Glass versus Acrylic

[Rudy]

I am ready to purchase my relatively large new aquarium (~280). I am at a cross roads in deciding which type of tank to pruchase Glass or Acrylic.

My instinct was to opt for Acrylic becuase it owuld be more stable, but now I am worried about all the reading i have read about scratches.

Any help you can provide me in making this decision I would greatly appreciate. I would like to make my pruchase within the next week.

Please offer you preference and reason for such preference.

Thanks,

 

[JayS]

PPG Starphire Glass is what I went with. Very nice clarity... ...but acrylic has some upsides also.

 

[Rudy]

What are the upsides to Acrylic. I keep being told by the Tank place that the scratch problem can be fixed with this "Nova" stuff.

I appreciate the voting, but wpould really like to hear peoples reasons too, if that is not too much to ask.

 

[john37]

i have starfire glass on my tank and went w/glass bc i can't live w/scratches.

if you're going BB and doing a closed loop then maybe i'd go w/acrylic because you're gonna have to drill a lot of holes and ur less likely to scratch w/no sand.

 

[SDguy]

I chose glass. I've had both. I scratched acrylic too much.

 

[Rudy]

"BB?"

I am having a closed loop, but I will also have a DSB of at least 4". Is the sand a major issue witht he scratching? How sensitive is this acylic anyway. It sounds as though if I breath on it, it may scratch?

One of the tank makers swears by acrylic, but I must consider him bias. He says the scratches can be remediued by a product called "Nova"

 

[edwing206]

BB= bare bottm

 

[Rudy]

I appreciate everyones input. I am leary of scratching. Having said that I don't beleive I ahve ever scratched any of my glass aquaria.

Should I take this as a sign to stick with glass or a sign that I would probably be safe if I went with acrylic?

 

[sjm817]

Have you ever noticed how much Coraline loves to grow on plastic?

 

[Rudy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8777802#post8777802 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sjm817
Have you ever noticed how much Coraline loves to grow on plastic?

No I haven't, but I have noticed on my nano glass walls which has taken a lot of scrubbing to rid. I imagine that would create quite a problem it it were acrylic, right?

 

[sjm817]

Yup. Coraline will grow on acrylic much more readily than glass. Then you have to scrape it off without scratching it. Not fun. I had an acrylic sump that was solid purple. You couldn't even see through it.

 

[mcrist]

I am a new 450 gallon acrylic tank owner and so far I love it. Yes it scratches easy but it can be repaired. My last tank was a 215 gallon glass aquarium and I got a scratch in it and I could not fix it. I also love how stable my water temperature is now.

 

[northbay-reefer]

my 180 gal was acrylic, had some scratches so you have to becarefull when cleaning it, the brace on top of the tank also craked because my lighting is too much for it. Now I replaced it with a new glass tank and love it.

Acrylic pros: alotttttttt lighter than glass, white and clear, easy to drill holes

Acrylic cons: scratches easily, can't handle too much heat from lighting system, and could also warp. The center brace collect salt and block lights. hard to mout powerhead sine the bracing take up most of the outer edges

Glass pros: very hard to scratch, even the green glass is not that bad if you have good lighting system. I like it alot better than plexi glass. the bracing is thiner and smaller than plexi glass so it allow more light for the tank. easy to mount powerheads and such.

Glass cons: extremely heavy much more than pleaxi glass, the silicon seals need to be good when you buy the tank please check that carefully or it might develope leaks. Hard to drill holes


Anyone else have anything to add ??

 

[Rudy]

northbay -

Thank you for the in-depth reply. I am grealy appreciative. Your comparison - contrast is exactly what I need.

Thanks to everyone elses opinion as well. I've enjoyed watching the poll question. Glass maintains greater than a 3:1 ratio. :hmm5:

 

[zuzecawi]

I've had both glass and acrylic, and I'll take acrylic hands down. I scratched the living crap out of both tanks, glass and acrylic, but I could repair the acrylic tanks, where as with my Oceanic glass aquarium, the glass is permanently marred. I would rather have the ease of drilling as well, not to mention the visual clarity is astounding in acrylic. I didn't have any problem with my lighting system warping the acrylic, maybe it was a matter of what KIND of acrylic my tank is made out of (cell cast) vs. whatever kind Northbay Reefer's was made out of. I worried at first about the lighting warping the acrylic but so far it hasn't been an issue. The acrylic takes a little more caution in cleaning than the glass, and you do have to be more diligent at scraping algae off before it becomes encrusted, but over all, I'll take acrylic over glass any day of the week.

Just my 02 cents worth

 

[Rudy]

Sounds to me like everything being equal Glass is the way to go. Or, that is what i have taken from this thread.

north -

You mentioned glass is harder to drill. Does that at all mean there is an increased risk leaks if it is drilled. Is there a limit on drilling to ensure glass integrity? My current design calls for 8 bulkehead holes in the bottom of the tank for my closed loop and sump plumbing.

How much, if at all, do I have to factor this into my decision?

 

[RobbyG]

Tanks = Glass
Sumps = Acrylic

 

[Rudy]

zuzecawi -

Damn, just when I thought I had started to make up my mind on glass you submit your post.

Thanks!

We should all have such problems that we have to make such a crucial decision. Still I am struggling with this one. What to hell am I going to do when I have to decide which LR to buy? :lmao:

 

[BurntOutReefer]

Glass.

 

[mcrist]

It basically comes down to how diligent you are when cleaning your tank. If you are willing to keep up with your maintenance and you’re careful when cleaning your tank acrylic will be great. If you periodically let your tank go then glass is your only answer.

I went through the same decision process almost one year ago when I was planning to buy my tank. Below is a list of reasons why I went with 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

Personally, I feel that glass is great up to about 200 gallons. Once you exceed that I prefer acrylic over glass. I have had glass tanks leak so I've always hated the silicone seams that glass tanks have. I doubt I would stay married if my 450 gallon tank leaked so I went with acrylic for the better marriage insurance.