Surface scratches vs Cracks

[SaltyCupcake]

Greetings fellow reefers, I hope that you are all having a good weekend!

I found a surface scratch on my 36g bowfront tank. It's on the outside of the glass and isn't very deep at all. In fact, it was invisible until I ran my fingers over the glass yesterday and discovered it. The glass does not appear to be cracked all the way through, but there is a very faint surface scratch on the glass that is about an inch long.

My questions:

• Is a surface scratch just as bad as having a crack in the glass?
• Is it possible for a surface scratch this tiny to crack all the way through to the other side?
• Should I be panicking and finding a new tank?
• Is there some sort of repair that I can do, or should I just leave it?

All advice greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[TriggerFinger]

I bought a used tank with scratches and I’ve scratched it more myself using a razor blade . It happens...I don’t think a scratch can turn into a crack...are you able to get a pic of it?

 

[SaltyCupcake]

I bought a used tank with scratches and I’ve scratched it more myself using a razor blade . It happens...I don’t think a scratch can turn into a crack...are you able to get a pic of it?

I'll try to get a pic, it's really hard for my phone to detect but I'll give it another go.

 

[SaltyCupcake]

My phone is having the worst time focusing/detecting the scratch. It looks like a nearly invisible cat hair on the glass, if that helps. I'll keep trying to get a photo during different times to see if that will make a difference. It's still pretty early here so maybe when the sun is fully out I'll be able to get a better shot.

 

[WVNed]

To the best of my knowledge a scratch is only of concern if it goes to an edge. Then stress can cause the glass to crack there. Even that is a tiny possibility.

 

[SaltyCupcake]

To the best of my knowledge a scratch is only of concern if it goes to an edge. Then stress can cause the glass to crack there. Even that is a tiny possibility.

Gotcha. Thanks!

 

[SaltyCupcake]

Ok I've tried having it in full sunlight and with my tank light at different shades/intensities but my phone camera just keeps focusing on the baby pods all over the glass.

I'm going to assume that it's mostly harmless for now (as it isn't near an edge) if my camera is having such a difficult time picking it up. I'll keep an eye on it and update this thread if anything changes at all.

Thanks to everybody for lending a hand. As the saying goes: Two heads are better than one when tackling a problem most of the time.

 

[TriggerFinger]

It sounds so minor if your phone can’t capture it. I FULLY understand the concern but I think it’s ok.