Glass vs. Acrylic

binaryterror

binaryterror

New member
I am planning my purchase of my 180 soon, and have been wondering about glass and acrylic. I emailed the company I am buying from, and they said that they discourage the use of acrylic in larger tanks since they scratch easily, and quickly. I havent ordered yet, so I am wondering if I should get glass of acrylic. Thanks!
 
Usually for the larger tanks you are better off with acrlic. The scratch factor is something to consider, but if you are carefull putting in your live rock, and once you have it all set up you should be ok. Plus you can always sand out scratches.

Glass can break...and when it does you loose everything and will have substantial damage to your house...I have seen it before it it is not a pretty picture.
 
acrylic is easier to cut/drill and cheaper tools required to
glass isnt so easy and requires diamond cutters which are a bit more exspensive.

id go with acrylic if you can be carefull and no scratch it.
 
Yeah, thats what I am leaning towards now. But if you did sratch it, how can you remove them? I heard that even rubbing against the tank with a pair of jeans can cause those micro-scratches, which really sound like they suck. lol
 
if someone is building the tank for you. You wont need to cut anything. Since you give them the details, and they do it all inshop before you get it. glass breaking is the same as scraches. Take care of it, and it can last a very long time. My g/fs dad has had a glass 200 gallon for 20 years. no scratches or breaks, cracks, or leaks....

acrylic is obviously lighter than glass though.
 
I've had a 75g acrylic for 3 years now, and I'll never own another one again!

Just bought and setting up a 150g GLASS.

The coraline algae is a bear to get off without scratching the plastic tank. And it's a workout.

GO GLASS!
 
I've talked to a custom acrylic guy about scratches and I was told that new acrylic has a tendency to scratch easier. But as time ages the acrylic, the nature of acrylic is it hardens over time. So as the acrylic ages, it is harder to scratch. Just be careful when aquascaping your new acrylic tank as not to scratch the inside face or sides.

Minor scratches outside can easily be buff out with the scratch removal kit that is sold in any LFS that carries acrylic tanks.
 
ive had 2 acrylic tanks now.. i now have a show glass tank. i will never own another acrylic tank again.

doesnt matter how carefull you are, your gonna scratch your tank. and if you happen to put a nasty one in, then you'll notice it every time you look at your tank. and it will bother you. well.. it did me :p

both my acrylics also bowed.

plus.. dunno if its just me.. i like the look through glass alot better then i do acrylic. certain angles throuh an acrylic tank make it look distorted, and made my eyes cross trying to look at things.
 
Does anyone own an Oceanic glass tank? If so, what do you think of it? I notice a lot of members own AGA glass tanks.
 
oceanics are nice. aga are just cheaper and all over. See if you can get the tank with a starphire front panel. Or at least low iron glass.
 
got a 60 gal acrylic about 10 years ago. no regrets. scratched?
yes but I buffed them out. clear yes. discolored no. you cant
buff out glass. Clear For Life is the tank I have.
Advance Aqua Tanks.com for more info.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7255189#post7255189 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by paulhines
I've had a 75g acrylic for 3 years now, and I'll never own another one again!

Just bought and setting up a 150g GLASS.

The coraline algae is a bear to get off without scratching the plastic tank. And it's a workout.

GO GLASS!
Click to expand...


I second this. I'll be going glass for sure for my next large tank. I've about had it trying to keep my acrylic 125 scrach free and clean.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7255638#post7255638 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dippin61


plus.. dunno if its just me.. i like the look through glass alot better then i do acrylic. certain angles throuh an acrylic tank make it look distorted, and made my eyes cross trying to look at things.
Click to expand...


True... true...
 
Can you get rid of inside scratches?

I badly scratched the inside of my acrylic tank when a large grain of sand was stuck in my magnetic cleaner .

Richard
 
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