At what point is acrylic 'better' than glass?

[DJKNOX]

@DJKNOX, it may help to think of the worst case scenario with each option. With acrylic, you have the potential for a seam to fail IF you go with a shoddy manufacturer. Worst case, if you go a bit too thin, it bows. Acrylic will NOT shatter.

With glass - in time, the silicone deteriorates and tank fails. The amount of time this will take will depend on the quality of the craftsmanship. The other possibility is that before that happens, the pane just shatters without warning.

If I were going purely with glass or acrylic, the above settles it for me. A few options you might like:

• For an acrylic tank (or glass) - you can make an artificial sandbed. Mixing 2-part epoxy and the sand of your choice will let you make something that looks like a real sandbed, but it's hard to the touch. Would let you clean an acrylic tank without scratching it, and give you another plus of being able to keep a "sandbed" with super high flow. If you want a true sandbed for wrasses or other fish, you could do this around the edges and use loose sand in the middle.

• Overall - there are manufacturers that make tanks out of different materials like fiberglass, PVC, and steel. These can let you combine glass (or acrylic) viewing panels with a lightweight, strong frame. Less seals to fail and once you get over roughly an 8' by 4' footprint, it should get cheaper than pure glass or acrylic.

• For cleaning a deep acrylic tank - the King of DIY has a 4 foot deep tank with acrylic windows. Check out this video. Shows some good, cheap ways to clean an acrylic tank.

Few thoughts for you. Ultimately I would strongly advise against glass but hey man, your tank not mine.

thanks for the feedback kangadrew. I am going for a 360 deg viewing island set up and yes some of my favourite fish are sand dwellers. The idea of making a ring of epoxy sand around the perimeter is something I will keep in mind if I go with acrylic. I love Joey's videos and yes that is exactly how I plan to clean my panels. But note that his 2000 gal aquarium has 1 viewing panel and its freshwater. So with a reef aquarium, i'm very worried about the coralline algae. I know with glass panels I can get a little more aggressive in removing it, but with acrylic...

As for design life, I asked that question before about acrylic tanks but never got much of an answer. This build will be used for 25 years. For the glass setup, yes I will likely have to re-seal the silicone once - big effort for sure. But acrylic has aging issues to - it can craze and haze, become embrittled, turn yellow etc.. and correct me if I am wrong, but once the acrylic is bonded, there's no easy way to start replacing panels. Sure would like to hear from acrylic tank owners who are past 15 years ownership...

 

[kangadrew]

thanks for the feedback kangadrew. I am going for a 360 deg viewing island set up and yes some of my favourite fish are sand dwellers. The idea of making a ring of epoxy sand around the perimeter is something I will keep in mind if I go with acrylic. I love Joey's videos and yes that is exactly how I plan to clean my panels. But note that his 2000 gal aquarium has 1 viewing panel and its freshwater. So with a reef aquarium, i'm very worried about the coralline algae. I know with glass panels I can get a little more aggressive in removing it, but with acrylic...

As for design life, I asked that question before about acrylic tanks but never got much of an answer. This build will be used for 25 years. For the glass setup, yes I will likely have to re-seal the silicone once - big effort for sure. But acrylic has aging issues to - it can craze and haze, become embrittled, turn yellow etc.. and correct me if I am wrong, but once the acrylic is bonded, there's no easy way to start replacing panels. Sure would like to hear from acrylic tank owners who are past 15 years ownership...

Okay, a few things here:

1. There are 2 panels on that tank, and it's still acrylic. Not sure how that would make a big difference.
2. Several members here including @Aardvark1134, @pdxmonkeyboy, and @albano have disputed all of these points you continue to bring up. High quality, cell-cast acrylic should not yellow, period. Crazing and hazing is a minor concern, again high quality acrylic should not do either.
3. I don't think you will find many 15+ year acrylic tanks built with the same quality acrylic used today.
4. Where in the WORLD are you getting 3/4" glass for 1/3 the cost of 2"-3" acrylic? Also - how are you determining 3/4" glass to be the thickness you need?

I'll echo what other posters have said, but you seem pretty set in glass for some reason. It's your tank man, do what you want, but I'd hate to see 1600 gallons of water on your floor because you wanted to save a bit of time scraping algae.

 

[DJKNOX]

Okay, a few things here:

1. There are 2 panels on that tank, and it's still acrylic. Not sure how that would make a big difference.
2. Several members here including @Aardvark1134, @pdxmonkeyboy, and @albano have disputed all of these points you continue to bring up. High quality, cell-cast acrylic should not yellow, period. Crazing and hazing is a minor concern, again high quality acrylic should not do either.
3. I don't think you will find many 15+ year acrylic tanks built with the same quality acrylic used today.
4. Where in the WORLD are you getting 3/4" glass for 1/3 the cost of 2"-3" acrylic? Also - how are you determining 3/4" glass to be the thickness you need?

I'll echo what other posters have said, but you seem pretty set in glass for some reason. It's your tank man, do what you want, but I'd hate to see 1600 gallons of water on your floor because you wanted to save a bit of time scraping algae.

thanks again for your thoughts. I'm not ignoring anyone's input - just trying to flesh out the facts I need. Here's where I'm at with your points:

1. but it is freshwater with no coralline algae (or does coralline algae equally grow in freshwater tanks - I haven't had a freshwater tank since I was 15). So if i'm right that does make a big difference doesn't it? Some posters here on this thread have specifically noted that it was very difficult to remove. I recall on my glass tanks it took some effort - but never scratching involved.

2. And others have disputed these claims - usually from experience also. Sure the acrylic may look great for the first several years, I'm simply asking about longer-term degradation of acrylic. I'm not saying anyone is wrong... just want to confirm something very important to me: longevity. None of those posters have volunteered that they have been running their acrylic tank for a long time. Sorry but I've been in the saltwater hobby since the early 1980s and claims of superiority come and go. Just trying to do my homework.

3. This is an interesting point. Is it true that acrylic, that has been around for 90 years has recently undergone some technological improvement? If that is the case, that is a HUGE salient point that no one has made thus far. Can you share what you know?

4. Per glass cages, 1.5" acrylic runs $138/ft2 vs Starphire at $39/ft2. I'll take them at their word although I am still working with Joe on what the costs will be. Last time I checked, $138/$39 = 3.5. Freight cost won't be significantly different as the weights are similar. Large Acrylic Tanks that are significantly lighter than glass are under-designed in my opinion - they use a LOT of bracing to keep the panel thickness and cost down.

May I condense your argument into a concern about exploding glass which you feel can be avoided with acrylic? If you look above several comments, I provided a link to where large acrylic tanks have failed in public. So i'm not confident yet that your confidence in acrylic designs is validated. I concede that unlevel bases cause extra stress on glass joints, but i'm not spending the time, effort and cost on this project to carelessly install the tank.

Anyway, I would still humbly appreciate the feedback from any members running a large acrylic tank for 15 years.

cheers and thanks
Douglas

 

[kangadrew]

thanks again for your thoughts. I'm not ignoring anyone's input - just trying to flesh out the facts I need. Here's where I'm at with your points:

1. but it is freshwater with no coralline algae (or does coralline algae equally grow in freshwater tanks - I haven't had a freshwater tank since I was 15). So if i'm right that does make a big difference doesn't it? Some posters here on this thread have specifically noted that it was very difficult to remove. I recall on my glass tanks it took some effort - but never scratching involved.

2. And others have disputed these claims - usually from experience also. Sure the acrylic may look great for the first several years, I'm simply asking about longer-term degradation of acrylic. I'm not saying anyone is wrong... just want to confirm something very important to me: longevity. None of those posters have volunteered that they have been running their acrylic tank for a long time. Sorry but I've been in the saltwater hobby since the early 1980s and claims of superiority come and go. Just trying to do my homework.

3. This is an interesting point. Is it true that acrylic, that has been around for 90 years has recently undergone some technological improvement? If that is the case, that is a HUGE salient point that no one has made thus far. Can you share what you know?

4. Per glass cages, 1.5" acrylic runs $138/ft2 vs Starphire at $39/ft2. I'll take them at their word although I am still working with Joe on what the costs will be. Last time I checked, $138/$39 = 3.5. Freight cost won't be significantly different as the weights are similar. Large Acrylic Tanks that are significantly lighter than glass are under-designed in my opinion - they use a LOT of bracing to keep the panel thickness and cost down.

May I condense your argument into a concern about exploding glass which you feel can be avoided with acrylic? If you look above several comments, I provided a link to where large acrylic tanks have failed in public. So i'm not confident yet that your confidence in acrylic designs is validated. I concede that unlevel bases cause extra stress on glass joints, but i'm not spending the time, effort and cost on this project to carelessly install the tank.

Anyway, I would still humbly appreciate the feedback from any members running a large acrylic tank for 15 years.

cheers and thanks
Douglas

1. Correct, there is no coralline in freshwater. There is still algae that can be a pain to get rid of with time.

2. For longevity, contact your local public aquarium. Pretty much 100% of displays in all public aquariums are acrylic; that alone should be enough convincing about whether acrylic will hold up well enough. Those tanks get way more wear and tear than any home aquarium could get.

3. That is a hunch I have, that you would have to get in touch with acrylic companies to discuss. But acrylic sheets have only been around for roughly 80 years, so I'd venture it's pretty fair to say there's been some advancements in the past 15 years.

4. That pricing is missing a HUGE component, which is that you're getting custom sheets. 10'x6' sheets are going to be insanely expensive, as both glass and acrylic typically only come in 8x4 sheets. Look into a fiberglass shell with 4 viewing windows around it, that would save you at least the bottom 10x6 panel, leaving you with 10x4's and 6x4's instead.

My concern with building a 4' deep 1600 gallon with 3/4" glass is that one, that glass is much thinner than I'd personally prefer and two, that's a ton of seams to fail. Well-built acrylic tanks will NOT have seam failure, they're welded together. Nobody can guarantee that about a glass tank, period.

I am 100% confident that any company you go with for this tank would advise against building it with glass. Waterdog, Seaquatics, AGE, Titan, anybody. May I ask who you've hired to build the tank?
In addition - it may be worth getting in touch with your local public aquarium. Smaller public outfits will be more helpful than larger ones. Where are you located? I may know someone near you that could help.

Drew

 

[Aardvark1134]

You say noone who has had an acrylic tank very long has said anything...I have said my acrylic 120 is about 12 years old at least 10 I think 12 might need to find the reciept...less than 1% of people in this form have any tanks that have been up and running over 10 years straight, of any kind. Also there are WW2 acrylic cockpits that still have not yellowed...
You also mentioned crazing which is usally due to flame polishing instead of hand polishing. If you look at any of the major acrylic places almost all of them specifially say they don't flame polish as it's a very fast cheap way to polish but can result in crazing which is why the good places don't do it. Edit 2-20-2009

 

[DJKNOX]

1. Correct, there is no coralline in freshwater. There is still algae that can be a pain to get rid of with time.

2. For longevity, contact your local public aquarium. Pretty much 100% of displays in all public aquariums are acrylic; that alone should be enough convincing about whether acrylic will hold up well enough. Those tanks get way more wear and tear than any home aquarium could get.

3. That is a hunch I have, that you would have to get in touch with acrylic companies to discuss. But acrylic sheets have only been around for roughly 80 years, so I'd venture it's pretty fair to say there's been some advancements in the past 15 years.

4. That pricing is missing a HUGE component, which is that you're getting custom sheets. 10'x6' sheets are going to be insanely expensive, as both glass and acrylic typically only come in 8x4 sheets. Look into a fiberglass shell with 4 viewing windows around it, that would save you at least the bottom 10x6 panel, leaving you with 10x4's and 6x4's instead.

My concern with building a 4' deep 1600 gallon with 3/4" glass is that one, that glass is much thinner than I'd personally prefer and two, that's a ton of seams to fail. Well-built acrylic tanks will NOT have seam failure, they're welded together. Nobody can guarantee that about a glass tank, period.

I am 100% confident that any company you go with for this tank would advise against building it with glass. Waterdog, Seaquatics, AGE, Titan, anybody. May I ask who you've hired to build the tank?
In addition - it may be worth getting in touch with your local public aquarium. Smaller public outfits will be more helpful than larger ones. Where are you located? I may know someone near you that could help.

Drew

Thanks Drew. 96x130 is a standard sheet size for the glass, and I agree that I would prefer 1" over 3/4" glass. I also agree that the builders will prefer acrylic, but with due respect to them, its because the price tag is larger and they don't have to maintain it... only build it. I haven't selected any builder yet, simply because I need to decide what I want first.

OK, I will wait to see where the pricing comes in to see what cost differences there are. Maybe I am over-reacting to acrylic scratching and yes I do see that glass runs a higher risk than acrylic, but only if there is a flaw in the glass manufacturing - which is certainly possible.

cheers

 

[DJKNOX]

You say noone who has had an acrylic tank very long has said anything...I have said my acrylic 120 is about 12 years old at least 10 I think 12 might need to find the reciept...less than 1% of people in this form have any tanks that have been up and running over 10 years straight, of any kind. Also there are WW2 acrylic cockpits that still have not yellowed...
You also mentioned crazing which is usally due to flame polishing instead of hand polishing. If you look at any of the major acrylic places almost all of them specifially say they don't flame polish as it's a very fast cheap way to polish but can result in crazing which is why the good places don't do it. Edit 2-20-2009

OK thanks for that. 10-12 years is not insignificant.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

This dude simply doesnt *#&#^÷^ listen.
1. Acrylic is stronger.. "well not by this factor it flexes more..." No.
2. Acrylic is clearer.. "well..it may be clearer but it will be thicker so it will be less clear". No.
3. Cast acrylic does not turn yellow. "Im concerned about yellowing over time".

Just google the information for yourself because you obviously are not listening to anyone here.

Brace for response..."I am listening, absolutely, but I am unsure what i want".

 

[DJKNOX]

This dude simply doesnt *#&#^÷^ listen.
1. Acrylic is stronger.. "well not by this factor it flexes more..." No.
2. Acrylic is clearer.. "well..it may be clearer but it will be thicker so it will be less clear". No.
3. Cast acrylic does not turn yellow. "Im concerned about yellowing over time".

Just google the information for yourself because you obviously are not listening to anyone here.

Brace for response..."I am listening, absolutely, but I am unsure what i want".

OK @pdxmonkeyboy I just woke up to read your cheerful but unfair assessment. This thread is about a serious objective evaluation - I never once said I think all the acrylic fans are wrong. Although not what I was planning to do for my first hour of Sunday morning, brace yourself for some facts which I hope helps everyone understand that there are in fact trade offs between glass and acrylic, and that some of the assertions being made are not quite accurate:

1. First, you must understand that material strength, toughness, hardness and stiffness are four different material properties that all influence the design and safety of an aquarium. I wouldn't expect the common hobbyist to understand these technical terms, but as you seem so adamant in your convictions, I will offer a brief explanation. Please note that I am not a material science expert but am only summarizing basic engineering concepts here:

Strength: is how much force is required before the material deforms. It tells us about the amount of load a material can bear and is measured in PSI. Acrylic is NOT stronger than glass. The ultimate yield stress for typical float glass is 10,000 psi whereas for typical acrylic it is 9,500 psi. If one looks at tempered glass the value increases about three fold to 30,000 psi, depending on the degree of hardening.

Toughness: is the ability of a material to resist breaking/fracture when impact force is applied, and is measured in MPam½. The toughness of a material is determined by its strength and ductility. Acrylic is very ductile and thus is tougher than glass. The best way to understand ductility is that it sort of like the opposite of brittleness. Because glass is more brittle than acrylic, it is not considered as tough. I suspect this is what you meant by strength. If you refer to the attached schematic, you can compare Silica Glass vs PMMA (acrylic) where you will see that glass is stronger but PMMA is tougher. Typical values for non-tempered glass range in the 0.7 to 0.8 range, while PMMA ranges in the 0.7 to 1.6 range. NOTE HOWEVER that BOTH materials will fracture before they yield, MEANING THAT BOTH ARE CAPABLE OF "EXPLODING" before deforming if there are design or construction flaws. I do NOT accept the argument that glass will explode but acrylic will not. It's all about proper design.

or here is a little more simplified depiction:

Hardness: is how well material holds together when friction is applied - ie how scratch resistant and is measured on a MOHS scale 1 to 10, where talc =1, a human finger nail is about 2.5 and diamonds = 10. Typical float glass is about 6 to 7 and sapphire crystal is about 9. The sapphire diamond glass promoted by ElOS is likely 7. PMMA is 3 to 4.

The key takeaway is that one needs a very hard material to seriously scratch glass. It won't happen easily and I have never managed to do it on my glass aquariums. In contrast, acrylic can be scratched quite easily, although I am now realizing that certain acrylics might be more scratch restistent than others, just has different glasses can vary in hardness.

Stiffness: is how well a material resists deflection under load and is measured by something called Young's Modulus. For glass the value is 10,200,000 psig and for acrylic it is about 450,000 psi. Deflection varies exponentially with the span between supports, and so keeping the panels stiff is very important. The reason why acrylic needs to be about double the thickness even with a lot of bracing configuration is because it is only 4.5% as stiff a material. (note that I am using "double" for my situation - the ratio between glass and acrylic thickness depends on the bracing. Without bracing, the acrylic could deflect 10 or 20x more!)

This means that acrylic doesn't work well without additional stiffening (eurobracing, cross-bracing or external bracing) and if one wants the same panel deflection as glass, the acrylic needs to be double thickness. That means maybe triple price in my size range (say 1000 to 2000 gal).


So, in conclusion structurally, acrylic and glass have similar strength but acrylic needs to be at least twice the thickness to equally limit deflection (and thus a lot more cost) and is much more likely to scratch (and thus requiring a lot more maintenance), but it is tougher and so less likely to shatter when an aquarium is under-designed or subjected to unusual stresses such as a poor stand or kids throwing heavy things at it. And, the shards created under failure would not be as sharp and therefore not as dangerous as un-tempered glass. But glass needs silicone seals, and those seals have their strength limits and longevity limits, which introduces an uncertainty for long-term use.

I posit that large public aquariums use acrylic because:

a) they have to deal with morons and/or their children doing stupid things and are exposed nonetheless to large public liabilities; AND​

b) they tend to build very large aquariums where glass is no longer practical, making the debate moot; AND​

c) they won't have to worry about resealing silicone joints.​

The price they pay for acrylic where glass is a viable option is the CAPEX of the tank and the OPEX of keeping it buffed. But as they employ folks to do that, so be it. As most of them are publicly funded, that is fair balance. For a private hobbyist buying a much smaller aquarium, I think the benefits are blurred and personal preferences drive decisions. I don't have a maintenance team to deploy as I age.

2) data for 3mm thickness: Acrylic light transmittance is 92 to 93% with a refractive index of about 1.49 and a reflective index of 4%. Low Iron Glass is about 91%, 1.45 and 8% respectively. So, for the same thickness, acrylic wins. But for acrylic that is double the thickness of the glass, frankly I don't think there's a significant difference to debate. The diamond glass from ELOS is probably better than Starphire as well. Unfortunately it is difficult to get these values for different thicknesses online. So #2 is simply a moot point to me.

3) You mention yellowing but leave out crazing. Glass cannot yellow or craze. Acrylic will craze as a function of bending stress. But if the wall thickness is well designed, I agree that crazing is unlikely. Buyers beware of thin-wall acrylic tanks using too much bracing - crazing may form with accumulative strain. As for yellowing, I note the argument that it doesn't happen to good quality acrylic. Unfortunately, this does not seem to be publicly claimed by the acrylic manufacturers and no members have come forth to substantiate this with a very long-running acrylic tank (noting Aardvark1134 is good at 10 to 12 years). Its not the first 10 years I am worried about, its the next 10. I don't think it is unreasonable to be concerned about the cost of replacing this size of aquarium.

This discussion has been very helpful. I am starting to think that the key to acrylic is finding a quality supplier whose acrylic is harder than normal and maintains long-term clarity. Provided that cost isn't prohibitive, I'm inclined to go with such high quality acrylic. I think this becomes more a question of economics than safety, as sufficient safety margins can be applied to designing with glass.

I know everyone will roll their eyes, but I do believe that lower quality acrylic will not meet my needs as well as low-iron glass... especially if 1" glass is used. But I concede that a high quality acrylic (ie one that is harder and ages well) would be superior... except for cost. So I must kick the tires on what grades of Acrylic are available, and at what cost. I do have financial limitations.

 

[kangadrew]

@DJKNOX, there's a reason there are next to no glass aquariums this size, and public aquarium displays are 100% acrylic. That's a lot of very complicated explanation that I really don't have the time to read on why you think glass is better. If you want to go with glass, go with it. I've really got nothing else to say on the glass vs acrylic debate, there's not even a horse left to beat at this point.

If you've got any other questions on this tank, I'd be happy to help how I can. But this current discussion is going absolutely nowhere.

 

[DJKNOX]

@DJKNOX, there's a reason there are next to no glass aquariums this size, and public aquarium displays are 100% acrylic. That's a lot of very complicated explanation that I really don't have the time to read on why you think glass is better. If you want to go with glass, go with it. I've really got nothing else to say on the glass vs acrylic debate, there's not even a horse left to beat at this point.

If you've got any other questions on this tank, I'd be happy to help how I can. But this current discussion is going absolutely nowhere.

Fair enough and thanks for the offer. The title of this thread is "at what point is acrylic better than glass?" It took me 90 min to compose this comparative explanation but only 10 min to read it - not a big ask for those who want to understand the reasons behind the real engineering trade-offs. Despite references to public aquariums, which we are categorically not, glass aquariums can remain viable, safe and economical even in the 1000 to 2000 gal range, and one won't need to spend valuable free-time battling scratches left after removing coralline algae (a good indicator of a healthy saltwater tank) on a 100 to 150ft2 of panels. Acrylic tanks cost more in this size range - maybe a lot more if designed properly - and should not weigh significantly less. But if acrylic helps you sleep better at night due to possibly heighted fears of tank explosions, I don't see any downside to it other than cost and maintenance. I've read though this entire thread three or four times, there seems to be plenty of members who struggle with scratching and buffing - for those hobbyists, monster glass aquariums remain viable.

Nonetheless, if I can find a hard-enough cast acrylic that won't break the bank, I do like the benefits offered with acrylic. So I'm going to look at what acrylic is available before a decision is made.

 

[kangadrew]

I think you are thinking into this way too much. Best of luck to you.
Drew

 

[Aardvark1134]

All your charts only proved what we already told you...that you build tanks out of glass and acrylic differently. Acrylic tanks bigger than a sump should always have euro bracing and cross bracing. Trying to make a truely rimless acrylic tank is a bad idea due to how the material flexes...honestly a large rimless glass tank isn't a super great idea either. Glass being far more rigid does not mean it will make a better tank...it does mean you build with it differently.

If you are truely compairing costs get a quote from someone like
https://www.midwestcustomaquariums.com/ for acrylic and
someone like https://www.planetaquariums.com/planet-custom-aquariums for glass or https://www.customaquariums.com/information/lifetime-aquariums.html for glass and see what the actual in your house difference is.

 

[DJKNOX]

All your charts only proved what we already told you...that you build tanks out of glass and acrylic differently. Acrylic tanks bigger than a sump should always have euro bracing and cross bracing. Trying to make a truely rimless acrylic tank is a bad idea due to how the material flexes...honestly a large rimless glass tank isn't a super great idea either. Glass being far more rigid does not mean it will make a better tank...it does mean you build with it differently.

If you are truely compairing costs get a quote from someone like
https://www.midwestcustomaquariums.com/ for acrylic and
someone like https://www.planetaquariums.com/planet-custom-aquariums for glass or https://www.customaquariums.com/information/lifetime-aquariums.html for glass and see what the actual in your house difference is.

Agreed - except that one scratches more and costs more lol. I will report back to this thread once pricing is secured. Thanks for the links.

 

[DJKNOX]

I think you are thinking into this way too much. Best of luck to you.
Drew

Sure - except when one considers the cost and time involved is such a large marine tank, the measure twice and cut once or an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure adages are appropriate.

 

[h2so4hurts]

How has this gone on for 13 pages?

Only Acrylic tanks I've heard of blowing out a seam are the ones that were built by welding the seams with 40. It's way stronger when you do it right. It's a disaster waiting to happen when you do it wrong.

I agree with others. Just buy a glass tank. Seems you've made up your mind.

 

[NashobaTek]

About 30 years ago I had a 80+ gallon homemade plywood aquarium with glass panes in the sides and front. The back and bottom had thin acrylic panels sealed to them and the glass panels. Great tank! Never leaked and looked awesome. Since it was homemade it's possible to make it to fit any area you have to put a big aquarium.

 

[kangadrew]

About 30 years ago I had a 80+ gallon homemade plywood aquarium with glass panes in the sides and front. The back and bottom had thin acrylic panels sealed to them and the glass panels. Great tank! Never leaked and looked awesome. Since it was homemade it's possible to make it to fit any area you have to put a big aquarium.

Plywood tanks can be a good option, usually the FW guys build them more than the SW guys. The guy above wants 4 windows though, pretty tough to do with plywood - but can be done.
There's a PDF floating around from a friend of mine named Rich who built a 2,700 gallon for about $7,500 said and done. That is the most overbuilt tank I have ever seen, haha. Would be a good option for someone looking to go big, cheap.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Does anyone else have the sinking thought in their mind that this guy will NEVER buy a tank this big? I mean, if you have the experience neccessary to build and run a tank like this you would certainly not be entertaining making it out of glass. Anywho.. rock on.

 

[Squidward]

I couldn't imagine trying to transfer that tank to his house. I would think it would need to to be built inside of his house. Seeing that video of Rico's 500g glass tank video was brutal enough lol