90g acrylic or 75g glass

[Trenton0115]

Anyone have experience with acrylic tanks? I was offered this 90g tank. He said he will clean it, im just worried it’s going to be super scratched and have a haze to it. Is that common for Acrylic? Was originally used as saltwater but has been used as freshwater the last year. The sump hasn’t been used, he was judging a HOB filter and had the overflow holes plugged. Orrr I could get a 75g with sump, reactors, pumps and power heads for under $200. & it looks amazing.

 

[Trenton0115]

 

[UncommonSense]

Is that a Red Sea tank?

 

[Fish Fan]

Hello!

That acrylic tank looks like it may have been made with rather thin material. Was this a "real" tank manufacturer, or someone's home brew?

Acrylic tanks can absolutely be polished and buffed back to near-new condition, but I'm skeptical about what you have here.

Even before I could see your pics, I'd take option #2. The 90 gallon looks a bit wonky to me, and a leaking freshwater system is one thing, but a leaking reef tank is a huge, huge issue. I'd also rather have the sump, pumps, reactors, and powerheads included with the 75.

In this case, and extra 15 gallons isn't enough to justify the risks or headaches here. It's not as easy as many think to switch from freshwater to a reef tank. I believe it may be better to just start out building a reef tank

Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[KrisReef]

Both are deep tanks, which are great for fish but can be challenging for coral.

The silicon seams on glass vs the bonded one piece acrylic, I think both have drawbacks but nothing stinks worse than a carpet filled with seawater that leaked from a failed seam.

Otherwise, get them both and get started!