[Sir Nathan XXI]

Before we had discussions on how I got scratches in my tank and we concluded it must be from rocks or gravel, well I found a new one today and its about 16" above the gravel so there is no way any rocks or anything except the fish or snails that get up there, I really think the piranhas do sractch the glass

Frank perhaps if you have a fresh specimen to try and scratch with do it underwater, and perhaps why your teeth broke off it was an old and dried out jaw and wasnt as strong as it was when the fish was alive, I have a frozen Piraya I may try this with but its pretty small so I dont know if I could do it

 

[Xenon]

Being underwater will make no difference. If one substance is "harder" than another it wont scratch. I dont think its from the p's man.

 

[hastatus]

so there is no way any rocks or anything except the fish or snails that get up there, I really think the piranhas do sractch the glass

Frank perhaps if you have a fresh specimen to try and scratch with do it underwater, and perhaps why your teeth broke off it was an old and dried out jaw and wasnt as strong as it was when the fish was alive

Nate, I'm not going to devote my time to putting dead fish with calcium based teeth to test your thoughts out on this. Your idea is calcium based teeth are strong enough to scratch glass. Here is what I suggest instead, use your own teeth and see if you can scratch your tank's glass.

And even if what you suggest was true about the dried out fish, the teeth would harden by being outside of the water, so your theory is way off target.

 

[piranha 13]

Maybe you accidently scratched it with your net or something.

 

[123]

yea i agree with pirhana 13 i dont think they can scratch glass

 

[Sir Nathan XXI]

I dont use anything in my tank that could scratch it, I dont wear jewelry or anything

when it comes to scratching hard surfaces the thing that scratches doesnt always have to be harder, that is if enough force is applied and in the case of piranhas a quick ram may do it

 

[Grosse Gurke]

I dont either. First you have to get past the large jaw and lips to get to the teeth. And teeth just dont seem hard enough to actually scratch glass.

 

[jdk79]

Nate... Here's my theory with the scratch...do your snails have large shells?? What could of happened was one was climbing on the side of the tank and one of your p's seen it and attacked it and pressed it along the side of the tank causing the mark?? It could happen I would think! I agree with you... you wouldn't of made that big of a scratch and not notice it. What do you think??

 

[Sir Nathan XXI]

I asked about the shell idea and Frank says they are made of similar composition

 

[jdk79]

If pressed hard enough it could scratch it... nothing against frank, he is alot smarter about piranhas than most of us probably put together but he doesn't know everything. Nobody does, stuff happens and its hard to explain. Im sure the fish caused it somehow.

 

[Sir Nathan XXI]

stuff happens and its hard to explain. Im sure the fish caused it somehow.

thats my thinking as well, I will spend alot more time watching the fish closely to see if I can see them create a scratch

there is no other possible way for the newest scratch to be there other than the fish doing it somehow regardless of what anybody says

 

[Grosse Gurke]

Break out the coffee Nate :smile:

 

[SnowCichlid]

must be some cheap glass or something

 

[Mr. Hannibal]

This is an X File i think!

 

[hastatus]

Mr. Hannibal Posted on Apr 5 2003, 05:39 AM
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This is an X File i think!

Usually the case with imagination. Now science is being re-written that a calcium based shell of a snail can now scratch glass, what's next? And to think I thought we were past this nonsense. Oh well.

 

[thePACK]

i don't know ..and honestly don't care..sorry

 

[Sir Nathan XXI]

Mr. Hannibal Posted on Apr 5 2003, 05:39 AM
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This is an X File i think!

Usually the case with imagination. Now science is being re-written that a calcium based shell of a snail can now scratch glass, what's next? And to think I thought we were past this nonsense. Oh well.

Its no imagination I have shown you pics in the past, there is no other way to explain this unless the fish or snail shells are doing this

 

[Xenon]

It seems that after some research, tooth enamel and glass have similar hardness. Glass is roughly a hardness of 5.5 and tooth enamel was rated at 5. Now the question remains.....Do piranha even have tooth enamel....and if they do, do they have sufficient pressure to cause a scrath!?!? I dont think so, Frank tested it with one of his dead fish.

http://www.efunda.com/units/hardness/conve...cat=Steel&HD=HM

 

[hastatus]

Xenon Posted on Apr 5 2003, 04:37 PM
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Do piranha even have tooth enamel.

Piranas like shark teeth, have enamel. There are few exceptions (ie; sawteeth shark etc.).

 

[RHOMKILLA]

Have you concluded whether the scratch is inside or outside your tank.