[QUOTE="stunreefer,
As a professional installer of thirteen years I can say that both have potential to fail over time. I've covered several acrylic tank failures from leading vendors in the US. A proper tank of either material never explodes. These days you have to twist my arm hard to have us install an acrylic aquarium, unless it's a very, very large.[/QUOTE]
I think we are on the same page with proper tank design.
Major manufactures have used thin glass and acrylic for years due to industry research that shows the average lifespan of an aquarium to be two years and under before it ends up in a yard sale or empty. My early failure was due to following the lead of "major" manufacturers who shall remain nameless. Once I increased the thickness of the panels and made our own solvent mix the tanks were much better. If I were to go out and do it again today I would use the formulas listed in stresses and strains 5th addition for the minimal thickness.
Glass or acrylic is a choice. I chose acrylic because my insurance company would not cover glass tank manufacturing at the time (1986-2008) but would cover acrylic. So their experiance rating says something about acrylic versus glass. Also the major public aquariums are acrylic for a reason. Even the largest viewing panels in the world are acrylic for a reason. Strength, clarity and impact resistance are the reasons.
A majority of acrylic aqariums for sale through the industry will bow like a football due to the choice of the buying public wanting the cheapest tank they can buy. I can't recall how many posters here get all giddy about the dollar a gallon sale at Petco and Petsmart but are upset when the tanks leak...go figure.
There is value in building something right and most people refuse to spend the money. Thankfully there are companies like ADA, Reefsavvy and others who choose to make the best product they can. The price is on the upper end for a reason. You get what you pay for often enough that the lowest bidder is probably not the best choice.
I installed hundreds of aquariums by companies no longer in business and that is why I spent the time and money to build my own brand all those years. I only stopped because of the lack of quality product through the distributors after NAFTA. There are only two actual manufacturers of cell cast acrylic still in production in the United States. Of those only one makes the best product for the purpose. But you have to special order everything because the distributors of plastic sheet only stock and sell the cheap import stuff. I have spent 6 months trying to find a distributor who will stock the product and no one will. Again price trumps quality. At the same time I have been pricing low iron glass and equipment. Reading this thread makes me rethink the whole thing over again. Maybe I will be content to build tanks only for my own use in the future. Something to think about.
As a professional installer of thirteen years I can say that both have potential to fail over time. I've covered several acrylic tank failures from leading vendors in the US. A proper tank of either material never explodes. These days you have to twist my arm hard to have us install an acrylic aquarium, unless it's a very, very large.[/QUOTE]
I think we are on the same page with proper tank design.
Major manufactures have used thin glass and acrylic for years due to industry research that shows the average lifespan of an aquarium to be two years and under before it ends up in a yard sale or empty. My early failure was due to following the lead of "major" manufacturers who shall remain nameless. Once I increased the thickness of the panels and made our own solvent mix the tanks were much better. If I were to go out and do it again today I would use the formulas listed in stresses and strains 5th addition for the minimal thickness.
Glass or acrylic is a choice. I chose acrylic because my insurance company would not cover glass tank manufacturing at the time (1986-2008) but would cover acrylic. So their experiance rating says something about acrylic versus glass. Also the major public aquariums are acrylic for a reason. Even the largest viewing panels in the world are acrylic for a reason. Strength, clarity and impact resistance are the reasons.
A majority of acrylic aqariums for sale through the industry will bow like a football due to the choice of the buying public wanting the cheapest tank they can buy. I can't recall how many posters here get all giddy about the dollar a gallon sale at Petco and Petsmart but are upset when the tanks leak...go figure.
There is value in building something right and most people refuse to spend the money. Thankfully there are companies like ADA, Reefsavvy and others who choose to make the best product they can. The price is on the upper end for a reason. You get what you pay for often enough that the lowest bidder is probably not the best choice.
I installed hundreds of aquariums by companies no longer in business and that is why I spent the time and money to build my own brand all those years. I only stopped because of the lack of quality product through the distributors after NAFTA. There are only two actual manufacturers of cell cast acrylic still in production in the United States. Of those only one makes the best product for the purpose. But you have to special order everything because the distributors of plastic sheet only stock and sell the cheap import stuff. I have spent 6 months trying to find a distributor who will stock the product and no one will. Again price trumps quality. At the same time I have been pricing low iron glass and equipment. Reading this thread makes me rethink the whole thing over again. Maybe I will be content to build tanks only for my own use in the future. Something to think about.
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