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How to avoid Scratching your Aquarium Glass

3,692 views · Published 24 February 2016 · 2:17 · Indexed 30 October 2026

Channel: Dan Hiteshew · 2016 · Pets & Animals

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Here's a quick tip for an easy way to avoid scratching your aquarium glass while scraping algae and cyanobacteria. We can see a brief look at my 55 gallon Freshwater Planted Gourami Tank, and Angelfish Tank.
Below is an excerpt from an article about the glass cleaning industry.
 All substances can be rated according to their "scratch ability," that is, if a specimen can be scratched by a known mineral, it is softer than that mineral.  If it in turn will scratch another known mineral, it is harder than that mineral.  One formalized rating system of scratch hardness is the famous Mohs scale, which establishes a comparative ranking of common minerals with diamonds rated at the top as a 10 and talc rated as the softest at number 1.  Other common household items can be ranked in this system as well such as: 

1 Talc

2.5 Fingernail

2.5–3 Gold, Silver

3 Copper penny

4-4.5 Platinum

4-5 Iron

5.5 Knife blade

6-7 Glass 

6.5 Iron pyrite

10 Diamonds

 For purposes of the question at hand, substances with a higher Mohs rating higher than 6.5 will tend to scratch glass; substances with a lower rating won't.  While the brass, plastics and rubbers used by window cleaners are never suspected of scratching glass, many people automatically assume that the razors on every window cleaner's tool belt are suspect.  But a close examination of the Mohs scale clearly shows that steel (razor blade) and glass are very close to one another in hardness.  It's a fact that razor blades simply can't scratch glass. Many window cleaning conventions will feature a booth where participants are given a razor and a sample piece of glass which they are asked to intentionally scratch.  Even when the glass is subjected to punishment that would never be seen in the course of any window cleaning, scratches can't be produced.
All substances can be rated according to their "scratch ability," that is, if a specimen can be scratched by a known mineral, it is softer than that mineral.  If it in turn will scratch another known mineral, it is harder than that mineral.  One formalized rating system of scratch hardness is the famous Mohs scale, which establishes a comparative ranking of common minerals with diamonds rated at the top as a 10 and talc rated as the softest at number 1.  Other common household items can be ranked in this system as well such as: 

1 Talc

2.5 Fingernail

2.5–3 Gold, Silver

3 Copper penny

4-4.5 Platinum

4-5 Iron

5.5 Knife blade

6-7 Glass 

6.5 Iron pyrite

10 Diamonds

 For purposes of the question at hand, substances with a higher Mohs rating higher than 6.5 will tend to scratch glass; substances with a lower rating won't.  While the brass, plastics and rubbers used by window cleaners are never suspected of scratching glass, many people automatically assume that the razors on every window cleaner's tool belt are suspect.  But a close examination of the Mohs scale clearly shows that steel (razor blade) and glass are very close to one another in hardness.  It's a fact that razor blades simply can't scratch glass. Many window cleaning conventions will feature a booth where participants are given a razor and a sample piece of glass which they are asked to intentionally scratch.  Even when the glass is subjected to punishment that would never be seen in the course of any window cleaning, scratches can't be produced.

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