Glass or Acrylic
- Thread starter atf88
- Start date
1journeyman
Active Member
i'm sure you will get a lot of different opinions here.
My personal opinion is glass. Simply for the fact that it doesn't scratch as easy.
Having said that, acryllic has several good points: lighter, cheaper, seamless, less distortion, scratches can sometimes get repaired, etc.
Just get the facts on both types, and then make the call. I'm not sure either is better, both have their advantages.
Welcome to the board!
John
My personal opinion is glass. Simply for the fact that it doesn't scratch as easy.
Having said that, acryllic has several good points: lighter, cheaper, seamless, less distortion, scratches can sometimes get repaired, etc.
Just get the facts on both types, and then make the call. I'm not sure either is better, both have their advantages.
Welcome to the board!
John
1journeyman
Active Member
Very true, but bigger acryllic means more acryllic to clean, hehe. It is too soft to use a razorblade on, which can make cleaning stubborn algae and other stuff quite a challenge.
1journeyman
Active Member
Magnets do work well on most stuff, at least mine does, but there are certain types of algae that just laugh as the magnet grinds over them.
calvindo
Member
acrylic all the way.... but keep in mind they tend to scratch easily. just make sure when cleaning, not to have any sand between the cleaner and your tank.
the cleaner magnet works just fine... i use one myself. get one that floats... so it doesnt fall to the bottom of the tank. if you have a high tank like mine, reaching down to the bottom is a real pain.
the cleaner magnet works just fine... i use one myself. get one that floats... so it doesnt fall to the bottom of the tank. if you have a high tank like mine, reaching down to the bottom is a real pain.
Y
yae4volcom
Guest
First of all, glass is alot cheaper than acrylic. Acrylic is clearer than glass but also scratches easily. Acrylic does not have any seams and looks nice. It all really depends on what kind of tank you want and what your prefernces are. I am guessing you are new so read alot and research alot and you should be ok. I wouldnt start worrying about scraping algae off your tank just yet. 
What size tank are you looking at and what kind of setup?
What size tank are you looking at and what kind of setup?
smoothounds
Member
I have both. I used to be partial to glass but after getting into larger tanks the lighter weight and superior strength has won me over.
martianarts
Member
The acrylic at my work has rounded crouners that are really worn down..and the scratches make me cringe.
spanish dancer
Member
...
well, you would have to have a diamond to scratch glass,
and you could scratch acrylic with something as crazy as a single grain of sand?
I think I would go with glass for the smaller aquariums(which you are thinking about getting) and acrylic for the larger ones.After all, the larger, the more strength you need, and acrylic may be key in that case.
(so far, with my glass aquariums, I have hit rock against the sides of the tank, and have also have had sand rubbed against the sides of the tanks,and not even a single scratch has appeared. I was only trying to express how much more durable glass is)
well, you would have to have a diamond to scratch glass,
and you could scratch acrylic with something as crazy as a single grain of sand?
I think I would go with glass for the smaller aquariums(which you are thinking about getting) and acrylic for the larger ones.After all, the larger, the more strength you need, and acrylic may be key in that case.
(so far, with my glass aquariums, I have hit rock against the sides of the tank, and have also have had sand rubbed against the sides of the tanks,and not even a single scratch has appeared. I was only trying to express how much more durable glass is)
audisteve
Member
This debate could go on forever. I'll have to check my sources but I'm pretty sure that this debate was going on before dinosaurs ruled the earth... But anyways the best thing to do is to research the crap out of this topic and make an informed choice on your own. Just consider a few aspects when looking at both choices. Cost, and size. Other than that all you will have to consider is how it will look in your room, will it have a prebuilt stand, will it be shipped to you, will you do a large and unusual tank, will you want to sell it later on and upgrade, ect... don't overwhelm yourself just relax and don't buy a tank until you are confident in your choice.
cindyski
Active Member
i scratched my glass tank with a rock caught between the magnet, nice long scratch, really ticked me off
i have just set up my new acrylic tank, i love it, the clearity is incredible.
acrylic is more expensive than glass
i am just being very carful as far as scratches go, if i see just a spec on the magnet i drop it and let it float to the top and rinse it off before i attach it again.
good luck! the beginning decisions will drive you nuts, just wait till you get to the lighting
i have just set up my new acrylic tank, i love it, the clearity is incredible.
acrylic is more expensive than glass
i am just being very carful as far as scratches go, if i see just a spec on the magnet i drop it and let it float to the top and rinse it off before i attach it again.
good luck! the beginning decisions will drive you nuts, just wait till you get to the lighting
wrigley11
Member
If we keep this up atf88 will never buy a tank.
Lets remember these few things - it will be the persons first tank, so the larger the tank the better. In smaller tanks - glass is a lot cheaper then acrylic.
Second - sorry to say this atf88, but you are going to scratch your tank no matter how careful you are. Your new to this and everyone makes the mistake. The glass tank will scratch less often and gives you a larger margin of error. It's also a lot cheaper - around $65 for the tank. An acrylic would probably be in the $200 just for the tank.
About the razor blade comment - don't every use a razor blade, it will scratch glass & destroy acrylic. If you clean the glass on you tank 1 to 2 times a week you will never have a problem. Now if you don't clean the glass for a few weeks - good luck.
So when all is said and done, buy the glass 50 to start - then upgrade to the acrylic 450 when you must have those sharks or that huge reef tank.
[hr]
Lets remember these few things - it will be the persons first tank, so the larger the tank the better. In smaller tanks - glass is a lot cheaper then acrylic.
Second - sorry to say this atf88, but you are going to scratch your tank no matter how careful you are. Your new to this and everyone makes the mistake. The glass tank will scratch less often and gives you a larger margin of error. It's also a lot cheaper - around $65 for the tank. An acrylic would probably be in the $200 just for the tank.
About the razor blade comment - don't every use a razor blade, it will scratch glass & destroy acrylic. If you clean the glass on you tank 1 to 2 times a week you will never have a problem. Now if you don't clean the glass for a few weeks - good luck.
So when all is said and done, buy the glass 50 to start - then upgrade to the acrylic 450 when you must have those sharks or that huge reef tank.
[hr]
jotade
New Member
My 0.2¢ from experience with an acrylic tank...
Cleaning coralline or other hard algae off acrylic is NO problem. You simply use a plastic credit card or algae scraper - piece of cake.
A big issue not many people talk about with acrylic tanks is insulation which I have to deal with.
Pros:
-Lighter
-Looks nicer - rounded front corners, black back etc..
-Retains heat and has good general insulation from temp fluxations
-More durable and stronger than glass, great choice choice for earthquake prone areas like California
-Has a partial built in hood, basically there are only cutouts on top for lighting and hoses.
Cons:
-Scratchese really easy, I wish I new JUST HOW easy when I started
-More expensive than glass, alot more expensive
-Retains heat too well...you need to be careful if your tank environment would ever run into heating problems (hot climate, heat producing aquarium equip., etc.) because the acrylic will augment all heat in your system temp.
Cleaning coralline or other hard algae off acrylic is NO problem. You simply use a plastic credit card or algae scraper - piece of cake.
A big issue not many people talk about with acrylic tanks is insulation which I have to deal with.
Pros:
-Lighter
-Looks nicer - rounded front corners, black back etc..
-Retains heat and has good general insulation from temp fluxations
-More durable and stronger than glass, great choice choice for earthquake prone areas like California
-Has a partial built in hood, basically there are only cutouts on top for lighting and hoses.
Cons:
-Scratchese really easy, I wish I new JUST HOW easy when I started
-More expensive than glass, alot more expensive
-Retains heat too well...you need to be careful if your tank environment would ever run into heating problems (hot climate, heat producing aquarium equip., etc.) because the acrylic will augment all heat in your system temp.