Acrylic Vs Glass

[Rayman380]

Any opinions?

 

[owsi]

glass is more scratch resistant and easier to clean

 

[aztbs]

I prefer the look of acrylic tanks, but I am clumsy so I have to stick with glass. Acrylic is much lighter, no green tint. But it must be cleaned very carefully. I like to attach the razor blade to my Mag Float and just scrape away.

 

[NaClH20NMYVEIN]

Agreed on the cleaning. I trust acrylic tanks more than glass, I hear about glass ones breaking a lot more. Drilling and moving an acrylic tank is much easier. Its a toss up. I think the tank size makes a big differance also, I go for glass on small tanks and acrylic on anything over 100g. JMO

 

[kirstenk]

Love my acrylic.......hate to clean it.

 

[run4cvr]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7445114#post7445114 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kirstenk
Love my acrylic.......hate to clean it.

x2

 

[AZDesertRat]

Between me and my Grandkids we are not careful enough for an acrylic. I don't know which of us is worse! They think the cleaning magnet is a toy and I knock things over every time I reach in there.

 

[Cody Ray]

Long term glass is a better investment (if you don't plan on selling it). Now you can even get low iron glass that doesn't have the green tint. If you really want to you can have a glass aquarium resealled which pretty much makes it good-as-new. Acrylic may be lighter however the stress of moving a glass aquarium once or twice outweights the stress of trying to clean acrylic every week.

 

[clkwrk]

Say that after you move a 240 all 1/2 inch glass

For me I love the strength and clarity of acrylic. It can befixed unlike a glass tank a beat up tore down acrylic tank can be made to look new again almost as a glass one won't all . If I was to choose glass ( which I did for my softie tank) it would be leemar diamond polished with black silicone no doubt and of course starfire if money permits.

 

[clkwrk]

Oh BTW clean you arylic daily and you wont have any problems or clean as soon as it gets a film.

 

[AZDesertRat]

Thats mine Lee Mar diamond edge black silicone but no Starphire, I couldn't afford over double the price.

 

[kirstenk]

I had a Lee Mar Diamond edge black silicone. Nice tank but I still prefer Acrylic. And I don't like starfire either. IMO not enough bang for the buck.

Cleaning the glass daily is a must but with the sandbed the very bottom part gets missed. Another bene of BB but the only BB you might see in my house would be leaving the shower.

 

[NaClH20NMYVEIN]

A glass BB scares me. Most of the time I hear about peoples tanks breaking it is from them pushing rocks down into the sand and stacking them. They end up putting a sharp point onthe glass and stressing it, and it breaks. I would also much rather have a scratch in my acrylic tank from my carelessness than banging the rock into the side of the glass tank and having it crack.

 

[Philwd]

I had the Day of Scratching when my then 5 yr old decided to help daddy clean the acrylic with the mag cleaner. I still notice it but most people don't. I love the transparent view. I hate the green glass tint. And since my tank is in my living room the peace of mind of the acrylic tank is worth it. The only fairy big glass tank I had broke(luckily outside). It had been in my formal living room just 2 hrs earlier.

 

[Cody Ray]

You people need to be more careful with your liverock

 

[guppie]

I go with glass, I have had both over the years I love the easier to clean

 

[cerreta]

Acrylic scratches way too easy. I have owned two small tanks with acrylic and seen many others. A good size scratch just irritates me. I have never had a glass tank break, know on wood.

 

[moore_rb]

Acrylic for me, since it's easier for a DIY-er to work with (http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=7452479), and since it is colorless and more clear, you get better visibility into your tank.


I made a hand held acrylic scraper (similar to a car windshield ice scraper) that I use on the coraline build up about every two weeks, and I use my magnet scraper about every three days....

Ive had glass tanks in the past (one 30 tall cracked and flooded our living room in about 1991), and no matter how well you care for them, the silicone eventually breaks down, or tears, etc, and even though glass is harder to scratch, it still does scratch over time, and the scratches can't be buffed out with a cloth wheel and a little polish like they can with acrylic.

I'll never go back from Acrylic.