Cali Kid Corals

FATTTTT scratches on my acrylic tank...

ReeferGirl

ReeferGirl

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uggghhh so i was cleaning my tank walls like crazy with my magnafloat thingee, and im scrubbin away... then i look in horror... there are HUGE LONG scratches all over the front and back of my tank... a grain of sand got stuck in the teeth of the scrubber and now my tank is ruined :(
AND the RODI unit i bought off ebay.... didnt come with an instruction manual so i have no idea how to set it up. UGGGHHHH!!!!!!
 
bummer, there are ways to get those scratches out, but lots of hard work will be required. Just do a search on here, RC, or Google for "Micro-Mesh" acrylic scratch remover kits. You can use these with the water and critters still in your tank, the bad news is your arm will probably fall off three or four times before you are happy with the results.

In the future make sure to use a credit card or the like to clean the acrylic, some people use razors blades, you just have to be really careful about holding the angle so not to scratch the acrylic.

Did you say that RO/DI was built locally? Can you contact the maker and get over the phone help?
 
I'm assuming the scratches are on the inside of the tank? If so that's a toughie, the tank isn't ruined, but you may have to drain it to repair the scratches. This is where the b/f comes in handy, there's quite a bit of elbow grease involved, so I suggest you butter him up real good, then propose he help to sand them out. I've used the Pentair kit as well as micromesh, I've had good results with both. The last time I took scratches out of a tank a youngster had taken a fork to a tank, it took a little while, but you can't even tell anything happened (should have given the little guy chopsticks).

In the future I've found the Mighty Magnets "algae dozer" pads to be AMAZING, if a piece of sand gets trapped no big deal, the pressure points are so spread out the sand isn't pushed into the acrylic. I've been using them for 3 years w/o a scratch. Plus, you can use them with your existing Magfloats.
 
lol yeah not going to ask my boyfriend... hes not going to want to do it lol.. ill try the scratch removal kit at some point. or i could just buy a new tank haha lol
algae dozer pads? sold! i wish acrylic wasnt so easy to scratch...
with regards to the RODI unit, yes, manufacturer was local, ive emailed him, but havent heard anything yet.. i think i might have bought the wrong setup.. the one i got looks like its more tailored for drinking water, and not for an aquarium so i gotta talk to him about that and see what i can do.. i swear this hobby slaps me in the FACE sometimes!!
Jeremy on a lighter note, I have moved the Chalice out of QT and into the 60 gal, and the pink mouths are popping up all over that piece. im so excited, i cant wait for more colors to come out. this makes me very happy, since i lost my yuma. ive been kinda lazy with water changes lately... but ive learned my lesson for sure. i think im going to try and stick with easy corals from now on.. at least until my tank is a little more happy. its pissed off at me now, so i gotta do double the work to get it back into shape.
 
[quote author=ReeferGirl link=topic=4483.msg54591#msg54591 date=1220738114]
lol yeah not going to ask my boyfriend... hes not going to want to do it lol.. ill try the scratch removal kit at some point. or i could just buy a new tank haha lol
algae dozer pads? sold! i wish acrylic wasnt so easy to scratch...
with regards to the RODI unit, yes, manufacturer was local, ive emailed him, but havent heard anything yet.. i think i might have bought the wrong setup.. the one i got looks like its more tailored for drinking water, and not for an aquarium so i gotta talk to him about that and see what i can do.. i swear this hobby slaps me in the FACE sometimes!!
Jeremy on a lighter note, I have moved the Chalice out of QT and into the 60 gal, and the pink mouths are popping up all over that piece. im so excited, i cant wait for more colors to come out. this makes me very happy, since i lost my yuma. ive been kinda lazy with water changes lately... but ive learned my lesson for sure. i think im going to try and stick with easy corals from now on.. at least until my tank is a little more happy. its pissed off at me now, so i gotta do double the work to get it back into shape.
[/quote]

I could be interested in the tank if get a new one (you should really try the micro mesh first), what size/dimensions?

Cheers,

Josh
 
lol no my bf would kill me if i sold it.. ill try the micro mesh. im just pissed off right now that i actually did something as dumb as not pay attention to what i was doing.. haha
 
Sorry I meant to say the "Super Algae" pad, I'm still afraid of the dozer.

http://mightymagnets.com/pads.htm#dozier

I switch between the "Super Algae" pads, and the "Mighty Pads", the "Mighty Pads" polish out little tiny scratches, as well as does a good job with most algae.


Good to hear about the chalice, mine is coloring up nicely as well. ;D
 
Hope all works out with the tank and getting the scratches out.

Can you take a pic of the RO/DI unit and post it here? Maybe someone here can give you some advise on it, and some ideas on how to connect it.
 
are they scratches or gouges? scratches you can't feel with your nail.. Gouges you can feel... I've done quite a bit of acrylic buffing and if you can empty the tank it will be way easier.. What size is the tank and how large are the openings?
 
i will take pictures of the unit later today.. ive contacted the manufacturer, and advised him that im missing the manual, and also think i should have a different setup. well see. im sure i will figure it out. I'll post pictures a little later...

Fishnfst- they are scratches from a grain of sand, so the scratches are long lines, going multiple ways, from when i was "scrubbing" the acrylic. I cant empty the tank, i dont want to overload one of the other tanks to put all my livestock in there.. its ok..im just going to chalk it up and try those mesh pads and order the ones Jeremy was talking about as well. The tank is a 60 gal truvu. two openings on top, i think each would be 14 inches long or so, and go back about 8 inches... getting to the scratches wont be a problem.. lol its my black clownfish that poses the biggest problem LOL he bites.
 
hahaha I think alot of guys do the mesh systems with a large magfloat to try and rub out the scratches if you want to keep the tank running.. The micro mesh works well but takes much more elbow grease.. I've buffed out an empty 240g tank with just novus and my milwaukee buffer in less than an hour and it was horribly scratched....
 
If you can feel the scratch, you might not be able to remove it without empty the tank. I think I have a kit for minor stuff somewhere. LMK if you need it. I have to look for it ;D ..
 
lol I'll do whatever it takes to get those scratches out! haha

ok i just checked my email, and the guy sent the instructions, so i have those now. yay. i also asked him about the unit, and he said its still perfect for aquarium water, but im still not sure, because i dont really want to use that 4 gallon tank that came with the unit, i almost want to bypass that and put it directly into the container that the water will end up in, for topping off tanks or making saltwater, whichever one...
 
Thanks Phong, I'm not going to address the problem right now... gotta get hte RODI unit taken care of first. im not showing my tank off anytime soon, lol.. so scratches are the least of my worries!
 
[quote author=tuberider link=topic=4483.msg54614#msg54614 date=1220747308]


Good to hear about the chalice, mine is coloring up nicely as well. ;D
[/quote]

Jey Jeremy- you got any pictures of it yet??
 
[quote author=ReeferGirl link=topic=4483.msg54651#msg54651 date=1220803068]
lol I'll do whatever it takes to get those scratches out! haha

ok i just checked my email, and the guy sent the instructions, so i have those now. yay. i also asked him about the unit, and he said its still perfect for aquarium water, but im still not sure, because i dont really want to use that 4 gallon tank that came with the unit, i almost want to bypass that and put it directly into the container that the water will end up in, for topping off tanks or making saltwater, whichever one...
[/quote]

Are you talking about your RO/DI unit? if so you don't have to use the storage tank. Most people don't get that if they are only use it for fish tank.
 
yeah i know NOW.. .lol.. haha its ok.. ill figure something out. :) did you see the RODI in the TOTM pictures in the reefkeeping magazine? thats kinda like how i want my setup, because i have a basin like that next to the washer...
 
I like those Blue CPR scrapers to clean my 120...its like a credit card that won't scratch my tank. You might want to try those out for cleaning too.
 
After setting up my tank yesterday I had a 2" scratch on the front of my acrylic. It took all for a few minutes to buff out with this kit.
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_viewitem.aspx?idproduct=RB1551&utm_source=mdcse_google_base&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=RB1531&utm_content=Rainbow%20Lifegard%20Fixed%20Scrubber%20On%20Molded%20Handle&utm_campaign=mdcse&site=google_base

It works really well for me. And you can do it all under water (except the final polish which you don't need).
 
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