Glass vs acrylic

dammar

Member
Iv read a bunch of different things about glass vs acrylic tanks and everything seams to be biased in one way or another and leaves out some of the details.
i couldnt find any threads about it already (i didnt look very hard though ill admit!) but from what iv read
glass


[hr]
acrylic

bends light

[hr]
true light (fish are true colors)
less insulating

[hr]
more insulating (less temp flux)
scratch resistant

[hr]
easily scratched
shatters easier

[hr]
hard to shatter
sturdy

[hr]
sags over time
stays clear

[hr]
tints yellow over time
basic shapes

[hr]
any shape
less expensive

[hr]
more expensive
heavy (weight)

[hr]
light (weight)
did i miss anything or add anything thats not true?
"The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" recommends acrylic because of its clarity and resistance to temperature changes but it failed to mention that it tints yellow over time which a lot of other things do say.
i know it all depends on what i want to put in it, but if you had to pick an overall better tank, which would it be? or what conditions would make you chose which kind?
 

reefkprz

Active Member
the newer acryllics dont yellow over time like the older acryllics (supposedly) due to better manufacturing and higher quality controls. but this is just what I've heard.
anything over 120G I would go acrylic anything under I would go glass, I use glass because I frag a lot of stuff and am constantly pulling rocks out and would have an acryllic tank scratched to death in no time. (I'm a little clumsy)
 

dammar

Member
hmm, if thats true id definitely go with acrylic, that was the main reason i didnt to begin with.
 

30-xtra high

Active Member
personally i like the brand " all glass" glass aquariums, they stay clearer for some reason?, and glass is easier to come by than acrylic, acrylic is mostly used for keeping mantis shrimp cause it's harder to shatter.
 

eaglewonj

Member
What about extra thick glass? I have a 75 downstairs with double thick glass. IT weighs a ton, but still the glass is amazingly thick. Wonder how much more abuse it can take?
 

firmechicano83

New Member
I'm going to go with acrylic on mine. I can't imagine moving a 200 glass tank ever or having it break for some reason in my family room. That would be just a nightmare.
 
Top