glass or acrylic tank??

jf

jf

New Member
Looking at getting a new tank, but can't decide on glass or acrylic. Anyone have any suggestions? Pro's or con's?
Also can you drill holes in glass tank yourself? I do a lot of woodworking and am going to build my own cabinet, but have never attempted drilling glass.
I would like to drill for the overflow and return on opposite ends of the tank.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
Jeff
 
joshradio

joshradio

Member
Acrylic scratches too easy... so you have to be carefull with anything that could damage it. Glass drilling is tricky, if you have a tempered tank, you're outta luck! If it's not tempered, you'll need a "glass" drilling diamond tipped bit to prevent cracking the glass... you also need patience when drilling, too quick and it can crack!
IMHO, My advice is to just buy a Reef Ready (pre-drilled) tank from the manufacturer... they cost a little more, but the drill bit costs close to $140 bucks, so if it's less than $140 more for the RR tank, I'd swing that way!

Good luck and welcome!
 
mandarin w

mandarin w

Member
The pro and cons of Acrylic and Glass.
Glass tanks have been around for a long time. But the only pro is a Glass tank doesn't scratch as easily as acrylic. And glass is cheaper than acrylic. The bad part about glass is, if and when they do scratch, it is permanant. There is nothing you can do. Acrylic you can buff the scratches out to make it look as good as new. Plus goes to Acrylic. Glass is a lot heavier than Acrylic. Plus to acrylic again. Glass has a tint to it. If you ever look at the edges of a glass tank you will see a greenish tint. Acrylic is very clear. Again Acrylic wins. Acrylic is easier to drill, You don't risk cracking the tank like with glass. I really sucks getting three of the four holes drill just to have the fourth crack the tank. Once the tank cracks, that is basically it for the tank. Another one for acrylic. And last Acrylic is stronger that glass. It hold up better. Even if it is accidently dropped the acrylic stands a better chance of surviving the impact. Final score Glass 2, Acrylic 5.
When you break it down, Acrylic is a better investment than glass. The only two pro's that a glass tank has over acrylic is price and scratches. And even in the end, acrylic can be fixed.
 
azfishgal

azfishgal

Active Member
I love acrylic and use it for my freshwater tank. But when looking for a 125 gallon tank I had to choose glass. For one simple reason, PRICE! I paid $500 for my reef ready tank (holes already drilled), but if I wanted an acrylic tank it was going to be $900! :scared: Hubby said NO! With that said, if I had an unlimited amount of cash I would have gone with acrylic. But, my pocket book (and hubby) decided for me.
 
f14peter

f14peter

Member
It would of course behoove you to confirm with the manufacturer, but with glass tanks usually only the bottom sheet is tempered. Thus the sides are usually "drillable" and as Josh said, many glass tanks can be had already drilled.
Might be different with larger tanks (around 200g and up), maybe due to the volume and weight the sides might be tempered, but I don't know for sure.
 
xdave

xdave

Active Member
Acrylic only scratches when you scratch it, so don't scratch it. I prefer acrylic over the less clear, way heavier, breakable, leakable glass tanks.
 
cveverly

cveverly

Member
I have always had glass tanks and my newest is a used acrylic 150. I thought I would try the acrylic tanks to see how I liked them. Light weight, easy to drill and no seams were very appealing. The tank looked good when it was filled but lots of noticeable scratches when it was empty. The price was right so I took a chance I could fix it. 1500 grit wet/dry sand paper, plastic polish and a lot of work cleaned the scratches. I cleaned half and left half unpolished and want to take a few pictures to show the difference. As soon as I have time I will post the pictures and how I cleaned it. The difference is amazing.
The pictures and instructions may be a while. I am remodeling and the tank seldom makes it to the top of my to-do list.
 
shogun323

shogun323

Active Member
I am an Acrylic fan myself for the same reasons Xdave mentioned. In addition, Acrylic is a better insulater than glass which means your heater and or chiller won't have to work as hard.
I also love the look of a nice Euro-braced Acrylic tank with a light over top instead of a canopy.
 
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