Glass to acrylic dumb,dumb,dumb

kjr_trig

Active Member
And unfortunately acrylic seams can blow too...There is a rumor around the Valley of the Sun that Amare Stoutamire's (Phoenix Suns All Pro forward) several thousand gallon acrylic tank blew a seam and nearly killed his maid.
 

hlcroghan

Active Member
OMG, i can't imagine all the water flying at you!! lol and all that sealife dying...how sad! hope he didn't have any nasty's in there that tried to kill her.
 

siline

Member
Originally Posted by kjr_trig
http:///forum/post/2615072
And unfortunately acrylic seams can blow too...There is a rumor around the Valley of the Sun that Amare Stoutamire's (Phoenix Suns All Pro forward) several thousand gallon acrylic tank blew a seam and nearly killed his maid.
LOL
That just reminded me of the movie of the "Gigolo" , that f*%k the aquarium...
 

siline

Member
Originally Posted by WangoTango
http:///forum/post/2611672
Each has their pros and cons, and they've been listed too often.
Two words for glass owners though: seam failure...
-Justin
I'd have 3 aquariums for over a decade (the newest one, 2001), none of them have seam failure, or cracks or melts or anything...
One of them even was on an earthquake (6.4 Richter) that made it loose around 20 - 30 gals of water (because of the shacking & rattles), and even that way, it looks like new. They even pass through 3 moves in these years...
Yes, I know... Im lucky, I can tell this... But, anyway... not even that have made them fail...
ALL my tanks are ALL-GLASS... NEVER had any complaints...
 

ratrod

Member
Holly crapola I started this thread and got tied up I about fell over when seen all the responses. I guess I should have stated a few reasons why glass is better(mostly) I run 6 400w metal halids and 4 6foot 165w VHO atinics currently on a 252g acrylic. the first thing that happened was it cracked on top on three corners even though my hood is piped up through the roof with 6 inch flex and a mega cfm torpedo fan that removes most of the heat. The next thing that happened is ofcourse because its a reef with mega light it grows hard algea on the acrylic, the prob is the algea is harder than the acrylic so even as careful as Ive been I've scratched it. Tanks under a 100g dont really facter into the probs you'll have with a larger acrylic. The one good arguement for acrylic that I've had is circulation. You should be turning your tank over atleast ten times per hour and its better if most of that turn over goes through your sump and past the skimmer and you cant drill enough holes in glass to make this happen. But as far as a tank breaking(Large tanks) your not a whole lot safer with acrylic
 
Originally Posted by reefkprZ
http:///forum/post/2613166
I agree with your views on both having pros and cons, when glass gets scratched good luck fixing it, when acryllic yellows good luck fixing that.
A very fine Pumice Polishing fixes both scratching and yellowing. If you know how to do it properly then you'll not notice the small imperfection that's left behind. Yes nobody is going to empty a tank to do so, but they are both fixable regardless.
It's rather difficult to explain, but think of it like sandblasting, wet sanding and polishing all wrapped into one. The end result will obviously leave small imperfections, but you would need to look very close in order to notice. Now being in reality this IS scratching even more, I'm not going to say it should even be done on an aquarium of either material.
 

whyamisofl

Active Member
I have had both (currently just an acrylic) and the only thing I like about the acrylic better are the curved corners....seems to help with the the flow of water.
As far as scratching goes, yes, acrylic is 6544651465465% easier to scratch. I bought my tank used and inspected it VERY closely for scratches, saw a couple I could live with and took it home. After it being setup for a good 3 months now, I cannot believe how many scratches are on this thing......but I can only see them if I don't keep it clean (algae build up in crevices as previously mentioned).
Now, the biggest debate for me is when I buy the house I am looking at.....do I do a 600g acrylic or glass?? Its going to be an in-wall, and will never be moved after installed (will sell with the house if I ever move).
 
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calvertbill

Guest
Obviously the bigger you get the heavier but couldn't you have the large pieces of glass brought in and build the tank in situ? I've always had a desire to rebuild my office inside a wraparound tank. The tank would be 12' x 12' ID and 14'6" x 14'6" OD. It would take:
3 sheets 144" x 30" and
2 sheets 48" x 30" (the fourth wall would need a door). You wouldn't need exterior glass, you'd cement LR into a concrete shell with false caves to conceal the PHs and overflows. If my math is correct the tank would be 2,306 Gallons.
Now if I save up $20 each week...
 
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alexmir

Guest
I have never scratched my acrylic, and i am not as careful with it as i used to be. I actually scratched my glass tank horribly!!
 
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