acrylic tank owners

[Kigs]

please post some of the ups and downs of owning an acrylic tank. I'm considering purchasing one.

[RedEyeElf]

clearer, scratches easy, gravel line is always scratched from hermits ect. lastest longer than glass, lighter so the stand does'nt need to be SO heavy too. Can be buffed clear again if you have the time and want to drain the tank, when scratched (have done buffing in large systems with water in it and fish with no ill effects) more expensive, Can be ordered in just about every shape you can think of (saw a two pillar archway 7 feet tall) just some thoughts

[Waxxiemann]

pro

light
super strong bonded seams
super clear

con

scratches really easy



That's all I can think of

[Kigs]

sounds good so far! thank you

[JPMagyar]

pro - scatches can be removed

con - big top braces that get dirty and block light and can crack from heat of a MH

I have a 280 and am working on plans for a 400 and I will never use acrylic again for a heavily stocked reef tank. Lots of people do, but for me the pleasure of cleaning glass is well worth the extra weight since I will be building my 400 on a cement floor. Get glass and get a heavy duty cleaning magnet and you will save a ton of anguish if you're like me and hate the scratches but are too lazy to keep after the glass EVERY DAY.

Lots and lots of differing opinions on this one though . . .

Either way have fun


Viszlat,

Joe

[freebin]

Con...Scratches are a major issue....so is removing coraline algae growth with out scratching acrylic...

Pro...????

[Kigs]

i was planning on getting a 150g acrylic. you guys think it's a bad idea for a reef?

[Som1else]

Pro: Available shapes, Weight, Clarity, Strength

Cons: Scratches soo easily, Retains heat which is bad during the summer, bowing, heat from lights can be destructive to the top.

FWIW i had an acrylic and went to glass but i would go acrylic for any tank over 75gal because of the weight issue of glass.

[Hop]

I dunno. I scratched my glass tank worse than my acrylic. I think the "because it's glass" mentality got me laxidazical. The acrylic tank, I'm always really careful around. I have one major scratch that the wife did while I was away, otherwise I only have a few little ones from various maneuvers But I can fix the acrylic one The glass one I'm going to have to replace someday and I'm planning on moving it out with a broom and dust pan

[JPMagyar]

i was planning on getting a 150g acrylic. you guys think it's a bad idea for a reef?

Like I said you can get a million opinions on this . . . here's another little story to help you choose.

When I was getting into Reefin' I developed a friend and mentor who has owned and operated 2 Reef shops, been growing acros for more than 2 decades, and has installed reefs from 50 gallons to 5000 gallons all over the US. He begged and pleaded with me not to go acrylic, but because of all the good things I read on RC (which I love and think is the best resource in the world) I made him order a Tenecor acrylic tank for me. Today I realize he was right. Some guys like Steve Weast are brilliant at cleaning acrylic on a daily basis and keep their view spotless and their top bracing clear, but most reefers are like me and clean weekly at best after coraline algae has firmly gotten a grip and salt spray is spotting the underside of the top bracing. I spend a half hour with the weak magnets that are allowed on acrylic scrubbing over and over again. The end result is lots and lots of scratches in the front view and a top brace that obstructs light. For me that is my primary beef with acrylic. I have a glass frag grow out tank in my basement, and the extra strong magnets available for use on glass make cleaning a breeze. Finally one additional acrylic con I forgot to put in my original comment is the restriction on sizes of rock one can place in a tank due to the size of the opening created by the acrylic bracing. Given 2 tanks of the same dimensions the glass tank will have significantly larger openings through which to put live rock, and for me personally, I think really big pieces of LR make for much better aquascaping versus lots of smaller pieces.

So there it is . . . ones guys outlook on acrylic versus glass. There are plenty of folks equally in favor of acrylic, but I hope that helps you make the best decision for your own situation



Joe

[RedEyeElf]

I will probably run both at some point

My main reason for using acrylic now is the "custom tank" My current small reef is 45 gallons, with refugiums built in to both sides (used to be bioball over flows on either side, removed bio, replaced with fuge mud and macro, and skimmer,heater, return pumps.


The tank is only limited by a pocketbook and imagination when it comes to acrylic

[purpletang26]

i have a 96*43*48 857 gallons and its acrylic and i have close to 4000watts of light 12inches from the top and i have no problems with the aquarium. i am really carefull when i'm around it to not scratch it, other then that everthing is great. also came with a 15yr warrenty so that is some comfort

[revance]

I have both acrylic and glass.

Acrylic Pros:

- Clarity
- Clear seams with no ugly silicone
- lightweight
- stronger
- REPAIRABLE

Acrylic Cons:

- Scratches easier
- Takes a bit more time to clean
- Brace gets dirty quickly and needs wiped off often.
- You need to threaten the lives of those you live with so they don't clean it with windex


If you buy a decent quality acrylic tank and keep your MH 8" or more away you won't have a problem with the heat damaging the bracing.

My glass tanks are scratched up and are unrepairable. I droped my hood down the side of my acrylic tank leaving a HUGE gouge in it and I was able to sand/buff it out in less than 5 minutes. You can assume that a glass tank will be scratched up after several years and will remain that way forever. You can also assume that no matter how careful you are with the acrylic, and how good you are about buffing out scratches here and there... after a long time it will have small scratches all over it and will require a full buffing to make it look new. The good news is that you CAN do that.

You don't need to use wimpy magnet cleaners... you just need to make sure you use acrylic safe pads on them. The magnets on my cleaner are incredibly strong.

[KRussell]

My first tank was a 75 acrylic and after a few years there where several deep scratches that drove me crazy. I ended up upgrading to a 180 glass and have been totally scratch free for three years. Also the magnets you can use on glass work really well.

[SptfireXIV]

The big Pro for acrylic is aesthetics.

It gives you the nice seamless look that glass tanks only wish they could provide. You'll see some frame less glass tanks that try to mimic the look, but they never fully achieve it.

It also gives you much better clarity than glass. With a little imagination and some good husbandry you really can make an acrylic tank look invisible.

Third, if you like custom tanks (who doesn't?!), then acrylic is the only way to go. You can order damn near any shape or size you can think of. Hate those standard skinny sized tanks where they're all length and no depth? Get someone to build an acrylic tank that looks exactly like what you want.

There's other pros too. Its easy to manipulate, you can drill as many holes as you want in it by yourself and its a good deal lighter than glass.

Cons:

Everybody has already mentioned that it scratches, and thats true. You truly have to always, always be careful when you work in the tank. Luckily, the scratches can be removed with water still in the tank (but its a royal pain, trust me).



So, if you go by the number of pro's versus the number of con's, its no contest. The problem is that the one con it has is a big one, and its usually the deal breaker for many people.

[HBtank]

Another Pro missed..

If you're in an earthquake prone area such as myself, it could make it more appealing.

[acrylic_300]

I have an old 300gal clarity plus acrylic tank that sat dry in a machine shed with junk in it for 7 yrs. It's over 20 yrs. old and looks like new after a few hours of buffing.

When my water is clean it looks like there is no water. Me and my girlfriend moved it. I hope it will last another 20 yrs.

[Kigs]

Originally posted by revance
...- You need to threaten the lives of those you live with so they don't clean it with windex

Thank you for all the contribution to the thread guys. I think I made up my mind.

[TexasPete]

I love my acrylic tank. It is the best way to go. Just watch the scratches.

[zuzecawi]

My mother's acrylic tank was bequeathed to me after 15 years of her using it as a blackwater amazon tank... I used it for reef for another 15 years before it finally blew the top seams. And that was before acrylic tanks were made out of cell cast acrylic as a matter of standard. I bought an All-Glass aquarium to replace it, and had it blow at the bottom seam two years later (after the warranty expired, no less). I bought a Oceanic glass aquarium to replace that and just hated myself moving the darn thing when I bought my house. Needless to say, when time came to upgrade to the 135, I bought acrylic. I swear by the stuff. A well made acrylic tank is worth twice its weight in glass. I've scratched the heck out of my glass tank, I scratched the heck out of the acrylic tank. I could fix the acrylic... took a LOT of elbow grease but it worked. The glass tank is forever marred, and the scratches are little coralline algae habitats that CAN'T be cleaned. I've got four lines of coralline algae right across my center of view on the glass tank. Drives me up the wall. Sooner or later that tank is destined to be a gracilaria grow out tank.
Just my 02 cents.

[TWallace]

I've got a 55g acrylic and I'll likely never go acrylic again. The scratches drive me nuts. The pros are that the tank is light and I can move it by myself. Other than the weight, to me there are no advantages of acrylic over glass.

[SptfireXIV]

Originally posted by kigs


Thank you for all the contribution to the thread guys. I think I made up my mind.

And the verdict is...?

[Buster4900]

I like my acrylic better than my previous glass tank. Definately get acrylic if I were starting over.

[jnb]

acrylic. you need full bottom support on stand just fyi

I became scared of glass knowing it could break let loose 100 gallons

so I had envision acrylics make me a bullet proof one - no regrets yet - don't foresee any after 1 year in service

[STEELERFAN747]

I have had both and feel they both have pro's and cons. I currently have a 90g glass and a 120g glass being constructed (see red house for build thread) but I plan to hopefully get a 240G in a few months and will be going with acrylic. (I had a 250g acrylic and was able to lift it by myself and move it with my wife who is 5 feet and 105lbs)

Scratches can be removed and coraline can be prevented but clarity cannot be matched.

Main reason for me is