Glass vs. Acrylic Frag Tank?

[ReefBum]

When I was looking for a frag tank I assumed I would go the acrylic route due to price but the more I investigated using a glass frag tank the more intrigued I became with that option. In this video I go into detail on why I ended up choosing glass and I also provide my impressions of the tank manufacturer.


Here is a link to the article for you text centric folks:
https://reefbum.com/equipment/review-coast-to-coast-custom-aquariums-frag-tank/

 

[revhtree]

Nice video! I am actually debating now what I will do for my frag tank!

 

[revhtree]

Can you maybe gives us some pros and cons to why glass over acrylic?

 

[ReefBum]

Can you maybe gives us some pros and cons to why glass over acrylic?

The major plus with acrylic is that is much lighter weight wise than glass and generally cheaper. It also has better clarity, although low-iron glass provides great clarity versus standard glass. On the negative side it will scratch easier and have the potential to bow out or warp over time.

 

[coralcruze]

nice video... however, i would not go glass on most builds and definitely not on a frag tank. You just can not beat acrylics seamless look. I'm sorry, although Coast to Coast may be a great glass builder they just dont compare to a seamless acrylic build. Those close ups reveal wavy glass cuts nd uneven beveling. Honestly I have seen Diamong bevel done better than that. here is an example... https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/[email protected]?v=1489000541

Scratching on acrylics can easily be removed in fact I have done so with corals in the tank... No issue. AND... glass scratches too, the difference, you cant fix glass scratches. Glass is just wayyyyy to heavy. You need 10 guys to move the darn thing... if they drop it its toast. Acrylic wont shadder and can easily be repaired if cracked. it is also about 10X stronger than glass. Lastly, warping on acrylics has to do with under-designed thickness for the hight and width of tank. If designed properly you should not see any warping at all. EVER

one thing you left out is that silicone seams are known for failing. in time. there are many on the boards who have lost corals due to leaking seams. Seams on glass are black and to me very unsightly. with acrylics if done right are seamless and crystal clear. https://zeroedgeaquarium.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Classic-47_1024x1024.jpg

 

[ReefBum]

nice video... however, i would not go glass on most builds and definitely not on a frag tank. You just can not beat acrylics seamless look. I'm sorry, although Coast to Coast may be a great glass builder they just dont compare to a seamless acrylic build. Those close ups reveal wavy glass cuts nd uneven beveling. Honestly I have seen Diamong bevel done better than that. here is an example... https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/[email protected]?v=1489000541

Scratching on acrylics can easily be removed in fact I have done so with corals in the tank... No issue. AND... glass scratches too, the difference, you cant fix glass scratches. Glass is just wayyyyy to heavy. You need 10 guys to move the darn thing... if they drop it its toast. Acrylic wont shadder and can easily be repaired if cracked. it is also about 10X stronger than glass. Lastly, warping on acrylics has to do with under-designed thickness for the hight and width of tank. If designed properly you should not see any warping at all. EVER

one thing you left out is that silicone seams are known for failing. in time. there are many on the boards who have lost corals due to leaking seams. Seams on glass are black and to me very unsightly. with acrylics if done right are seamless and crystal clear. https://zeroedgeaquarium.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Classic-47_1024x1024.jpg

Many thanks for the info. Acrylic certainly has it's advantages but a glass tank is my preference given my experience with the scratching and warping I have seen with my acrylic tanks. I know moving larger glass tanks is a pain but it is worth it in my opinion. Look at some recent builds by other veteran reef keepers like Rico's Reef and Mike Paletta, they went with glass for very large tanks. Anyway, there is no right or wrong answer....there are choices in this hobby and that is a good thing :)

 

[coralcruze]

You are welcome... As I mentioned scratching and warping is not an issue with acrylic... the issue is that people are using substandard thickness when it comes to warping and going with chinese cast acrylic rather than brands like spartec which are superior to others. Again if you run a magnet across your glass and get a granule of sand in it, it will scratch your glass. With acrylic you can fix it... with glass you cant. I think people who go glass may not know these and other facts I mentioned above. I hope that clarifies (pun intended) for people. :)