Acrylic tank Advice

[Steelheader09]

I have been in the hobby for about 10 years now. I have always used glass aquariums. Recently the opportunity to have a custom acrylic tank built for a very good price presented itself. Having never owned acrylic before, I am looking for some care advice. I know they scratch easy so I am look for recommendations on scrapers that are less likely to damage the tank. Also are their any cleaning products for the outside of the tank that should be avoided and any that you recommend? Any other acrylic advise is appreciated. I know this stuff seems simple, I just want to make sure I maintain the acrylic for years to come. Stay tuned in the coming months for a new build thread!

 

[zalick]

I've always owned glass tanks until about 2 years ago when I got my custom acrylic.

And it does scratch easy! Thankfully you can't really see small scratches due to its reflective factor. So don't stress about the first one.

Tons of acrylic cleaners for the outside. I use a non-toxic one called brillianize. Works great.

My biggest tip is don't use fine sand! I did and the fine grains get in the water column and then stick to any light film algae on the sides. You cant always tell and cleaning is tedious and slow. And it will scratch like crazy. I learned that the hard way. So either bare bottom or cariv sea special grade size or larger.

I use magic eraser pads under my magnet for cleaning. They pretty much clean anything. For tougher algae I'll use a magic eraser by hand. Magic eraser is the best. Make sure to use regular and not any of the special ones with extra cleaning or anything else.

I love my acrylic though. The piece of mind knowing I don't have to worry about seams is worth the scratch risk.

 

[Steelheader09]

I've always owned glass tanks until about 2 years ago when I got my custom acrylic.

And it does scratch easy! Thankfully you can't really see small scratches due to its reflective factor. So don't stress about the first one.

Tons of acrylic cleaners for the outside. I use a non-toxic one called brillianize. Works great.

My biggest tip is don't use fine sand! I did and the fine grains get in the water column and then stick to any light film algae on the sides. You can always tell and cleaning is tedious and slow. And it will scratch like crazy. I learned that the hard way. So either bare bottom or cariv sea special grade size or larger.

I use magic eraser pads under my magnet for cleaning. They pretty much clean anything. For tougher algae I'll use a magic eraser by hand. Magic eraser is the best. Make sure to use regular and not any of the special ones with extra cleaning or anything else.

I love my acrylic though. The piece of mind knowing I don't have to worry about seams is worth the scratch risk.

Thank you! I thought about going bare bottom but I have a pistol shrimp that I've had for so long, I can't imagine parting with him. I will definitely go with the coarser sand. I have been debating going with black sand but i'm still undecided. I'm so excited that I don't have to work as much about the tank breaking.

 

[Cabinetman]

I made my own scraper for my 560 gallon using a large mag float. I just welded 2 brackets on it length wise that hold 1/8” 1” wide by 6” long blades that just pop out for sharpening. Makes cleaning my panels super fast and easy and no scratching