Exploding Acrylic?

[puffdad]

Still planning out the purchase of my next setup as some of you have noticed...
So I went to an LFS that doesn't sell acrylic tanks / doesn't believe in them, and was trying to understand why. He gave the typical reasons and mentioned one I had never heard...that the heat released in the chemical reaction caused by mixing salt with water (initially, when setting up the tank) can cause the acrylic to shatter & the tank to explode.
Just wondering if anyone knows this to be true or not...I can imagine that the acrylic may be more sensitive to chemical reactions, but exploding tanks?? Don't want to deal with this mess, so let me know.

 

[landmeier]

I don't see much truth in that statement. If you have a very large tank it is only logical to go acrylic because of weight. I have never heard of a tank exploding when introducing saltH2O.

 

[puffdad]

just to clarify...according to the guy, the explosion may occur when MIXING salt & h2o in the tank, not adding pre-mixed salt water.
of course...that's why i say at set up only, because one would never mix salt & h20 in the tank when it is established & has life in it, as the un-dissolved salt would kill the fish

 

[fish&chips]

I recently (w/in the last month) set-up a Tenecor 110g Acrylic tank and added 30# of salt directly to the tank AFTER all of the water was in and had no problems what-so-ever. I did a lot of research on glass vs acrylic tanks before making my decison and this is the 1st I've heard of exploading/cracking tanks.
Acrlyic is significantly lighter than glass - given the same dimensions. I have 46g Glass tank as well. Overall, I much prefer the Acrylic..you just need to be a liitle careful in cleaining it and if you have small kids or animals in the house, glass might be a better choice as Acrylic does scratch more easlily than glass.

 

[fender]

Acrylic will explode if you put it in an oven to heat it for bending, don't try it. The gasses given off are flammable.
However the chemical reaction of salt and water causing this could happen....and me winning the lottery could happen....and I could be struck by a meteor.....Chances are all about the same with the lottery being the more liklier of the three. I think acrylic was outta his price range and wanted to get you into a glass tank, that was in stock. I wouldn't buy anything from him. He is either very misinformed or outright lying. Either way I would not do business in with someone ignorant or deceptive in a business where success is in the details.....
And the only reaction side effect that could possibly cause this would be heat and I noticed no increase while mixing mine, course mine was in a glass tank.....And everymonth when I mix it in a plastic bucket for changes.....
I think we may have an Urban Legend in the making...