At what point is acrylic 'better' than glass?

[Steve180]

i recently set up a acrylic tank about 8 months now and i can tell you im not happy with how easily it is to get scratched up. recently ordered a glass tank from cda and waiting for shipment. love how it doesnt have silicone but cant deal with the scratches

 

[Aardvark1134]

What are you scratching it with? In 12 years mine has 1 scratch you can see and that was from a huge rock I made a boo boo with

 

[hllb]

What are you scratching it with? In 12 years mine has 1 scratch you can see and that was from a huge rock I made a boo boo with

Agree with you. On my big tank, I had one scratch that was visible while filled and that was from using a magnet cleaner and not being careful. I quit using it, started using an old credit card, and had no more issues.

 

[IKD]

resale value doesn’t even make the cut as far as my personal pros and cons. I assume every tank I buy is a total loss if it doesn’t work out. I am 4 years in on my current and first acrylic tank. I have always gone with low iron glass, I miss my crisp sharp photos and would say that’s my biggest downside. I heard that acrylic is more clear but I find that to be the opposite. There is something about the material that slightly washes out the colors.

I went away from glass due to weight and fear of seams bursting on a larger tank (96x30x24). I want something that’s going to last 10+ years min.

having scratched my old glass tank I was worried about scratches. Got a huge one the first year and was able to sand it out; I feel the whole scratch thing is blown out of proportion. The mighty magnet in tank sanding kit works very well and I don’t have issues. I do have to be careful cleaning the tank but it’s not that hard with the right magnets (mighty magnet with mesh bag). Even though I can sand scratches, I don’t want to be doing it all that often.

All in all, I wouldn’t have any issues going acrylic again esp since if I do get another tank it will be 1500G minimum.

This is a good, fair summary. I would only comment on weight of glass being a factor. It’s not like I’m moving my tanks around the house. Once I install, it’s unlikely to go anywhere (especially for larger tanks). When filled, the weight of the water, rocks, sand, etc far outweigh an empty tank and the same support and leveling considerations apply to either glass or acrylic.

Saw this post too: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/glass-vs-acrylic.105133/

 

[fjpod]

I've had acrylic tanks for years. The concerns about scratches are over-stated. First of all, if you scratch the inside of the tank with a little sand on your magnet, you won't even see it because the water fills it in, rendering it invisible. On the outside.... I've never been particularly careful and I have no visible scratches or yellowing after many years. Can you say the same about the silicone corners of a glass tank? Acrylic also has a lesser index of refraction compared to glass, and it gives a more "natural", less impeded view into the tank.

 

[ca1ore]

I'd love to try a plywood but dang that scares me.

Built a large ply tank back in the early 1990s. Not for the faint of heart certainly, but they work pretty well.

 

[ca1ore]

This is a good, fair summary. I would only comment on weight of glass being a factor. It’s not like I’m moving my tanks around the house. Once I install, it’s unlikely to go anywhere (especially for larger tanks). When filled, the weight of the water, rocks, sand, etc far outweigh an empty tank and the same support and leveling considerations apply to either glass or acrylic.

Saw this post too: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/glass-vs-acrylic.105133/

My acrylic 450 weighed 575 pounds dry; comparable glass tanks were closer to 1,200. Even if I only have to move it twice, that’s s big difference.....

 

[2Wheelsonly]

This is a good, fair summary. I would only comment on weight of glass being a factor. It’s not like I’m moving my tanks around the house. Once I install, it’s unlikely to go anywhere (especially for larger tanks). When filled, the weight of the water, rocks, sand, etc far outweigh an empty tank and the same support and leveling considerations apply to either glass or acrylic.

Saw this post too: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/glass-vs-acrylic.105133/

My tank was a one time move, it's just that costs to get movers to move a tank that big start to play a huge role. I didn't want to trust friends moving a $5,000 tank, don't even think it would be fair to them and if it was a straight forward move i'd probably be ok. My tank had to be brought in from my back walk out basement double doors but to get there they had to take it down a slope, around stone steps along a pool walkway, down another set of wider by slightly winding steps and into the basement; once there had to navigate some unique layout and get it to fit tightly in it's spot. It was actually fairly difficult with the 400 acrylic tank; with glass it weighed much, much more. My initial quote from a reputable company to just move it from my garage to it's spot was over $1,000.

That's where the weight becomes a major PITA.

 

[Aardvark1134]

Just wait tell you have like a 750 gallon glass and need a crane and a whole in your wall. LOL found a 500 gallon glass being delivered

 

[DaneGer21]

Best way to keep from scratching your acrylic from sand particles? Run bare bottom

This is funny. Of coarse I want a fake looking reef when buying an acrylic tank said nobody ever. If barebottom is your fix, sorry ‘bout ya

 

[Jon Fishman]

I would never ,, ever ,, buy a acrylic tank ,,, other than the weight issue ,, there is no upside to buying one ,, I won't go into all the down side reasons ,, that we all know , not to buy one ,, I will just give one reason ,,

I have a friend that bought one ,, a 300 to 400 gallon acrylic tank ,, made by a top of the line tank maker ,, this was a really nice tank ,, he paid good money for it ,, he had a change in his job where he was going to have to move and sell the tank ,,

He pretty much couldn't give this tank away ,, the price was eventually marked down to less than 1/4 of what the tank cost new ,, and 3 years later ,, he still had the tank ,, and may still have it to this day ,,, I have never asked him ,,

There are plenty of downsides, buy strength/clarity/weight certainly are upsides..... Unique shapes, easy to drill, “shatter resistance” etc etc.

Yep, easier to scratch. I wouldn’t base my decision on something like resale value though..... are you buying a tank with plans to get rid of it? Probably not. I know there are probably other negatives other than scratch resistance, but I don’t think the resale value coma-fan pointed out should really be one of them

 

[Jon Fishman]

This is funny. Of coarse I want a fake looking reef when buying an acrylic tank said nobody ever. If barebottom is your fix, sorry ‘bout ya

My reef doesn’t look “fake”. Do you dive?

 

[DaneGer21]

Just wait tell you have like a 750 gallon glass and need a crane and a whole in your wall. LOL found a 500 gallon glass being delivered

I think this goes either way. A big tank is a big tank. Will you be disassembling your acrylic tank to go into the same house? Or will you be paying 100x to have it built onsite??

 

[DaneGer21]

My reef doesn’t look “fake”. Do you dive?

Yep and there’s sand on every place I’ve dove... just saying. That guys “fix” was go bare bottom.

That isn’t a fix, it’s a preference

 

[nezw0001]

I have a 450G glass and a 700G acrylic. The glass tank was set up first and it glass. Low Iron glass scratches pretty easily and i already have two small visible scratches in it, not very big. At least with acrylic you can buff scratches out easily with the mighty magnet kit. You have no options with glass.

 

[2Wheelsonly]

This is funny. Of coarse I want a fake looking reef when buying an acrylic tank said nobody ever. If barebottom is your fix, sorry ‘bout ya

I used to think this way, now I wish my sand was gone but I have to wait for my goby and two wrasse to live their lives. I refuse to move or effect fish to satisfy my urge, I feel responsible because they could be out swimming free in the ocean but instead are in my tank. I owe them a good life!

That being said, once the last one is gone I will be dumping my sand. As others have mentioned, sand and reefs are not so natural to begin with. Take a look at some planet ocean videos if you have never seen a reef in the wild; a lot of the SPS we keep in our tank never see sand in the real world. Lots of deep ocean reefs are along ocean walls where the currents drive the growth. Shallow lagoon reefs typically have sand like the ones you see in Florida but even then it can be extremely sparse; it's more of a bacteria mud/rock slate combo along the bottom.

I've been seeing some bare bottom tanks that have lots of rock and encrusting corals along the bottom glass and they look incredible. I couldn't imagine the convenience of being able to pump up my flow and never worry about a sandstorm. I would never have massive pockets of detritus that bundle up causing issues 2 years later.

Never again will I use sand in my tanks.

 

[hotdrop]

I’m really surprised that nobody offer hybrid glass acrylic tanks. Maybe the material is too expensive but it’s definitely possible to laminate the two together and have the best of both worlds and is done in certain applications

 

[Aardvark1134]

To answer your question you can move a 500LB aquaium far easier than a 1200LB one of the same size. I can have any moving company with 4 guys bring in a 500LB tank.

 

[zalick]

Glad i'm not the only one who felt this way. I am sure a tank can be sold but it isn't a quick process. I had a miracles starphire 150G tank in my old house. It was gorgeous and well made, not cheap. I listed it on eBay and craigslist. No bites in 30 days, dropped the craigslist price down to $200 and not a single hit. I ended up giving it away to the first person that would pick it up as I needed to get it out for the move.

Had the exact same experience with a 300g glass tank.

 

[Aardvark1134]

Simple fact anything that is a pain in the butt to move like large tank, real slate with solid wood pool table, swimming pool with deck, huge hot tub, etc etc don't sell for much as they are so hard to move and cost so much to move right and then you are stuck with a used one. There are some things you just are better off buying new.
Example...sell a $2000 pool table for $1000 and they find out the company wants $500 to take it apart move it and put it back together and suddenly they are paying 75% for used/scratch/dent