Tank scratch- concern?

[1234fish]

All - my 40g long tank appears to have a sizeable 6 inch or so scratch. It is on the inside of tank. Up and down on side panel. Its deep enough to feel and get a line of algae build up. Do I need to replace the tank? At the top of the scratch appears to be a tiny bit more (thicker). Any comments are appreciated. I have other tanks with minor scratches but this one is very long.

 

[A201]

As long as you can determine if what your dealing with is just a scratch and not a crack then you're probably okay.

I'm obviously not at ground zero, but it looks like a scratch to me.

If keeping the tank is going to cause you stress, then get rid of it. 40 gallon tanks are plentiful & usually not too expensive.

 

[1234fish]

Thank you. Hopefully just a scratch.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; As A201 says hard to know from a distance of the internet. I have an old stainless steel framed 40 gallon with multitudes of scratches. Bought it secondhand sight unseen. Held up for decades until it began to seep thru the slate bottom. Still have it gathering dust in my basement.

Not sure how to tell you the difference between a scratch and a crack. Something I could identify but not describe. They look different. One test is to use a fingernail as you have described on the other side of the glass. A scratch you can feel only on one side of the glass. A crack can sometimes be felt on both sides.

Maybe change the angle you look with or shine a flashlight????

Good luck