Soo i bought a 26 bow front on sale for $35. I snagged it so quickly i didn't realize that its back panel was in fact a mirror! Id never had a mirrored tank before so i thought it would be cool to build up some rock away from all 4 walls for 360 deg viewing of coral.
A cool idea for inverts, but the clown i have for cycling was very stressed by the mirror. To say the least.
From online readings i found a slew of nasty chemicals that would do the trick. I emptied 15 gallons. Moved the tank 90 deg so i could work on the back. Filled it back up and let it run.
________________________________________________________________
Materials:
1. Strait edge razor blades. I used 6 on a relatively small pain of glass
2. Dishwashing sponge
3. Acetone
4. Clorox Toilet Bowl Cleaner w/ BLEACH (bleach is key)
5. Nitrile or Latex Gloves
6. Steel Wool
Steps:
Paint Removal: The paint removal was probably the hardest part since i didn't want to use any really nasty paint remover. Acetone to soften the paint a bit, and a retractable razor blade to muscle it off.
Mirror Silver Removal: The mirror removal is the fun part. Bleach corrodes the mirror silver but is messy with a tank upright. Using the sponge with the toilet bowl cleaner (gel) simplifies things. Put a quarter size amount of the gel on your sponge. Lather it across the surface. Allow it to work on the silver a bit (1-2 min) and scrape off with your razor blade before it dries completely (2-3 min work time). Repeat this process 2-3 times.
This mirror silver removal process will make missed paint removal spots much more apparent. Go over them aggressively with acetone and a razor
Final Touches: Finally, use steel wool and acetone to clean up the glue that was holding the mirror silver to the glass. Denatured alcohol to clean deep in the glass's pores before painting.
Notes: Total working time: about 80 minutes
A cool idea for inverts, but the clown i have for cycling was very stressed by the mirror. To say the least.
From online readings i found a slew of nasty chemicals that would do the trick. I emptied 15 gallons. Moved the tank 90 deg so i could work on the back. Filled it back up and let it run.
________________________________________________________________
Materials:
1. Strait edge razor blades. I used 6 on a relatively small pain of glass
2. Dishwashing sponge
3. Acetone
4. Clorox Toilet Bowl Cleaner w/ BLEACH (bleach is key)
5. Nitrile or Latex Gloves
6. Steel Wool
Steps:
Paint Removal: The paint removal was probably the hardest part since i didn't want to use any really nasty paint remover. Acetone to soften the paint a bit, and a retractable razor blade to muscle it off.
Mirror Silver Removal: The mirror removal is the fun part. Bleach corrodes the mirror silver but is messy with a tank upright. Using the sponge with the toilet bowl cleaner (gel) simplifies things. Put a quarter size amount of the gel on your sponge. Lather it across the surface. Allow it to work on the silver a bit (1-2 min) and scrape off with your razor blade before it dries completely (2-3 min work time). Repeat this process 2-3 times.
This mirror silver removal process will make missed paint removal spots much more apparent. Go over them aggressively with acetone and a razor
Final Touches: Finally, use steel wool and acetone to clean up the glue that was holding the mirror silver to the glass. Denatured alcohol to clean deep in the glass's pores before painting.
Notes: Total working time: about 80 minutes
