Getting acrylic tank...I am scared

[DaveG99]

So this 150 gallon I am getting turns out to be acrylic after I talk to the person on the phone. Its supposedly in pretty good shape except for the stand. I am worried about acrylic. What I am most worried about is the scratching of acrylic. How do you clean it without damaging the acrylic? Are there special magfloats? Should I be worried? How much lighter than glass is a 72"x20"x24"?

 

[Freed]

You can always buff scratches out of the inside of the panes with sandpaper if you scratch it. There are acrylic safe mag floats as well as other magnetic algae scrapers but there is no guarantee you won't get a speck of sand or something else between the scraper and the inside piece of acrylic. I just used 800 grit wet/dry this past weekend to take off most of the built up coralline on the inside of my front pane. Now I need to use 1000-2000 grit to take out the fine scratches the 800 left and all will be crystal clear again.

 

[DaveG99]

I actually started doing some research on acrylic tanks and I feel so much better. The scratching can be fixed and special magfloats exist. I read that it weighs half of what glass weighs. You can lift up a 55 gallon acrylic with one hand. Also it is supposed to be a better insulator according to what I read. Acrylic tanks cost a lot more though.

 

[thor32766]

good luck on your new tank dave!

 

[tstone]

Dave I have only ever had acrylic display tanks. My current one is a custom cube.
I like them and will do one again.