acrylic tanks

[adelkin]

Are acrylic tanks better than glass? I have heard that they are harder to clean algae off of, is this true? I am planning on doing salt water, but not reef. Is reef a bad idea with acrylic?

 

[niger12]

IMO, I prefer them. They are lighter than glass have better clarity, and I have never had one leak. I currently have two acrylic tanks and have had two others. They do scratch easier but you can buff it out. Scratch glass and it will always be there. Just make sure every thing you use to clean the tank is made for acrylic tanks. It is also easy to drill and modify if you change things around. This is a pic of my 4 year old acrylic tank. Just my 2 cents.

 

[badkharma]

I also prefer acrylic (I have both glass and acrylic). Acrylic is much clearer; it doesn't have that green tint that glass has because of it's material make-up. It's also WAY lighter and stronger, but a little more expensive, and way easier to scratch. You do have to be careful with them, make sure you don't hit the sides with rock, etc. Like mentioned above, use ONLY acrylic-approved materials to scrub algae off. Be careful with the floating magnets, if sand gets trapped in the scrubber you could scratch while cleaning the algae off. It just requires a little more diligence, that's all. If you do scratch it, you can buff it out, whereas with glass if you scratch - it's scratched forever. I'd go acrylic if you can.

 

[ronipa]

BEAUTIFUL TANK!
I have one of those "picture backgrounds"....... would I better off with the solid blue?
BTW- I love the look of the acrylic tanks but, I myself am scared to try them because of the easy way they scratch.
Good luck with whatever you chose Adelkin!
Roni

 

[balistidae]

solid colour backgrounds are the only way to go!!

 

[badkharma]

Yeah, my acrylic has a solid black. I love it.