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Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V3 #10



At 03:48 PM 1/6/1998 -0500, paul wrote:
>I have graphic evidence that glass is soluble, and this fact causes me
>problems.  I have tight-fitting glass plates over my tanks to keep CO2 from
>escaping. When the lights are on during the day the top layer of water in
>the tank warms up, and when the lights go off at night there is a lot of
>condensation on the glass.  The next day the lights go on and dry up this
>condensation.  This process dissolves SiO2 and redeposits it, and after
>only a few months I get cloudy little rings where the drops form and then
>dry out.  After a year or two the glass gets so cloudy that it cuts out a
>significant amount of light. 

Well, Paul, just leave those glass lids in place and in a few years, they
will dissolve completely so there are holes in them.  That's why all
aquariums leak after a few years, holes dissolve in the sides and bottoms.
Of course, they are very small diameter so you don't notice them.

You can get rid of those glass rings by using the universal glass solvent,
vinegar.  That is why it is packaged in plastic these days, too many glass
vinegar bottles were dissolving.  Anyway, it will clean those rings right
up.  And if it doesn't get some muriatic acid at the hardware store.  That
will get the rings for sure.
--
Dave Gomberg				gomberg at wcf_com
FormMaestro					http://www.wcf.com