Salvageable Glass Scratches?

[chazman113]

So I bought this setup on Craigslist for $490 (pics below). I was a bit overzealous purchasing and didn't realize the tank was so incredibly scratched to hell. The tank was dirty so I didn't noticed as much. It came with a sump, skimmer (which I actually came out to find is garbage), MH lights, stand and pump so I thought it was a good deal at the time. My question is, with cerium oxide and hours of polishing does anyone think I can get it to an acceptable level? I already did a round of polishing and it didn't help much. I screwed up because there was still aragonite in the crevices which mixed with the slurry so I had to throw much of the slurry away for fear of scratching it up more.

Not sure if buffing the whole thing for several hours will restore it. Anyone had experience? At the very least I'de like to be able to sell it to someone without feeling like a jerk.

Was thinking a kit like this with a purpose-built polishing wheel is the way to go.... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007KOC1MO?keywords=cerium oxide&qid=1445111694&ref_=sr_1_5&sr=8-5

Pics: (daughter was meddling you can see her in reflection, hah) https://goo.gl/photos/12A3yzfbFgSyf6ju5

 

[GGuy]

I've been through the same thing before and will never do it again. Any scratches you can feel will not come out, even if you spend hours on it. Do yourself a favor and find another tank.

 

[Bogue Chitto]

What size is it? You might could replace the front glass and be o.k. Just a thought.

 

[thegrun]

The view through the glass will be distorted even if you get the scratches out which is very difficult. Resealing a Glass tank requires that you completely disassemble the tank, remove ALL the old silicone and then reseal. I would never trust a seal with a structural joint where new silicone is applied to an old silicone joint. It's not worth the time and effort IMHO. If you can't live with the scratches I would get a new tank.

 

[chazman113]

Not the answer I wanted but sounds like some truth bombs I needed. Just gonna sell it at a loss and move on with my life! On a related note, I started drooling when I saw this at BRS http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/sr-80-nuvo-aquarium-innovative-marine.html

Looks like it's on sale, might just pull the trigger. I really like the fact that it doesn't have a real "sump" which I don't really care for because of the constant "toilet flushing" sounds (I know thats a bit of an exaggeration) and greater potential to get water on the floor.

-C

 

[andrewkw]

Exact same thing happened to me. I got a 180RR for 200 or 250, additionally the guy was less then a 10min drive. Tank was covered in coraline and the front looks basically like yours. To be honest I was hoping you'd try removing the scratches because they don't look too deep but as people have already mentioned likely hard / impossible to get out.

I was a little upset, but the price was right and I'm still using the tank. It can be annoying for taking pictures, but taking a few steps away from the tank it looks fine. I'm going to use the tank for hopefully just one more year then move up to my dream tank. If I were you I'd fill it with water and see how bad it looks then consider : How long do you plan on using. If this is your final size then of course replace it now. If you're only going to be upgrading again in the next 2-3 years you might want to consider dealing with it and saving money for the future. You already have this tank and mention selling it at a loss. It could have use as a future sump/fuge/qt tank.

 

[randomfishguy85]

I would keep it and use it as a qt tank or frag tank.

 

[kmbyrnes]

^^ +1.