Glass or acrylic?
- Thread starter Lizlips
- Start date
kamil5000
New member
Tks for the info James.
Whilst i would very much like to do this - I do not know if I have the heart/guts to be the first.
So I guess this would be the only way to scratch proof acrylic?
Tks
Kamil
BTW, I've also been wanting to contact you regarding my new set-up and obviously we don't want to hijack this thread, so can you PM me your e-mail pls.
Whilst i would very much like to do this - I do not know if I have the heart/guts to be the first.
So I guess this would be the only way to scratch proof acrylic?
Tks
Kamil
BTW, I've also been wanting to contact you regarding my new set-up and obviously we don't want to hijack this thread, so can you PM me your e-mail pls.
I'd say Aquarium Obsessed & Miracles for custom. Glass Cages is cheaper but "hit & miss" from what I hear insofar as experiences go. I can't comment from personal experiences though.
You might want to do a search in the vendor forum or simply look at many of the larger glass tanks on this forum and see who built their tanks. Many of the guys have done their homework well, you will see a trend. And I'm sure others will chime in
Kamil, can't PM as you have turned off.
HTH,
James
You might want to do a search in the vendor forum or simply look at many of the larger glass tanks on this forum and see who built their tanks. Many of the guys have done their homework well, you will see a trend. And I'm sure others will chime in
Kamil, can't PM as you have turned off.
HTH,
James
prance1520
Member
Some of the best decisions are made when you look at what you want out of the tank and can afford.
If you are someone who puts a lot of TLC into your tank, and can be real careful with it, acrylic is your best option.
If you someone who only has a couple minutes to run your magfloat accross the front, glass might be a better option.
If you are going to have this out in a room on a stand, you might want to go with one of the more reputable builders like AO or Miricles.
If its going to be in wall and all you will see is the front, glasscages will save you a ton of money.
Personally, I love the clean, professional look, so I went with AO. This hobby is no different than any other in you will pay for what you get.
Neither AO or glasscages are ripping you off, its just what you pay for.
Good Luck.
Matt
If you are someone who puts a lot of TLC into your tank, and can be real careful with it, acrylic is your best option.
If you someone who only has a couple minutes to run your magfloat accross the front, glass might be a better option.
If you are going to have this out in a room on a stand, you might want to go with one of the more reputable builders like AO or Miricles.
If its going to be in wall and all you will see is the front, glasscages will save you a ton of money.
Personally, I love the clean, professional look, so I went with AO. This hobby is no different than any other in you will pay for what you get.
Neither AO or glasscages are ripping you off, its just what you pay for.
Good Luck.
Matt
Znut Reefer
Premium Member
I went with acrylic when I had my 550 custom built. I don't regret going with acrylic with this large of a tank. Scratches are the only drawback to having a acrylic tank IMO. You can always polish them out.
Would I do it again? Oh yes, I like to sleep at night. My tank is 6 mos old soon. The Clarity is unreal. My vote goes for acrylic in a large tank. Mine weighs 600l bs empty. The Oak stand and canopy was the kicker in weight!
Would I do it again? Oh yes, I like to sleep at night. My tank is 6 mos old soon. The Clarity is unreal. My vote goes for acrylic in a large tank. Mine weighs 600l bs empty. The Oak stand and canopy was the kicker in weight!
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Bryan89
Premium Member
I agree with Znut on the acrylic question. I have had both glass and acrylic tanks. Both will get scratched, but I can (and have) repaired the acrylic tank.
James (Acrylics) - one question for you. Aren't there new types of polycast coming out now that are much better at preventing scratches? I saw another tank mfr claiming a new acrylic treatment that makes acrylic as scratch resistant as glass.
James (Acrylics) - one question for you. Aren't there new types of polycast coming out now that are much better at preventing scratches? I saw another tank mfr claiming a new acrylic treatment that makes acrylic as scratch resistant as glass.
travismcgee
New member
despite being careful, i have managed to put a nice 8 foot long scratch right in the middle of my acrylic tank. what is the best way to remove said scratch without draining tank or harming critters?thanks
The problem with the coatings is that they are irrepairable, which is why I (personally) won't build tanks using them. They are essentially a micro-thin layer of glass (not *really* but you get the point), when this scratches, chips, etc - it is impossible to blend the two dissimilar materials.
I don't think anyone ever said that glass tank always break or break all the time. As I stated earlier, a well made tank (glass or acrylic) will last many, many years. IMO, the reason you'll hear of more acrylic tanks popping is fairly simple; many companies mass fab tanks that are somewhat underengineered to be price competitive. They are strong enough to hold water, which is their prescribed purpose. Then, we (reefkeeping community) add MH lighting over the bracing, add wavebaxes, etc., which the tanks were not designed to handle to begin with - remember they were engineered *just* well enough to hold water. What would anyone expect? The other reason for *seams* popping is that they were not built well to begin with, people going too cheap and using bad material - JMHO on this.
My *personal* feeling is that you'll be seeing more and more "standard" glass tanks popping due to Waveboxes as I've been encountering this alot lately. So, if going glass - keep this in mind and engineer accordingly.
I replace both acrylic and glass tanks, probably equally. Some have glass that explodes all over their house and won't go back to glass, some have learned not to use acrylic tanks that are not designed to handle what they plan on putting them through.
Acrylic has a scratching issue if you are not careful; all of my tanks were acrylic (obviously) - never had a scratching issue, but YMMV on this.
In either case, the tank ends up being an average 0f 10-13% of the final project cost. This is based on yrs of experience in the industry and my own persona experiences as well. While we are aways trying to save a buck or two when we can, your tank is what is holding it all together and a well built tank is, in fact, your insurance policy. IMO, you can skimp on many things but the tank itself should not be one of them.
As for the price differences between mfrs fo the same tank - I cannot comment as the wholesale glass pricing and finishing costs are beyond my scope. I've never seen tanks from the 3 mfrs you mention right next to each other to compare quality so simply don't have a basis for opinion so I would defer to experiences by others.
HTH,
James
I don't think anyone ever said that glass tank always break or break all the time. As I stated earlier, a well made tank (glass or acrylic) will last many, many years. IMO, the reason you'll hear of more acrylic tanks popping is fairly simple; many companies mass fab tanks that are somewhat underengineered to be price competitive. They are strong enough to hold water, which is their prescribed purpose. Then, we (reefkeeping community) add MH lighting over the bracing, add wavebaxes, etc., which the tanks were not designed to handle to begin with - remember they were engineered *just* well enough to hold water. What would anyone expect? The other reason for *seams* popping is that they were not built well to begin with, people going too cheap and using bad material - JMHO on this.
My *personal* feeling is that you'll be seeing more and more "standard" glass tanks popping due to Waveboxes as I've been encountering this alot lately. So, if going glass - keep this in mind and engineer accordingly.
I replace both acrylic and glass tanks, probably equally. Some have glass that explodes all over their house and won't go back to glass, some have learned not to use acrylic tanks that are not designed to handle what they plan on putting them through.
Acrylic has a scratching issue if you are not careful; all of my tanks were acrylic (obviously) - never had a scratching issue, but YMMV on this.
In either case, the tank ends up being an average 0f 10-13% of the final project cost. This is based on yrs of experience in the industry and my own persona experiences as well. While we are aways trying to save a buck or two when we can, your tank is what is holding it all together and a well built tank is, in fact, your insurance policy. IMO, you can skimp on many things but the tank itself should not be one of them.
As for the price differences between mfrs fo the same tank - I cannot comment as the wholesale glass pricing and finishing costs are beyond my scope. I've never seen tanks from the 3 mfrs you mention right next to each other to compare quality so simply don't have a basis for opinion so I would defer to experiences by others.
HTH,
James
