Considerations when buying a used tank

red devil

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Jan 7, 2003
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Shenzhen, China
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I am looking at a used tank - probably 125 or 135 gallons. I am familiar with leaking and patching...the tank doesn't have any chips in it. What does it take to get scratches out? How do I assess this aspect of tank rebuilding? Should I consider anything else?
 
Scratches in acrylic can be buffed out using the right compounds. Scratches in glass are not so easy. I don't know of any way to do it. The only thing that comes to mind is cracked or chipped windshields on cars. I know they can fill them with something so they are not seen. I am not sure what it is they use or if it can be used for aquariums but it is the only thing I can think of that might be used for glass scratches.
 
Lots of work on any material, with limited good results. Unless it is for a display tank in a very important aspect, I would just live with them, especially if the tank is priced right. Often, the small ones are not visible when the tank is filled.
 
Try to hide the scratches with plants or decor, I had the same problem with the used 55 I just bought. I hid the only scratch on the tank with the filter tubing, witch will have decor around it very soon.
 
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