Cloudy glass I don't know how to fix

[Luke at that tank]

I bought a used 47 gal bow front, it needed some cleaning no big deal, cleaned many of tanks covered with calcium, dried algae, coraline, I've always been able to clean it to new condition. Until now..... It has a haze on it nearly unnoticeable when filled with water, NEARLY key word. 2 pictures shows what I'm talking about. I've used vinegar, toothpaste, baking soda, salt, and razor blades, then I got really aggressive and tried alcohol, rain-x, hydrochloride acid, and 3000 grit wet dry sand paper. I am out of Ideas. can anyone think of something that will polish the haze out I haven't tried yet?

 

[RichtheReefer21]

You may have something unique on your hands, but i recall a similar stubborn residue on my old 55g when i bought it used. I wanna say i laid the tank on its side (display down) and filled about 1/2" of 5-1 white vinegar and hot water. Once the water cooled off i was able to scrape it with a brand new de-greased razor blade and some elbow grunt.

If u tried that and failed im not sure what to tell ya but perhaps others will chime in and see if we can get ya crystal clear soon enough. Hang tight!

 

[Luke at that tank]

Thank you, I tried straight vinegar and a mix of vinegar and water but not hot water, I will try that next, and update my progress.

 

[GlassMunky]

The fact that you used sandpaper makes me believe that it will never be smooth again coming from a glassmaking point of view....
You just made thousands more tiny scratches.

your best bet at this point would be to just get a new tank, they are cheap enough and easily found.

 

[Johnd651]

You can try these, they are finer then 3000 grit, in case it's micro abrasions ( hard to tell from the pic, but since chemicals aren't working could be physical damage).

Steel Wool Complete Set | Klingspor's Woodworking Shop

Klingspor's Woodworking Shop is full line distributor of woodworking tools and supplies from respected companies like Klingspor Abrasives, Delta Woodworking machinery, Jet Tools and Equipment, Powermatic, Bosch, Porter Cable, Fein, Dewalt, Sorby, Tormek, etc. We specialize in Klingspor sanding...

www.woodworkingshop.com

 

[dwair]

The fact that you used sandpaper makes me believe that it will never be smooth again coming from a glassmaking point of view....
You just made thousands more tiny scratches.

your best bet at this point would be to just get a new tank, they are cheap enough and easily found.

Really would have to agree with this. If it was an Acrylic tank, you'd be fine, but glass you aren't buffing out when you've taken sandpaper to it. But anything is possible OP! Hope you get it solved!

 

[Lightspeed]

Hmmm, looks like its etched into the glass, Hcl will take anything carbonate based from the surface with ease, if there is cloudiness remaining i think you are looking at permanent damage to the glass surface.
I know this due only to my old aquarium had etching on the glass around the top old watermark level, no matter of Hcl will clean it off as its actually corrosive etching on the glass itself.

Two solutions
1: is a very long one.
You can gently buff with fine grade Cerium Oxide commonly used in gemstone polishing, ensure you do not get a hot spot when you machine polish, and use water spray as a coolant and medium or it WILL crack your glass due to Thermal expansion in a concentrated area.
Polishing takes forever and a day but with time and care is entirely possible, saw a thread somewhere where a guy purchased a used Starphire display with scratches, bad ones too, he took them all out with a machine buff and Cerium Oxide so it can be done.

2: Well the other way is to simply break down the panels and replace and re seam.

 

[Luke at that tank]

fluorine? Apparently this tank was a fresh water tank using city water. This particular city used high concentrations of fluorine in their treatment process, I'm looking at etched glass from the city water. That being said, my last resort is to take the advice of Lightspeed and attempt to polish it with Cerium Oxide. If it works I'll be sure and post my success if it dosen't well I'll keep looking for a better bow front tank

 

[Luke at that tank]

The fact that you used sandpaper makes me believe that it will never be smooth again coming from a glassmaking point of view....
You just made thousands more tiny scratches.

your best bet at this point would be to just get a new tank, they are cheap enough and easily found.

you'd be surprised how difficult it is to find a 43 gallon bow front, lots of 72 gal, but trying to stick to 36 inch. Wife wont let me spend anymore on lighting. ;Rage

 

[eskymick]

Go buy a NEW 40 gallon breeder and call it a day. You’ll be much happier with its dimensions.

 

[Luke at that tank]

update on the florium etched 47 gal bow front...... I bought a brand new 47 gal acrylic one and chalked it up to a learning experience;Shamefullyembarrased

 

[RichtheReefer21]

update on the florium etched 47 gal bow front...... I bought a brand new 47 gal acrylic one and chalked it up to a learning experience;Shamefullyembarrased

Thanks for the update. Sucks but sometimes the cost justifies the effort. Good luck with ghe new shiny display