Glass or acrylic?

[Pete Paschall]

Now that I have some folks all riled up to tell me that this has been hashed and re-hashed dozens of times and to do a search, I am not asking for advice. Instead, I just want to share an experience that may help people who are debating this for themselves. I am planning a new build that will be 72" X 30" X 20", and have been going back and forth over going with glass or acrylic. The pros and cons of each are well documented, and my biggest hangup about acrylic was how easily it scratches. Since I keep leopard wrasses that require a sand bed, I was concerned about the scratches from cleaning. I currently have 2 acrylic frag tanks set up - one with sand and one without. I love everything about the tanks, but sure enough, I scratched the one with sand in 3 places on the front panel. It was all I could see every time I looked at the tank, and almost had me convinced to go with glass for my new build. But then I saw this video about removing scratches from an acrylic tank without having to drain it. I was a little skeptical, but decided to try it. My only regret is not taking before and after pics, because I can't believe how well it worked and how easy it was to do. The video has been shared on several of the glass vs acrylic threads, but here it is again in case anyone else wants to give it a shot.

Getting scratches out of an acrylic tank without having to drain it

Hope someone finds this helpful. It made my decision about the new build much easier.

Pete

 

[2Wheelsonly]

That video was a game changer for me, I had a very unique basement space that made glass almost impossible due to weight. 96x30x24

Even with a crew of steroids infused meathead friends we would not have been able to navigate the twists and turns. I went acrylic and even though my tank was fairly light for its size (right at 300lbs) we struggled with that due to the limited space.

I don’t regret acrylic, I do think my old glass tank had a more clear look to it (miracles low iron). In my first year I had someone use a magnet at a party with snails on it and put massive scratches on my display pane. After seeing that video I purchased the mighty magnet stuff. It took it all out in under 40 mins.

I now use a metal scraper if I get bad coraline build up knowing if I scratch I can easily remove. I’m still mindful of cleanup and accidentally picking up sand. I believe with acrylic tanks the mighty magnet system is a must. Using those mesh bags over the typical scrubbing pad really helps if you accidentally pick up some sand while you’re cleaning the pane. I also feel better about acrylic long term as the bond is much stronger. My braces on the top have slightly warped, can’t tell since mine is in-wall but if it wasn’t that might be an annoyance.

 

[Mellotang]

For what it’s worth starphire scratches pretty easy too, maybe not as easy as acrylic but it definitely scratches easier than standard glass

Iron is in glass to strengthen it, that’s what gives it the greenish tint, when you remove that for clarity you have a softer product.

I’ve scratched a few starphire or low iron aquariums and it sucks

Spend 7G on a glass tank
Scratch it and you’re screwed

At least with acrylic I know I can sand and polish it if need be

I’d vote acrylic

But either which way you go just be careful when cleaning glass and placing reef structure

 

[2Wheelsonly]

For what it’s worth starphire scratches pretty easy too, maybe not as easy as acrylic but it definitely scratches easier than standard glass

Iron is in glass to strengthen it, that’s what gives it the greenish tint, when you remove that for clarity you have a softer product.

I’ve scratched a few starphire or low iron aquariums and it sucks

Spend 7G on a glass tank
Scratch it and you’re screwed

At least with acrylic I know I can sand and polish it if need be

I’d vote acrylic

But either which way you go just be careful when cleaning glass and placing reef structure

can confirm, my old glass 150 starphire had a nasty scratch that shocked me because I didn’t expect it. Once coraline made its way into the crevice of the scratch I was so defeated as I couldn't fix it due to it being glass.