Acrylic Vs Glass

[Allyson]

I'm finally ready to start work on upgrading my 30 to a 150.....1st decision - acrylic or glass. Of those of you that have acrylic tanks, if you had it to do over would you go with acrylic again? My concern is it getting scratched.

[Geoff]

I have had a small 30G acrylic tank a while ago, all i can say is you will get scratches at some point. Scratches can be buffed out in acrylic.

On the other hand i prefer glass over acrylic for the less distortion on off viewing angles. this seems to be a pet peeve of mine though. acrylic is also clearer, and lighter. I actually sold my acrylic tank because the distortion annoyed me so much.

G~

[kimmeewoo]

I have an acrylic tank and will never, ever buy one again because of the scratching issue. I like to use a magnet to clean the algae, but this has had disastrous results. I've never tried to buff the scratches out because I've heard it takes hours to complete and my scratches are so deep I doubt it would work anyway.

[reefcam]

Acrylics are a pain, but you need to also consider the amount of weight your floor will support. Acylics are about half the weight of a glass tank. I have a acrylic tank and yes it sucks with scratches. But it's either the scratches or glass tank in the garage. If you can do glass, it may be better if you can't deal with having scratches. Also I've heard there is a new glass that is crystal clear and doesn't give that green look.

My next tank will be an acrylic again, just because it's easier to work with, as far as drying holes and lighter. I just won't buy another sea urchin.

[aquaticsdeptleader]

the scratches are a result of the magnet?

[aquaticsdeptleader]

reef is the weight of the glass really going to make that much of a diffrence in where you put the tank the contents will merit reinforcement anyway. or are we just talking about moveing it around biggest one i ever hefted was a 120 and if its about moveing iam with you on that one **** things weigh a ton

[reefcam]

Scratches can come from rocks falling on the acrylic, sps failing, magnet (but I use a acrylic pad between my magnet and glass, so no scratches there), scraping coralline algae, or sea urchin's biting at the acrylics. That's just some. I'm sure others have experience other ways of getting scratches too.

[Big Dave]

When my son was 4, he was swinging his bat when I walked in the room... BAM!!! right against the side of the tank. The bat bounced off the acrylic! I will never own a glass tank.

Drilling was easy for bulkheads, cord holes, returns, etc. Scratches aren't too tough to buff out, you just need patience and a little confidence. And if the rocks in a glass tank fall, you would still get scratches right? Sure, not quite as easy. The green from glass is the one I don't like. I don't think it's a big deal either way glass/acrylic, just be careful and take care of your tank and you should be fine. There are pros and cons to both, and usually one reason to go one way (like the bat hitting the tank and not breaking) or the other. HTH

-Big Dave

[Casey]

acrylic looks great but just scratches way to easy for me

[RWD]

There is no "right" answer. I have had both and there are good and bad points about each. My present tank is a 300 gal acrylic reef. IMO it's not IF but WHEN you will get scratches LOL. I do a major buffing of the scratches about every 10-12 months and it's back to perfect. Acrylic is VERY clear and IMO looks better then glass. Starfire glass is supposed to be almost as clear but I have not seen a Starfire tank up close so I don't know. My opinion is acrylic makes sense for larger tanks, say 200 plus gal. because of the weight (moving the tank around) and as tanks get larger, acrylic is actually cheaper. For smaller tanks, 200 and less -/+ glass tanks might make more sense.

Acrylic is also a much better insulator then glass. With a lot of lighting like in a reef situation, a chiller might be needed where with a glass tank it might not. I have 3-400 watt mh's and 4-75 watt vho's with 5 fans in the hood and still have problems keeping the water temps below 83 in the summer

Access is another problem with acrylic. Many times acrylic tanks have much smaller access holes in the top compared to glass. Check this out before ordering your tank.
Bob

[icebear]

i prefer glass only cause i'm afraid of acrylic for the above reasons.....
right now my bowfront is in my livingroom and my daughter almost gave me a heart attack the other day when i saw what looked like a 10 inch gouge right in the center viewing area... i almost screamed as i stumbled toward the tank and when i got there inoticed it was a stripe of gray crayon....


after that near-death experience i would not dare getting a tank that could scratch easily.... cause it would about kill me! LOL

[Allyson]

Thanks for the input! Weight is not an issue, but small kids wielding weapons is ! My 4 1/2 yr old is pretty tame but my 1 1/2 yr old is wild! She's finally stopped playing in the refug, now I'm working on keeping her from pulling a chair up to the tank to play in the display tank (she hasn't done it in a few weeks).

Whichever we get it will be Reef Ready....my husband is very artistically inclined but when it comes to plumbing & electrical stuff...I know more and am more adventurous than he is. And with work, household stuff & young kids I definitely don't have the time for a project like that. I'm lucky to have enough time to care for my reef.

We'll probably go with glass...it's easier to keep hard balls & bats (stuff that could crack the glass) out of the house than objects that may scratch the acrylic.

Again...Thanks!

Icebear......I feel for you, I would have wrung a neck or two just for drill!