how easy does acrylic scratch???

[sowildpaul]

When you have an acrylic tank, always be careful when you put rocks in there and make sure they don't fall. Most of the times a scratch is caused by a rock that fell or put inside accidentally contacting the acrylic.

I am not sure but it's possible that an aggressive fish like a clown triggerfish can cause scratches when it tries to bite the acrylic in the front of you. LOL

 

[sowildpaul]

I've had both. Acrylic is clearer, but it lacks that luster glass has - it's like comparing a brand new car to one that's 2 years old.

It could be due to all the micro-scratches that accumulate or the fact that glass is more reflective.

Acrylic is reflective as well. It's easily polished on the outside.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_LWF2mAs1U&feature=youtu.be

 

[rampat]

Has anyone used acrylic with an anti-scratch coating in a tank build? I came across this product which looked like it might offer a way of preventing scratches--don't know what a 4 x 8 sheet would cost though.

http://www.tspinc.com/acrylic-sheeting/

http://www.tspinc.com/pdf/OpticalGradeCastAcry.pdf

 

[sandyland]

^^^ amazing tank!!!! Those are huge clams, have they grown a lot in the tank?

 

[jjk_reef00]

Has anyone used acrylic with an anti-scratch coating in a tank build? I came across this product which looked like it might offer a way of preventing scratches--don't know what a 4 x 8 sheet would cost though.

http://www.tspinc.com/acrylic-sheeting/

http://www.tspinc.com/pdf/OpticalGradeCastAcry.pdf

I asked the same question a while back. Didn't get an responses.
It may be worth asking a reputable tank manufacturer.

 

[rampat]

I asked the same question a while back. Didn't get an responses.
It may be worth asking a reputable tank manufacturer.

After a short email conversation with a fabricator that works with acrylic, apparently the acrylic bonding agent does not fuse with the anti-abrasion coatings. This may be why no one has used the coated material so far in a tank.

It seems to me that you could work around this by taking a thin layer off of the surface where joints occur to allow the bonding agent direct contact with the acrylic. Definitely more work when building, but it would be really interesting to see how this material stands up in a reef tank.

Maybe get a small sample of the coated stuff and leave it in a reef tank for awhile to accumulate things on the surface then try out various cleaning/scraping options to see what works the best.