I'm wanting to upgrade to a 180 g tank, but don't know which to get. If I go glass, I'd be able to get it very soon, because it is cheap, but I've heard it affects how you see everything in the tank, and it can crack easily. If I go acrylic, it is a lot stronger, but I'd have to wait quiet a while to be able to afford it, plus it can scratch easier. Opinions?
Glass or Acrylic?
- Thread starter waddwadd
- Start date
If you've never owned an acrylic tank before, it takes some getting used to. Scratches a lot easier, coralline algae seems to grow on it more (and it's hard to get off), and if you get lax with cleaning the panels you will be putting some elbow grease into getting all the algae off.
I own a 150 gal acrylic, and I probably won't own another unless it's a deal I just can't pass up. But if you do go glass, be sure to spend the extra money and get a quality tank (to avoid leaks down the road).
I own a 150 gal acrylic, and I probably won't own another unless it's a deal I just can't pass up. But if you do go glass, be sure to spend the extra money and get a quality tank (to avoid leaks down the road).
Been using acrylic since 1991...would never go back to glass...acrylic is lighter, stronger, better insulator, and clearer than glass... easier to drill, reseal, repair, and you can actually remove scratches...
It often seems that people that tell you about how easy it is to scratch acrylic, have never actually owned acrylic... You should probably be more careful with a glass tank, because you can't fix it!...2 of the tanks that I have are ~20 yrs old and after I buffed them out they look like new
I recently got a price quote on a custom made acrylic 300dd and it was less than the Marineland glass version...I'm ordering 2
It often seems that people that tell you about how easy it is to scratch acrylic, have never actually owned acrylic... You should probably be more careful with a glass tank, because you can't fix it!...2 of the tanks that I have are ~20 yrs old and after I buffed them out they look like new
I recently got a price quote on a custom made acrylic 300dd and it was less than the Marineland glass version...I'm ordering 2
usingthejohn
New member
Even at 1/2 or 3/4 thick or with a eurobrace?
I'll most likely go with glass, as that is what my 90 gallon tank is atm. I just don't want to have to worry about some of the problems that acrylic may bring. I'll probably just buy a pre-drilled 180 gallon glass tank, and go from there. Thanks to everyone for the help! Feel free to keep the conversation going if you want though, it is an interesting topic I feel, and is neat to see what other peoples opinions are.
What happens to top center supports on glass tanks ... eventually?
Which tank is more likely to survive an earthquake ?... No contest!
Shobloth
New member
Lol I guess if you're in a quake zone, but we're getting silly now. For day to day, I'd so much rather clean glass & look through it. You guys are talking about how light it is... How often do you move an aquarium? It's already an enormous task to do that & the strain could be on movers not you. Moving an aquarium is less than 1% of your time with it, so is an earthquake if that's even a reality for you - but *daily* you have to look through it and should clean it **** but if you forget with glass, a razor fixes it in seconds with no scratches - with acrylic, you're in for a long scrub either with scratches or buffing.
The point was the strength of the tank...as for moving tanks, I have 3x ~120g tanks that I use for QT, and holding tanks that I can move and set up, by myself...
I understand that you prefer glass, but I'd like to know how long you had your acrylic tanks for?
sc50964
New member
Maybe I'm wrong but I have read way more catastrophic glass tank failure than acrylic tank failure. Especially for large tanks, the brittle nature of glass is a pro when it comes to daily maintenance but is such a con when it comes to fracture as it provides no give. Imagine 180 gallons, or 24 cubic feet, of water in a typical 10' x 10' space. That's 3" of saltwater on your floor or carpet.
scottwhitson
New member
With a 180, glass would be ok but when it does scratch and it WILL you are staring at that scratch for the rest of the tanks life. Every glass tank i have seen has scratches in it. If scratches bother you in acrylic they can be fixed without even having to drain the tank.
Similar threads
