waiting room tank best material and water type??

[gparkinson]

Planning to install a tank in my office waiting room.
To be attached or built into wall
Probably 72 to 84 inch long
Lots of kids will touch each day- better to go with glass or acrylic?

Also, I hear that fresh water is the easiest way to start. Can you
convert over to salt later with the same tank?

 

[Hagisan]

Our kid's doctor's office has an acrylic built into the wall. It gets scratched but the company that maintains it buffs it right out. Can't do that with glass.

Yes, fresh water is easier if you plan on DIY as well as cheaper when it comes to both start-up & paying for maintenance.

hth - good luck

 

[xCry0x]

FW is easier and if you go for cichlids there are some very colorful options as well as a million different varieties.

 

[Steve175]

Go with glass and keep reading on this forum as you make your plans. As in reading your OP, it seems you will eventually want SW, you will save time, money, and angst if you spend more time planning and start with a SW tank.

 

[Sanveann]

Our kids' pediatrician has a SW and a FW tank in the waiting room. I prefer the SW, but to be honest, the kids seem 50/50 on which tank they like best (even with Nemo and Dory in the SW tank!). They look like glass to me, and I've never noticed any scratches.

 

[Chris27]

Glass holds up much better then acrylic when it comes to scratching. Kids in there without supervision (parents on cell phones) will surely run toys up and down the tank, sure it can be buffed out, but it's a bit of a hassle. Glass will withstand kids just fine without scratching, my 3 have yet to scratch the glass, but they surely made a mess of the acrylic tank when I had it.