mudboots

I was given a 125 a while back and the top glass panes were so badly covered in calcium and other mineral buildup that I decided not to use them, but I'm sick of dust settling into the tank. I have soaked the panes in vinegar and removed most of the buildup, but there is still some etching that won't come out of the glass.

Do I need replacements or can I still use what I've got? My lighting is T5-HO, using 8 39watt bulbs (2 "pink", 2 6700K, and 4 10000K) over a tank that's 22-23 inches high (312 watts for about 2.5 wpg; no idea on PAR values; the light is evenly spread over 72 inches x 18 inches). I've heard some places that the etching won't make a significant difference in available light, but I've heard the opposite elsewhere, so I figured I'd post here and see what happens.

Later,

Ben Belton

OK.. warning.. you're getting an answer from someone who hasn't been as active as he was in the past, but still has a trick up his sleeve.

I have used that CLR stuff to get the Ca off the glass, and it does pretty good. If that doesn't work, I'd get new glass. I've bought it reasonably priced before at a local glass shop. Be sure to get them to grind the edges down. I've found dirty glass really does cut down on how much light penetrates the water.

Crispino Ramos

I've shopped around for glass cover for tanks and it would end up more costly than just buying from a local fish store, chain pet store on online.

mudboots

Thanks for the replies. A local glass shop quoted me between 16.50 and 17.10 per pane (right at $50.00) the other day when I was checking prices. I'm going to check online to see if I can find them cheaper elsewhere, but that seems pretty reasonable for 3/16" glass.

Ben Belton

That might be reasonable once you factor in the shipping from online.

Good luck!