Glass or Acrylic?

[Kenneth Hooper]

I know that often an aquariums design will dictate what materials it is made of but, in general, do you prefer a glass or an acrylic aquarium and why?

 

[C. Eymann]

For a reef I prefer glass, however acrylics insulating properties may help keep electricity cost down if using LEDs because the heater wont have to run as much. However, it is easy to scratch.

On the flip side if using halides / t5s, glass aquariums dont insulate as much and will not require as much cooling compared to running the same lights on an acrylic.

 

[KingReef]

Had an acrylic tank years ago. That thing scratched constantly. Always made me mad. Only option would have been to clean it out and somehow get at the inside to buff/polish. Never took the time. Now I have a glass tank (Waterbox) and so far, no worries about scratches (I do know it can scratch, but I am less afraid as I don't think a stray piece of sand is gonna do it this time).

 

[Reefer Reboot]

I like acrylic for the clarity. But like everyone knows, they do scratch easier. So I run bare bottom. If I changed to sand bottom I would rethink this. With acrylic there is less chance of seams coming apart, so if you have a large tank there is that to think about.

 

[C. Eymann]

Another issue I forgot to mention is crazing that sometimes happens overtime to older acrylic tanks, that can't really be buffed out.

 

[EmdeReef]

I’ve never owned an acrylic tank but considering it for my next upgrade. When you guys say scratch easily, is it mostly due to cleaning with magnets and getting sand grains stuck?

 

[mcdrichj]

I like glass specifically low iron glass, you get almost the same clarity of acrylic without the worry of scratches.

 

[Reefer Reboot]

@ EmdeReef, yes I think that most scratches are caused by that. Rock work falling down can cause some major scratches, so build strong. I have seen that there are products that are supposedly safe to use in the water although I have never tried it myself.

 

[Squidward]

Acrylic for Large Tanks, Glass for small and regular sized tanks. Moving and lifting a large acrylic tank vs glass tank is like night and day.

 

[hllb]

I always had acrylic before this tank and prefer it. I never really had issues with scratching - at least not anything significant enough to bother me. But I worry about the glass tank all the time with kids in the house. My tank is small, but if it were a large tank, I would definitely want acrylic since it's lighter.

 

[smartwater101]

I will never touch glass again. Ever. Not even for small QT tanks. When the go bad, they go really bad. Acrylic might spring a small leak, glass will empty the entire water volume.

Id rather have something stronger and lighter, especially since i live on an upper floor appartment. Not to mention the clarity is great.

I deal with scratches as they come. Never been as big of an issue as people make it out to be, and its really not that hard to avoid. The only real issue with acrylic is $$$

 

[ttbuc40]

Glass seams tend to fail but acrylic scratches like a mother. Still prefer glass

 

[albano]

Acrylic for Large Tanks, Glass for small and regular sized tanks.

I have a bunch of small (<100g) glass tanks, but since 1991, my bigger tanks are only acrylic and I wouldn’t take a large glass tank for free!
It is not that hard to avoid scratches and if necessary they can be repaired (inside or out) while filled with water.

 

[cvrle1]

As you noticed, main issue with acrylic is scratches. Good thing is that they can be removed easily when they appear, without having to drain your tank.

 

[Kenneth Hooper]

@ EmdeReef, yes I think that most scratches are caused by that. Rock work falling down can cause some major scratches, so build strong. I have seen that there are products that are supposedly safe to use in the water although I have never tried it myself.

Some urchins will also cause scratching

 

[lapin]

Glass or acrylic??

Looking at manufacturers for my new tank, 96x36x30.. For glass I’ve narrowed it down to planet aquariums or miracles. But , I keep seeing big beautiful acrylic tanks? Who makes them? What’s a reputable brand? Are they similar cost to glass counterparts? Also, after seeing Mr salt water tanks...

www.reef2reef.com

Acrylic or Glass

hello all and happy Friday, well I have been in the hobby for about 8 months and I must say I am hooked and love it. So much so I am already planning on purchasing another larger tank. Looking to do anything 200 gallons or more. My question for everyone is what is better a glass aquarium such...

www.reef2reef.com

Glass vs Acrylic

So I’ve been reading lots of conflicting threads on other forums regarding the pros and cons to glass vs acrylic with large tanks (400+) gallons. Looking for personal feedback from owners of large tanks. If you could do it all over again would you go glass or acrylic and why?

atlantareefclub.org

and then we have this

Hybrid glass and acrylic aquariums from AGE | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

We all know the problems associated with choosing glass or acrylic when designing a large tank. The benefits of acrylic are the inherent light weight and ease of drilling, for including those all…

reefbuilders.com

 

[ca1ore]

LOL, do we really need yet another thread on this topic .... see prior post. Same arguments for and against as always.

 

[Whispers]

Almost Impossible to get coralline off acrylic never again glass only for me

 

[lapin]

Almost Impossible to get coralline off acrylic never again glass only for me

Thats funny because In my overflow box I was growing macro's . Decided not to do that and took the lights down. Now the coralline just flakes off the box.

 

[hllb]

Almost Impossible to get coralline off acrylic never again glass only for me

Takes elbow grease for sure but pretty easy.

But isn’t it nice we all can choose our favorites? Lol...