So does anyone have any advice on buffing/polishing glass. I bought a 125 gallon dual corner flow for $100. Came with a t5 mh led current 6' light. The front is scratched up. I either have to polish them away (I don't habe high hopes) or tear the tank apart and alternate the back glass which Is scratch free.
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AllSignsPointToFish
"No Longer The Guy Without FaceBook"
Is there such a thing as a glass polishing kit for aquariums? When I had an acrylic aquarium, I once bought a polishing kit especially for acrylic that contained several, progressively finer grades of sandpaper for buffing out scratches. Not sure if such a thing exists for glass.
I'm looking into cerium oxide. Sounds like it may work with hours and hours of work. I hate to waste money and time though. On the flip side, I could tear the tank apart and rebuild it. Sounds like a hot mess either way I look at it! This 125 will be my first saltwater. It will be mpunted in dining room wall. I have 8' x3' fish room behind it.
kschweer
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Yea that's pretty bad. But still fill it to see how it looks. Here's some steps to polish it if need be.
http://animals.mom.me/fix-scratch-aquarium-glass-7509.html
Just know it will probably take a pretty good amount of work to fix it. You can also look at kits for windshield polishing like this.
http://www.eastwood.com/glass-polis...e=&network=g&gclid=CKiwk6Pr-MoCFcUmhgod3fcOZA
http://animals.mom.me/fix-scratch-aquarium-glass-7509.html
Just know it will probably take a pretty good amount of work to fix it. You can also look at kits for windshield polishing like this.
http://www.eastwood.com/glass-polis...e=&network=g&gclid=CKiwk6Pr-MoCFcUmhgod3fcOZA
AllSignsPointToFish
"No Longer The Guy Without FaceBook"
It might be better just to start with a new 125 gallon tank. I'm assuming you got a stand as well, and the stand is the expensive part. A standard 125 gallon tank runs $250-400....a small amount compared to everything else you'll be investing in your setup.
Reeflogic
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Wow, pretty severe scratches. I doubt very seriously you could ever come close to removing those deep scratches from glass. Cerium oxide could remove finer scratches with LOTS of effort, or so I've read. If the back glass doesn't have scratches, your best bet would be to remove the overflows and pick up one of the newer "ghost" style overflows and drill the scratched side. Make sure to check the tank manufacturer for possible tempered panes before you drill! Water will hide them a lot, but man those are DEEP scratches!!
Oops. Anyways, filling this bad boy up to see what it looks like with water in it. The scratches do get much harder to see, but any experience with scratches anybody? Should I play with lighting I plan on using and look at them in those different ways before I decide to use the aquarium or not? I priced a new one with dual corner flows and it'd around 600 after tax.
Reeflogic
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Well, I was in a similar situation as you a few years ago, but on a much smaller scale. I picked up a used JBJ30g AIO from a guy off craigslist. He told me the tank was dirty, covered in algae and coralline, but assured me it did not have any major scratches. I drove the 2 hours and picked it up and yeah it was pretty dirty looking, but for the $150 bucks I threw at it, I figured I could clean it up no problem.
So I bring it home and immediately started a vinegar bath, let it run a few days and, of course, it melted off all the junk on the glass. That's when I knew the guy had lied to me.... It had a ton of scratches, not as many as you have, but tons of smaller to medium scratches, some minor, some deeper. I researched like you did and read up on ways to polish the glass. In the end, I decided it was not worth the effort for a 30g tank to attempt it. So, I set it up and the water hides most of the scratches and it does not bother me nearly as bad as I figured it would. The scratches eventually fill with algae so they become even less visible unless you focus on the glass and not what's behind the glass.
At the end of the day, you will just need to determine whether you will want to have the annoyance of scratches or have peace of mind and just buy a new one. You eventually overlook the scratches for the most part, or at least, I did. I will never purchase a tank that hasn't been pre-cleaned again, though!! Also, be careful filling that large of a tank up sitting on the floor of your garage, especially with that moving blanket or whatever it is laying beneath it. If it's not perfectly level, or at least within a certain tolerance you can blow out a seam. I'm sure you are draining it right away, but still be careful!!
So I bring it home and immediately started a vinegar bath, let it run a few days and, of course, it melted off all the junk on the glass. That's when I knew the guy had lied to me.... It had a ton of scratches, not as many as you have, but tons of smaller to medium scratches, some minor, some deeper. I researched like you did and read up on ways to polish the glass. In the end, I decided it was not worth the effort for a 30g tank to attempt it. So, I set it up and the water hides most of the scratches and it does not bother me nearly as bad as I figured it would. The scratches eventually fill with algae so they become even less visible unless you focus on the glass and not what's behind the glass.
At the end of the day, you will just need to determine whether you will want to have the annoyance of scratches or have peace of mind and just buy a new one. You eventually overlook the scratches for the most part, or at least, I did. I will never purchase a tank that hasn't been pre-cleaned again, though!! Also, be careful filling that large of a tank up sitting on the floor of your garage, especially with that moving blanket or whatever it is laying beneath it. If it's not perfectly level, or at least within a certain tolerance you can blow out a seam. I'm sure you are draining it right away, but still be careful!!
TUSI
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It can be polished but it requires a lot of work and possibly breaking the glass. Be care full with cerium oxide cause it's very toxic. It needs to be taken out by buffing compounds and a stone wheel. If it's not done right the glass can heat up and crack.imo I think it's worth the troubles
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It would have been far less effort to just buy a new tank, but then again, it wasn't 180g tank. Well I talked myself out of messing with it. I sold the tank by itself for double the money. I kept the light and lids. Placing an order for a new 125 dual cornerflows after work today!
Thanks to all who responded!
Thanks to all who responded!
AllSignsPointToFish
"No Longer The Guy Without FaceBook"
Good deal. I think you'll be happy with the decision 
