Glass vs. Acrylic - Pro's and Con's

[SaraB]

I thought we could create a thread stating both the advantages and disadvantages of Acrylic and Glass Aquariums. It would be a great resource for those looking to purchase a new tank and don't know the differences. Please feel free to add your advantages and disadvantages as well.

I personally own both types, but a friend once shared some of the advantages of acrylic over glass and they are as follows:

Acrylic Advantages:

1. Acrylic is much stronger. When you properly form a bond, the tank effectively becomes one single piece. The joints are stronger than the base acrylic if it is done properly. A glass tank is only held by the silicone bond and may break at the most inopportune time.

2. The insulation capability of acrylic is much better, so you do not heat up or cool the tank quite as much. You will save $ on heating costs for an acrylic tank versus glass.

3. The acrylic is much lighter weight and easier to maneuver.

4. Acrylic is repairable, glass is not. The acrylic is relatively easy to scratch, but it can be fixed pretty easily. Glass cannot be fixed once it is scratched. Also, Starphire is much easier to scratch than regular glass due to the low iron content (though not as easy to scratch as acrylic). In reality, what most people view as a disadvantage (ease of scratching) I actually view as an advantage because I can and have repaired the scratches in my acrylic tank that I never could have fixed with a glass tank.

Acrylic Disadvantages:

1. Acrylic is easy to scratch. As stated in #4 above, Acrylic is repairable, glass is not.

 

[SDguy]

I've had both, and sorry to say, but the single item listed under the acrylic section there in your post is the absolute deal breaker for me.

Maybe for a large, FO tank with no large toothed pacing fish like triggers and puffers, I would tolerate acrylic, but that's about it.

 

[pakora]

I dont know how much glass costs but I know acrylic is $$$

 

[treylane]

Acrylic bows more noticeably than glass (depending on various factors), and is MUCH more difficult to clean properly because it's so easy to scratch. Also, acrylic will craze and eventually fail if you get high heat sources (lights) too close to it.

I'm a glass fan for that single reason as well - acrylic scratches when you look at it crosseyed, and glass only requires a small amount of caution to stay in good shape. I do wish it were lighter though.

 

[Letsgotothezoo]

For smaller tank, let's say less than 60 gallon, I would go with acrylic.

But for larger tank, I would go for Glass especially the starfire. :wink:

 

[treylane]

There's even less reason to go with acrylic for smaller tanks - glass versions are usually pretty easy to lift/move/etc with just one or two people. Moving large glass tanks is quite a challenge, and REALLY large ones are so heavy that it's impractical to use anything but acrylic.

 

[MikeB]

GLASS ONLY for a DT

 

[SaraB]

GLASS ONLY for a DT

Okay, but you only posted an opinion ... where's the pro or con? Please elaborate

 

[Jonreefer]

Acrylic is nice as it is easier to build it seems and can cut it with ease as well to make any kinda custom size tank you want. Glass is heavy. I dont think acrylic is as clear as glass for a DT. i had an acrylic frag tank built for me out of MR15..it just didnt look that clear to me and it didnt have any scratches or anything. Acrylic I think is good for frag tanks or lookdown type tanks.

 

[thomasdo87]

With acrylic tanks, you can have more custom shapes for whatever reason you would want with less distortion and easier to drill to meet your needs. And usually, brand new, acrylic is clearer than reg glass and almost or same as low-iron. Acrylic also takes more force to break than glass.

But over time, if you dont buy cell-cast acrylic, it will turn yellow. Also, because acrylic isn't as rigid as glass, there has to be full support by the stand for the bottom panel.

 

[mak060]

There's even less reason to go with acrylic for smaller tanks - glass versions are usually pretty easy to lift/move/etc with just one or two people. Moving large glass tanks is quite a challenge, and REALLY large ones are so heavy that it's impractical to use anything but acrylic.

^I agree with this statement.

Stirring the sleeping giant eh Sara? Oh, heck why not. Here goes: I too chose acrylic for the 300+ display specifically for the reason that I can address scratches. I was frustrated that local distributors/LFS stores couldn't deliver a production line Starphire 215 without scratching the front (3 rejected, 2 delivered to the home!). Seems handlers aren't aware of how sensitive the glass can be. Building a stand with full bottom support is not really a problem. Having said that, all my smaller tanks are glass, mainly because they're (1) easy to care for and replace, and (2) usually at the LFS, with little mark up.

 

[gparr]

The most significant positives are the clarity and insulation. When I owned one, the heaters had to work less when the furnace set back at night.

But, because they're so easy to scratch, I'll never own another acrylic tank. Every time I worked on mine I was accompanied by the fear that the slightest mishap was going to create yet another scratch. I also disliked the tools I had to use to remove coralline. I ended up using old credit cards because they held an edge better. Still too much work.

Though I've found ways to scratch my glass tanks, I'd still rather clean them than acrylic.

Gary

 

[cherokee_dude]

I have a Tenecor 100g custom acrylic and I love it. Obvious problem with minor scratches, but other than that viewing is pretty much the same as glass (Which I had for my prior AG 72 bow setup)