Goh Pit-Ong Ong

Some time back someone suggested using a shaving blade to shave off coraline algae from glass surface in the tank - it's said this will prevent scratches on the glass surface. However, will this method cause the shaved algae to be released into the water? I just don't want the dead algae to rot in the water.

If a rough foam (I mean those hard green color dish washer foam) were used to scrap the surface of the glass, would it scratch the glass? I like to use foam as it will trap a great deal of the removed algae in the foam & minimize the algae from returning to the water.

Thanks for any thoughts.

Jared C

Those dish-washing sponges are treated with mildew and odor killers.

Samuel Chan

Go to those house ware stores in ChinaTown. They for sure have those thick brushes made of coconut shell fiber or grass that Chinese chefs use to scrub clean their cooking woks. They are cheap, natural , and reef safe. But be sure to rinse it because using it. I don't think they have been treated chemically.

Jason Nugent

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think you can scratch glass with a scouring pad or a razor blade, period. That's one of the big benefits of glass versus acrylic. I've hacked at stuff growing on my tank's glass with all sorts of stuff (razor blades, finger nails, scouring pads, etc) and I've yet to mark it.

Mike Kirda

You most definitely can scratch glass with a razor blade or a hard green scrub pad... My 10 year old 75 gallon has tons and tons of them...

My best advice- you must use a brand spankin' new razor blade every time. Don't wash it and expect to reuse it. Just toss it after use. This will minimize the scratches.

I am also convinced that, between a green pad and a white pag, go for the softer white pad- and avoid scrubbing on any coralline algae, as it acts like sand.

As an aside, my wife used a green pad to remove some sticky residue from a parking ticket once- she didn't realize at the time that she was scratching the heck out of the glass. Really nasty scratches...

Dave Block

I've scratched glass with a scouring pad....it wasn't aquarium glass though.

Has any body tried a Magnavore cleaning magnet?

Jason Nugent

A friend of mine has one. uses it on his 150 acrylic. Works great, but it doesn't take coralline off. I have a cheaper set of magnets made by Hagen (I think) that work well enough for me. The Magnavore ones are pricey

Dave Block

Yeah, they aren't cheap $90 for one that will take care of a 150. Heavy duty though. It's a new tank, so I haven't really put it to the test. Definitely makes the $20 magnets look like junk, that's for sure.

Gail Elsey

I have one on the 180. Takes off most of the green algae, none of the coralline, and works as well as a soft scrubber on the brown. As for the price--waaaay to much, but I got it on sell. Also, follow the directions on the box. DO NTO PUT TOGETHER BY HAND...um, I , um, had a lovely 3 inch blood blister cause I am not child proof...they say don't let children play with then, and they are right. I was firmly told to put it on the tank and leave it alone. :)

Dave Block

Yeah, I tried the Coralline on the side of my tank, and no way. It is pretty expensive, but not as much as those Tunze magnets. I almost did the same thing you did, when I took the magnets out of the box.

Goh Pit-Ong Ong

Does the Hagen magnet sets remove the coraline algae effectively? Frankly I've tried using those rough green surfaced algae scrapper & despite scrapping 5 times through, the algae still sticks to glass surface.

Also, Jason, does the Hagen ones trap the algae or after scrapping, those algae just went into the water?

I'm interested in the Hagen ones because I get them from a supplier here.

Jason Nugent

The Hagen magnet doesn't do anything to help with removing coralline algae. It does a pretty good job with green algae, provided that you go back and forth over the glass a few times, and yes, it does trap the algae, more or less. You just have to be careful taking the magnets apart. When I clean the side of my tank, I try to take the magnets apart near the intake for my skimmer. I usually clean my glass only when I'm doing a partial water change (once a week), so I usually have an inch or two of empty tank in which to take the magnets apart. Since they are already out of the water, hardly any algae finds its way back into the tank.

Judging by how well my two variegated urchins eat coralline, though, you might want to just add a few and have them eat all of your coralline algae (just kidding).

U

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think you can scratch glass with a scouring pad or a razor blade, period. That's one of the big benefits glass versus acrylic.

You will probably never notice smaller scratches inside the tank glass caused by razor/scraper blades or scouring pads. However, you might notice larger scratches made by other objects. If you happen to get a piece of sand stuck in front of a scraper the wrong way, you can gouge tank glass badly too. If you hold the scraper at an angle and run the corner across the glass, you might also be able to gouge the glass.

Glass scratches glass rather easily - just try lifting the glass top out of the bottom of a new tank carelessly, and you'll find that out real fast. Objects of equivalent or greater hardness will always scratch objects of equivalent or lesser hardness. An interesting (though longish) definition of material hardness can be found at: click here .

Personally, I use those blunt, wide stainless blades that Kent sells for scraping tank glass, and they work very nicely. No worries about cutting yourself with them either, unless you really try. You could also use the wide blades sold at hardware stores for scraping wallpaper, or even a plain paint scraper, if you can find one that's stainless steel.

Some time back someone suggested using a shaving blade to shave off coraline algae from glass surface in the tank - it's said this will prevent scratches on the glass surface. However, will this method cause the shaved algae to be released into the water? I just don't want the dead algae to rot in the water.

I wouldn't use a plain razor blade, as they're simply too damn sharp. Sure,they'd scrape the algae, but they'd also cut through silicon, your hand, soft coral flesh, etc. I keep my filter running when scraping the glass. If you've got so much coralline algae that you're worried about pollution, just keep the filter running during scraping and change the filter pad afterwa=rds.

If a rough foam (I mean those hard green color dish washer foam) were used to scrap the surface of the glass, would it scratch the glass?

I don't think you mean foam rubber - I doubt you'd get scratches on glass from that material. You must mean the "Scotch Brite" pads glued on one side of the foam rubber? Sure, but provided you rub inside the glass when its wet, you'd probably never see them. I suppose if you rubbed the glass real hard when it's dry with a dry scotch brite pad, you might scratch the glass enough to see them, but you should never rub glass with an abrasive substance when it's dry!

I like to use foam as it will trap a great deal of the removed algae in the foam & minimize the algae from returning to the water.

AFAIK, coralline algae isn't going to hurt anything. It's all over your live rock, which is probably what brought it into the tank in the first place. Many snails will consume it, if they can get it off the glass. Lots of coralline algae growth is considered A Good Sign that your water chemistry is in good shape, and your nutrient level is low. The only drawback is that it grows on tank walls, and is hard to see through. I wouldn't get too excited about scraping the glass and leaving some in the tank, I doubt it will hurt anything.

Kevin McDonald

I wouldn't get too excited about scraping the glass and leaving some in the tank, I doubt it will hurt anything.

No, quite the contrary in fact! It will help seed the Corraline Algae to other places of the tank it hasn't grown to yet. I regularly scrape some of the corraline out of my refugium and put it into the main tank, for just this purpose.