Do scratches weaken glass tanks?

[Natalie]

I was doing a water change on my 40g tonight, and as I scrubbed away algae I noticed four hairline scratches on the lower front panel. Three of them are 1" long and one is 2.5" long, and they have been there a while (I accidentally got sand in the MagFloat).

They seemed more noticeable tonight since they had algae in them. I'm not very worried about having scratches, but I am worried that since they're all close together, they could somehow weaken the panel. You can feel the hairline from the inside of the panel. Should I be worried about these developing into actual cracks?

Here's the best picture I could get of them:

 

[Natalie]

I meant to put this thread in the Setup and Filtration section... oops. Mods, is there any way to move this thread? Sorry!

 

[Blue Demp]

Minor scratch don't, but deep ones can.

 

[Cich wit it]

I think in a 40 you should be fine. Bigger might be more of a concern.

 

[Natalie]

Okay thanks guys. I cleaned the algae out with a toothbrush and the scratches are hardly noticeable. I think the algae made them look a lot more dramatic too.

 

[Bazinga]

as long as they arent crazy deep or your tank isnt like a 3foot tall tank your fine