Glass or Acrylic

[hyperfocal]

- Acrylic is easier to drill and mod.
- It is a better insulator so is a much better choice for a cold water tank.
- For large or custom tanks, it really is the only option due to cost, weight, strength, relative ease of working with, etc.
- IMO acrylic tanks are easier to repair.

None of those mean much to me right now -- but if I ever want a big cold-water cube with a coast-to-coast on one side, acrylic will be the only way to go

 

[Mark426]

Acrylic=scratched tank....no way around it. Dont believe me...get one and a year from now, read this this again

 

[areze]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12929018#post12929018 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hyperfocal
- Acrylic is easier to drill and mod.
- It is a better insulator so is a much better choice for a cold water tank.
- For large or custom tanks, it really is the only option due to cost, weight, strength, relative ease of working with, etc.
- IMO acrylic tanks are easier to repair.

None of those mean much to me right now -- but if I ever want a big cold-water cube with a coast-to-coast on one side, acrylic will be the only way to go

for just about everyone here, the insulator part is a huge negative.

acrylic easier to repair? easier to repair scratches, yes. scratches that dont typicly occur with glass. cracks? its close to impossible, while you can often replace a pane of glass. so that seems to favor glass here...

it is easier to drill, true. though that is ussually handled the day you buy a glass tank, let them drill it $$$. how often do you add a hole to a tank after its set up?

 

[downhillbiker]

or i could just use a HOB overflow just as i use on my glass tank now. drilling isn't a "selling factor" for me. i just want durability and peace of mind. it would crush me if i got a HUGE scratch in my tank after only a few months. and as i read, not all scratches are fixable in acrylic.

i may just end up keeping my 72 bowfront. i dont know if it is worth the hassle.

 

[mcrist]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12929268#post12929268 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by areze
for just about everyone here, the insulator part is a huge negative.

Why is this a negative, don't you want a stable temperature in the tank?

 

[mcrist]

Pros to acrylic...

Completely clear
Better insulator
Shatterproof
Will not fail or leak
Weighs less
Joints are clear and far stronger than silicone seams
Ships better with less chance of damage
Can easily be drilled
Higher resale value
Earthquake resistant

Con to acrylic...
Scratches

If I would do it over again, to be honest I can't say for sure I would reconsider glass but I am happy with my acrylic tank. I had 90 gallon glass tank leak and I didnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t want to take a chance with my 450 gallon tank leaking.

 

[suasponte2/75]

I've always had acrylic tanks due to living in earthquake country and small kids. As far as the ease of it scratching there is no doubt you will get some.

Although, over the last 8 years of owning acrylic tanks, I've kind of become pretty good at removing minor to major scratches with fine sand paper pads I've gotten from Sculpt.com.

When I had my 60G and was able to reach into the tank's bottom I used to get the micro mesh kits 4"x6"? pads (3600 grit all the way to 12000) that were meant for sanding marble. I tested it on a smaller 30G filled with some livestock and never saw any negative side effects (skimmer did go a little nuts). I then used it on my 60 DT and all the scratches came out as if they never happened! Never saw any negative side effects from any of the fish/corals.

When I upgraded to my current 180G it was a lot harder to reach the scratches near the bottom of the tank so I looked into the wooden pen kits they had. They came in these little 2"x2" pad that I cut out a hole for in my cleaner magnet (to keep them from sliding out). It also came with these 150-600 grit tongue depresser type sanding sticks for the deeper scratches. This worked like a charm and I was able to get some really deep scratches polished out due to the stronger cleaner magnet. The only way you can really tell that the scratches are there is when you put your nose to the panes (and really look for them) but otherwise, people always think that I just got my acrylic tank since it's pretty scratch free.

So there goes the problem of scratches in acrylics pretty much solved for me. I also have a wide openings on my 180G since I had it custom made with a thicker acrylic top to support it. I believe they're like 30"x18" openings.

HTHs,

Minh

 

[stagefright13]

Acrylic is beautifully clear when filled with water no doubt about that. But I will ALWAYS get glass. Not even a tempted to get something that can't be cleaned without destroying it. How do you clean hard encrusted Coraline off of it?? Is it possible!!??

I am saying that because I just cleaned my glass sump after several years tonight. My scraper didn't work. (Razor) So I used a 6 inch Henkel cleaver sharpened with a Henkle diamond stone. And it was the only thing that would get it clean.

If I did that to an acrylic tank it would be junk to look at. But I have NO scratches!

 

[stagefright13]

Wacky forum dbl post

 

[Doahh]

You don't let the coraline grow... Wipe down the glass daily and your good...
I got a great deal on my new tank... and it's acrylic and only 90 gallons. One person can carry it. Try that with a glass tank

 

[stagefright13]

I don't know about you but I don't clean my tank on a daily basis. Even if I did it wouldn't last for long lol. Sometimes we all get busy. And the Calcium levels and MAg and striontium needed are gonna grow some encrusting stuff.

If you even take a small break your tank is junk. Unless you fill it occasionally with hot vinegar.

Even scotchbrite scratches Acylic and even lexan.

But I admit plex is so clear when filled with water.

 

[epiphanus]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12924460#post12924460 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GlassReef
With an acrylic tank, the question is not IF you're going to scratch it, but WHEN and HOW BAD. After 3 acrylic tanks, I'm in the process of moving back to glass. With the display panes made of low- iron glass - just as clear as acrylic. It's heavy, but if you're lucky, you'll only have to move it once.

With a glass tank, it's not IF it'll leak, but WHEN it'll leak, if not break. The larger the tank, the larger the liability. I simply cannot understand how some people scratch the hell out of their acrylics-- it's simple, you buy an acrylic-specific pad, keep it clean, and work from the top to bottom when scrubbing panes. Using separate pads (maybe a fattie with a handle for the bulk of the job, and a little hand-held pad for bottoms) keeps scratches via bits of sand at the bottom where their impact is negligible, if they occur. I had to scrub somewhere from a few to a million tanks daily (both glass and acrylic) in the ten years or so that I worked in aquarium retail shops, and only rarely had any accidents, which were not only minor but easily, quickly and cheaply remedied by way of acrylic scratch removal kits. I will never buy another glass aquarium-- my latest tank, a 120-gal acrylic, has proven to be noticably clearer, amazingly light-weight (I can carry it around by myself easily), absolutely sweat-proof when in use for my coldwater marines, more readily modified and is undeniably safer (it would take a bomb to crack it or make it leak). No more ripped up, algae-stained silicone for this cat...
But, hey, as they say, to each his or her own. Having choices is what keeps this whole thing interesting...

 

[stagefright13]

If silicone leaks so much why are the oldest tanks on here and other forums glass? (20+ years) And why do all the decent glass tanks come with lifetime warranty?

Because the silicone itself has a 25 year warranty. But tends to last WAY past that. And glass is just that it's glass and lasts forever.

Not to say that plexiglass (Acrylic whatever) don't last forever either! But what will still be clear down the road? Like 10 years from now. It won't be made of plastic. That is for sure.

My next sump is gonna be acrylic. And it won't be clear in several years. But will be beautiful for a bit. Looking forward to it. But sorry I won't have it on my display tank. Who cares if it takes 2 people to carry it. That's what movers are for.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

IMO/IME acrylic is an acceptable choice for freshwater or marine 'fish only' displays, not a reef aquarium. When our reef club overhauled the local zoo's (acrylic) aquarium we weighed all the options and came to the conclusion that a 560 gallon glass aquarium would be better than acrylic. There were some very intelligent people on the committee and none had ties to any aquarium manufacturers.
The main drawbacks of acrylic (IMO) are that corallines have an insane affinity for growing on plastic and it's thermal insulation properties. (It can be a challenge to keep an acrylic aquarium cool without using a chiller.) Scratches will happen but can be buffed out with elbow grease and enough free time.
None of the local reef aquarium maintenance people in my area want to touch an acrylic reef aquarium and the LFS's that had acrylic reef aquarium displays have gotten rid of them for glass.
I agree that acrylic is usually a good choice for a sump.

 

[epiphanus]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12935193#post12935193 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stagefright13
If silicone leaks so much why are the oldest tanks on here and other forums glass? (20+ years) And why do all the decent glass tanks come with lifetime warranty?

The oldest tanks are glass because that's all that was available then-- are you going to tell me undergravel filters are superior to all other filters by the same reasoning? :lol: Glass aquarium manufacturers know that after having a 120-gal glass tank destroy your flooring you're not going to ask for another! :lol: I have sold aquariums of all kinds and sizes for a decade and have had many customers go from glass to plexi, but never (not once!) from plexi to glass. A one-time legit complaint about plastic was bowing from heat and/or pressure-- subsequent improvements have made these problems negligible. Today, the only resonating claim against acrylic that I ever hear is that they scratch (which is odd, because glass can also get scratched, but is far more difficult to repair). Using care and common sense, any drunken prosimian can wipe any acrylic sparkley-clean without the slightest scratch. As I said before, it is probably a matter of personal choice (which usually comes down to price), but I would state my case in two words-- GLASS BLOWS .:lol:

 

[TWallace]

I'll never do acrylic again. It's way too hard to get coralline off it without scratching it. Glass tanks are so easy to clean without scratching the tank. So much less work.

 

[Doahh]

You guys really neglect your tanks enough to let the coralline get a strong hold on it?
Wow... We have some lazy reefers

 

[Mark426]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12935402#post12935402 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Gary Majchrzak
IMO/IME acrylic is an acceptable choice for freshwater or marine 'fish only' displays, not a reef aquarium.

Best way I have seen it put. Anyway...please do yourself a favor. Dont get acrylic. I have had both and I learned my lesson.

Mark

p.s. you will notice the only ones that say get acrylic are the ones that have one. Called trying too justify a purchase.

 

[mcrist]

The only place I need to watch for coralline growth is in the corners otherwise the tank is clean. I've owned both and I don't feel that that acrylic attracts coralline faster than glass. My glass tanks always had more coralline growth on it that my current acrylic tank does; I think I you tend to neglect a glass tank more than an acrylic tank.

I do agree the scratching sucks; I have no argument with that one.

I donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t follow the negative with the thermal insulation properties of acrylic. I look at it as a positive. I keep my acrylic tank cool without a chiller and I needed a chiller for my glass tank. I like the fact my tanks temperature doesnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t drop as fast when I have power outages. I lost power once for 8 hours in the winter and my tanks temperature only dropped 5 degrees. My glass tank dropped over 15 degrees but the tank where not the same size so I know that would skews the numbers a little. I also remember when I used to do maintenance on glass tank, the tanks temperature would start to drop. It wasnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t much but it did, that never happens with my acrylic tank.

 

[Tang Salad]

Acrylic will get scratched. It does not matter how careful you are, or how often you clean it. If you are lazy it will get scratched sooner; if you aren't it will get scratched later. Either way it will get scratched.

I think the biggest difference is that some people look more closely and see the scratches, while others know better than to look closely becasue it's downright depressing.