ivycharlaine
Member
What are the advantages/disadvantages of both? And which would you prefer?
Acrylic vs Glass
- Thread starter ivycharlaine
- Start date
flower
Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by ivycharlaine
http:///forum/post/3125944
What are the advantages/disadvantages of both? And which would you prefer?
Acrylic scratches really easy. It is light weight and can be formed, like bow fronts. True clear sight...glass distorts.
I prefer an all glass tank...they are heavier, but IMO better built.
http:///forum/post/3125944
What are the advantages/disadvantages of both? And which would you prefer?
Acrylic scratches really easy. It is light weight and can be formed, like bow fronts. True clear sight...glass distorts.
I prefer an all glass tank...they are heavier, but IMO better built.
fraggle rock
Member
Acrylic is stronger in that it will take more force to break, god forbid that scenario. It is generally better optically than glass. it wieghss alot less, but as already said it scratches, easily and sometime very bad.. If you dont need reduced wieght and are not looking for curves in your viewing area, go glass if optics( clarity) are your concern spend more for a tank with PPG Starphire Glass.
noah's nemo
Member
I like glass also.Just for the simple fact i have kids.So a stray toy or cup or whichever will not stratch it.
myckei
Member
I have a 65 bow acrylic and just love it. It's so clear and bright to look at. I had a scratch once from moving furniture that hit it, but i bought a scratch remover kit and buffed it out. Brand new with no effort. I dont really think a kids toy is going to ruin a tank with scratches just my 2 cents.
rlablan
Active Member
I have a 200 gal acrylic and it's gorgeous. It was made my a maker who uses no silicone and only fuses so I have no dirty seems like you get with glass tanks. My seems are fused and very easy to clean. I have a few scratches but they are hardly noticeable and the guy who built the tank comes and has a method of removing scratch on the inside of the tank, while all the water and fish are still in it. It is non toxic to fish and actually pretty cheap.
I will never have a glass tank again. I think they're ugly! (especially with the siliconed corners. They look bad to view from caddy corner angles)
I will never have a glass tank again. I think they're ugly! (especially with the siliconed corners. They look bad to view from caddy corner angles)
king_neptune
Active Member
Acrylic pros:
light
cheap
easy to get unique shapes
durable
Acrylic cons:
scratch super easy
Glass is the opposite in every way. So basically your trade off on glass is you don't get scratches as easy.Pretty much everything else I say acrylic is better.
That said, I will never own an acrylic tank if I can have a glass one. Too many friends moan and cry about having acrylic that scratches over every little thing.
light
cheap
easy to get unique shapes
durable
Acrylic cons:
scratch super easy
Glass is the opposite in every way. So basically your trade off on glass is you don't get scratches as easy.Pretty much everything else I say acrylic is better.
That said, I will never own an acrylic tank if I can have a glass one. Too many friends moan and cry about having acrylic that scratches over every little thing.
rlablan
Active Member
I disagree with the fact that they scratch easily. I thought for sure we would scratch ours badly while doing the upgrade and adding LR and aquascaping. I wasn't very careful when putting in live rock and a few pieces hit the sides hard while rolling down the pile. I also scraped the front a bit with a stool I was moving. Not one scratch from any angel at all... I surely thought there would be some but there is not.The builder who built my tank is said to be the best on this coast and he builds with 1/2 inch acrylic panels. He must use something that is harder or more scratch resistant. When he was building my overflow, I asked him if he uses anything special like a coating on the acrylic. He told me just hand polishes the tanks and that's it.
I guess if you want acrylic, make sure you're buying good quality and not something from ***** or crappy stuff from an LFS.
I guess if you want acrylic, make sure you're buying good quality and not something from ***** or crappy stuff from an LFS.
calbert0
Member
even miniscule (sp?) scratches in an acrylic tank can reak havoc.... You wont see the scratches when the tank is empty, you wont see the scratches once you fill it with water.... but then as your tank matures algae will grow in the miniscule scratches that you have never before noticed and it will look awful and is extremely hard to remove (if not impossible)....
Acrylic is great for sumps, fuges, and big boy display tanks... otherwise i would stray
Acrylic is great for sumps, fuges, and big boy display tanks... otherwise i would stray
tank a holic
Active Member
yes acrylic scratches easier than glass but it is also easier to remove scratches if you ever do get a scratch in glass good luck removing it
as far as weight, its not like you're lugging the tank around all the time, once you set it, it pretty much stays put, and if you do move it you need to break it down completly anyway.... not like you can move a full acrylic tank because its lighter
there is a difference in clarity but as long as you keep a glass tank clean and have good lighting its no "uglier" that acrylic
acrylic is more expensive than glass so imo that's my deciding factor
with this being an expensive hobby, save money where you can, and tanks are about the extent of it, with everything else you get what you pay for
just my opinion, welcome to the hobby
as far as weight, its not like you're lugging the tank around all the time, once you set it, it pretty much stays put, and if you do move it you need to break it down completly anyway.... not like you can move a full acrylic tank because its lighter
there is a difference in clarity but as long as you keep a glass tank clean and have good lighting its no "uglier" that acrylic
acrylic is more expensive than glass so imo that's my deciding factor
with this being an expensive hobby, save money where you can, and tanks are about the extent of it, with everything else you get what you pay for
just my opinion, welcome to the hobby