I bought an Aquarium Systems "Twister" magnetic algae scraper for my glass tank. I'm extra carefull to keep it several inches from the sand bottom to not pick up grit. Once every several days I remove it from the tank and flush it well with freshwater to remove any grit.
I still seem to get scratches on the inside of my tank everytime I use it. Not a huge number but one here and there. The problem is they add up over time and my glass is starting to show the scratches when algae grows in them.
I've got a couple theories:
1) This device uses the "stiff" side of common velcro on the inside half that scrapes the algae. Is it likely this plastic is hard enough to scratch glass? Doesn't seem likely........
2) My clown fish is constantly stirring up big clouds of sand making a nest of some sorts. Is it likely sand and grit are sticking to the algae film on the glass?
I guess I'm looking to find out if some scratching is just the nauture of the beast with these scrapers. I also want to find out if all brands use velcro as the cleaning pad? I'm thinking some others may be less prone to trapping grit.
I still seem to get scratches on the inside of my tank everytime I use it. Not a huge number but one here and there. The problem is they add up over time and my glass is starting to show the scratches when algae grows in them.
I've got a couple theories:
1) This device uses the "stiff" side of common velcro on the inside half that scrapes the algae. Is it likely this plastic is hard enough to scratch glass? Doesn't seem likely........
2) My clown fish is constantly stirring up big clouds of sand making a nest of some sorts. Is it likely sand and grit are sticking to the algae film on the glass?
I guess I'm looking to find out if some scratching is just the nauture of the beast with these scrapers. I also want to find out if all brands use velcro as the cleaning pad? I'm thinking some others may be less prone to trapping grit.