[GSAS-Member] Removing difficult algae from acrylic tanks

["Darcey Harding" <darceyh@drizzle.com>]

I've got a 125T freshwater planted tank.  I am plagued by small spots of hazy
algae that are difficult to remove.

The algae looks like someone's had a good go at the tank with a pencil eraser:
smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge.  I have tried three varieties of scraper and
two varieties of acrylic-safe souring pads and NO amount of elbow grease can
make these things go away. I can lessen them, but I can't remove them and they
come back in two weeks in exactly the same places. Fish ignore them. No snails.

1) What IS that stuff
        and
2) How do I remove it?

The tank water is at around 7.5 with two to three degrees of hardness, buffered
by rift lake cichlid salt blend. This stuff came on while my CO2 was out, but it
hasn't left after the CO2's return. This tank is already scratched up by a
kindly neighbor, and I found that I couldn't reach the scratches well enough to
get at them with a buffing kit.  (Anyone need a couple of acrylic buffing kits?)
Can acrylic tanks be recycled?

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