you didn’t know, Blue Planet Aquarium is the Midwest’s premier aquariums company specializing in custom design, maintenance, cleaning and installations. If the scratch is on the inside of the aquarium, you’ll have to take some extra precautions to make sure that you don’t contaminate the aquarium during the buffing process. First, drain some of the water out of the aquarium, giving yourself several inches under the level of the scratch, so you have some room to work with.

Then, place a sheet of plastic foil on top of the water surface, and use some tape to secure the foil to the four sides of the aquarium. best way to clean fish tank filterThis gives you a surface that will catch all the buffing residue and prevent it from ending up inside the aquarium water.wechat 操作太頻繁 To buff out a scratch from glass, first you’ll have to get your hands on a chemical called Cerium Oxide (often used by jewelers). betta fish tank heater petcoThen, buy a hard rubber disk and a buffing pad extension for a power drill or an oscillation tool.marine aquarium shop in bangalore

Mix the cerium oxide with water to create a paste, and put a little bit of the mixture on the buffing pad.marine aquarium fish shop uk You can now begin to buff out the scratch, but be sure to keep the drill on its lowest setting. acrylic fish tank cementBuff until the scratch is removed to your satisfaction, checking the glass periodically to make sure it isn’t getting too hot. When done with the steps above, carefully wipe down the glass to remove any remainder of cerium oxide and you should be good to go. Acrylic is increasing in popularity as a material for aquariums, because of the many options it provides, such as curved walls, spheres, etc. Acrylic surfaces are easier to scratch than glass, but also easier to repair. To get scratches out of acrylic you’ll just need some wet/dry sandpaper and a solution called NOVUS(think of it as even finer grit sandpaper, in paste form).

For moderate scratches, it’s best to start with around 400 grit sandpaper (remember, always keep the sandpaper wet) and progress to 800, 1000, and 2000 grit. After you’re done with the 2000 grit, the surface should feel smooth, but will exhibit some “haze” from the micro-scratches made by the sandpaper. From there, use some Novus solution on a towel and buff until the acrylic is as transparent as it was originally. As with glass, you have to keep the acrylic surface from getting too hot (acrylic will actually melt under high temperature). You can do this by keeping a small bowl of water and occasionally wiping down the acrylic surface during the sanding process. There you have it. Whether your aquarium is made of glass or acrylic, the above steps will help you get rid of pesky scratches and restore your aquarium to its previous splendor! Have you tried removing scratches from your aquariums before? We would love to hear your own experience and I’m sure the community would appreciate some tips too.

Share it with us in the comments section below. About Jon WolfJon Wolf has been an aquarium design consultant for over 15 years with Blue Planet Aquarium. Blue Planet Aquarium was born out of one unique belief: that aquariums are beautiful and interesting enough to be more than highlights, and deserve to become integral parts of the places they occupy. The Benefits of Acrylic Aquariums Are you in the market for a new fish tank? If so, have you decided which type of fish tank you would like to purchase? When this question is asked, it doesn�t necessarily mean the size or the shape of the aquarium, but rather the type of it. Unfortunately, there are many first-time fish owners who do not realize that they have more than one option. If you are one of those first-time fish owners, you are urged to look past glassOnce you do, you will see acrylic aquariums. close examination, you will see exactly what makes acrylic aquariums one of the most highly rated and recommended aquarium

One of the many benefits to owning an acrylic aquarium isAcrylic aquariums do not come with the noticeable black seals that most glass aquariums have. automatically, makes acrylic aquarium more attractive thanIn fact, the sealing used on acrylic aquariums leads to another benefit of owning an acrylicThe sealing of an aquarium plays an important part in its strength and reliability. aquariums are sealed with molecular bonds. This type of bonding is one of the best. Essentially, this means that an acrylic aquarium should withstand the test of time. In fact, that is why many acrylic aquarium suppliers offer lifetime warranties on all or most of their acrylic aquariums. With the strength and durability of acrylic aquariums, you might assume that they are quite heavy, but that isn�t theThe weight of acrylic aquariums is just another one ofWhen compared to glass aquariums, acrylicIt is amazing that something can be stronger and lighter at the same time, isn�t it?

aquarium owner, you will find that the weight of an acrylic aquarium makes it easier to move it around your home or your office or even to a whole other establishment! size of your aquarium will have an impact on its weight, but, no matter what the size, acrylic aquariums weigh less than Reliability is another benefit to owning an acrylic aquarium. As it was mentioned above, many acrylic aquariums come with warranties, many of which are lifetime warranties. manufacturer or supplier would not offer lifetime warranties on products that they couldn�t stand behind. This just goes to show how much acrylic is preferred among fish tank manufacturers andIt is rare, if not impossible, to find a lifetime warranty on a glass fish tank. One of the reasons for that is because glass aquariums can crack or shatter. can scratch, but those scratches and easily be repaired and it is just about the worst thing that could happen with an acrylic

Acrylic aquariums will not shatter, crack, or distort in any shape or form. This fact, alone, is enough to reason to make acrylic aquariums worth the cost. The above mentioned acrylic aquariums benefits are just a few of the many that exist. Just a few of other noteworthy benefits include insulation, ease of repair, and design. mentioned above, acrylic aquariums will not crack or distort, but they can starch. If scratching does occur, it can easily be repaired with a home-repair kit, which can be purchased from many fish tank supply stores. As for insulation, due to their strength, acrylic aquariums are known to provide more insulation, when compared to glass aquariums. important to note design. Since acrylic can easily be manipulated, design wise, it is possible for unique or even custom acrylic aquariums to be developed. This often means that you have a much larger selection of aquariums to choose from, when buying an acrylic aquarium.