Foggy Eyes?

That's what I've been told. I am no scientist. What I was told was that glass is porous and that glass is actually an extremly slow moving liquid. I am a home inspector so I have exp with window glass. Don't know if there are different grades of glass for aquariums. In old windows, the glass becomes thicker on the bottom than the top. That is the glass very slowly following gravity. I have told that certain chemicals can seep through the glass. Chemical molecules can be much smaller than water molecules. I don't personally know if that is true, but it makes sense if glass is a liquid. Also all aquarists make sure that there is no cross contamination with any form of cleaning products. Why would Windex be ok?

I have added a couple links that also back this.

www.nutricraze.com/Article_about_How-to-clean-an-aquarium-a-3982.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_3260_clean-aquarium.html
http://aquaria.net/articles/glass/cleaning/
 
I think theres a bigger danger of overspray or other contamination, rather than seepage. Im no scientist either, but even though glass is technically a very viscous liquid, I doubt that its so pourous that things will seep through it. Ive never seen anything go through glass without breaking it. But, prove me wrong, someone!
 
I know that over time, if you clean glass with a colored cleaner, the glass itself with begin to show a tint of that color but I've just never heard of ammonia seeping through it. I would think it would take a lot of time if it were to happen but who knows... if people warn against it, it can't hurt to avoid it.
 
TheZoo said:
I think theres a bigger danger of overspray or other contamination, rather than seepage. Im no scientist either, but even though glass is technically a very viscous liquid, I doubt that its so pourous that things will seep through it. Ive never seen anything go through glass without breaking it. But, prove me wrong, someone!
Click to expand...
I agree, overspray is a much bigger danger. I try to look at it this way, regular glass cleaners are definetly toxic to fish. I personally don't want it anywhere near my tank. I only use water and paper towels. I don't have any smudges, streaks, or cloudiness on my glass. It is crystal clear. If I can keep my glass clean without any toxic cleaning product, I just don't see the need to endanger my fish. No matter how small the risk. Not to mention, water is much cheaper. For tough smudges on the glass, just add a little vinegar.

I don't think glass is so porous that it can be seen immediatly with the naked eye or in a long sitting period. It is something that happens on a microscopic level and over a long time period. I would not bet my house on this though. I just don't think it can hurt anybody in any way by not using regular cleaning products to clean their glass.
 
Oh, I agree! Vinegar for me (whole house, basically!), its got wonderful properties without all the extra grossness. But I am still interested in this idea of glass allowing chemicals through...would plexiglass (acrylic) or bulletproof glass do the same?
 
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