Should I get glass or acrylic? Which is better??

Natescorals · Mar 12, 2020

Trying to decide if I should get a new glass or acrylic tank. Which do you guys prefer and why? What looks better also what will my fish and corals like more? What is more durable and overall which is better?

NightManCometh · Mar 12, 2020

I like glass. You can scratch acrylic easily and itll warp. But glass is more expensive. Acrylic is good for sumps and refugiums imo.

JCTReefer · Mar 12, 2020

Glass is more durable of course. Acrylic scratches very easily, but can be buffed out/wet sanded. Huge pain in the butt though. Acrylic is super clear, but low iron glass is too. Acrylic is a better insulator. Acrylic tanks are super strong also.. Glass is a lot heavier of course. Don’t think corals or fish care either way. Lol. Over all I prefer glass for it’s durability. I have had both over the years. Built a 240 out of acrylic. Thing was scratched to h*ll when I tore down after years of use. I’m currently having a glass 240 built. Don’t think I’d ever go back to Acrylic. Just my opinion. Good luck!

Badilac · Mar 13, 2020

This is talked about SOOOOO much here. I suggest searching. Here is a big thread about it and its not even a week old.

At what point is acrylic 'better' than glass?

I've noticed a strong preference for glass aquariums around here, and I totally get why. I'm thinkging about upgrading to a much larger setup (73 gal display is a little limiting, no tangs/etc) in a house I'm purchasing and am considering using acrylic for weight reasons. Are the benefits of...

www.reef2reef.com

Super Fly · Mar 13, 2020

I don't think I'd ever get acrylic unless its a mega tank, i.e. over 240 gallons

Natescorals · Mar 13, 2020

So then why is acrylic so much more expensive than glass?

WVNed · Mar 13, 2020

Glass is better. Acrylic is lighter.

NHgoalstop · Mar 13, 2020

The one thing many worry about is blow outs. I read on here over and over again about blowing a seam. They're always glass.

MichaelReefer · Mar 13, 2020

Natescorals said:
Trying to decide if I should get a new glass or acrylic tank. Which do you guys prefer and why? What looks better also what will my fish and corals like more? What is more durable and overall which is better?

I have an Acrylic 55 Freshwater and a Glass 54 Saltwater, prefer my glass. I just got the Acrylic cause it was cheap and wanted a bigger tank for my Planted tank.

User1 · Mar 13, 2020

Badilac said:
This is talked about SOOOOO much here. I suggest searching. Here is a big thread about it and its not even a week old.

At what point is acrylic 'better' than glass?

I've noticed a strong preference for glass aquariums around here, and I totally get why. I'm thinkging about upgrading to a much larger setup (73 gal display is a little limiting, no tangs/etc) in a house I'm purchasing and am considering using acrylic for weight reasons. Are the benefits of...

www.reef2reef.com

When I saw this thread today I was thinking of the link you posted. Thanks for finding it

. There is some good information in there.

To the OP. I can't really say which is better because they both have their respected place. I'll say that my first larger tank was acrylic which was 100 gallons. It was easier to move around. It was built like a truck. Had a euro brace. Clear as can be. Never warped. Strong. The negative side of things is that it scratched pretty easy. It was my fault - I left my cleaner magnets low and my nephew moved it to the bottom, picked up some sand, and thus my first scratch. Once that happened coralline started to take hold and it was a source of contention after because if I wasn't on top of the cleaning it was pretty easy to see. No big deal really as some already said you can clean up acrylic if the tank is built properly.

I now have a 210 gallon tank, class, again built like a truck, but it is HEAVY. Not the easiest thing to move around. However even with low iron I do not worry about scratches

. Be that as it may they both have their place and at some point size and weight converge and the advantages become nil. Well, I believe acrylic will always be lighter but larger tanks require thicker pieces, etc.

Anyway the thread posted above by @Badilac should get you started.

tank of gems · Mar 13, 2020

Glass all the way.

ca1ore · Mar 13, 2020

Many of these threads if you take a moment to search for them. Shockingly, they all regurgitate the exact same points ....

amcvay · Mar 13, 2020

Lift a 150 gallon tank and move it down a flight of stairs and then pick up a 150 acrylic tank. Acrylic seams are welded and will never blow out. From what I've read Glass will retain heat better than acrylic, not sure if that's a big deal though....glass, even starfire will have a green tint to it due to iron content.

When I bought my 150 acrylic 5 foot tank I picked it up by myself and decided I'd never go back to glass again. Yes it'll scratch, but I had plenty of scratches in my glass 150 because sand will get trapped between the magnet on your scraper, so I don't view that as a big drawback of acrylic.

NHgoalstop · Mar 13, 2020

amcvay said:
Lift a 150 gallon tank and move it down a flight of stairs and then pick up a 150 acrylic tank. Acrylic seams are welded and will never blow out. From what I've read Glass will retain heat better than acrylic, not sure if that's a big deal though....glass, even starfire will have a green tint to it due to iron content.

When I bought my 150 acrylic 5 foot tank I picked it up by myself and decided I'd never go back to glass again. Yes it'll scratch, but I had plenty of scratches in my glass 150 because sand will get trapped between the magnet on your scraper, so I don't view that as a big drawback of acrylic.

Pretty sure acrylic is a better insulator than glass tanks and will retain heated water better. My next tank will be a custom acrylic.

Slawman · Mar 13, 2020

My vote is for glass, maybe low iron if it takes your fancy. Acrylic is too easily scratched which does not bother some people but It is not for me.

2Wheelsonly · Mar 13, 2020

I prefer glass because it’s easier to scrape hard algae off of but having an acrylic tank I don’t care too much about the scratches because once you have a good scratch repair it’s actually really easy to keep the tank looking great with an in tank magnet based scratch repair kit. I feel glass looks clearer in person than acrylic and also is better for taking photos of the tank but that’s just my personal opinion.

when I was looking for larger tanks ( 300+) I noticed some manufactures said that the larger glass tanks have a lifespan of anywhere from 10 to 15 years which I find hard to believe as I’ve never heard of that being an issue but I know having an acrylic tank there is a peace of mind knowing that the seams are completely sealed.

Katrina71 · Mar 13, 2020

I prefer glass.

Victor_C3 · Mar 13, 2020

I’ve really thought about this a lot recently. I was torn building my own acrylic tank and buying a custom glass tank - both worked out to be about the same price.

What it really came down to was the scratching thing with acrylic. I’ve only ever kept bare bottom tanks in the past and I really want to try a sand bed this time. Also, I’m not the best at cleaning coralline off my tank walls and I usually wait until it’s really bad before I scrape it.

Just knowing myself and my habits, an acrylic tank won’t work for me

ShpwrkReefsS · Mar 13, 2020

I prefer glass. I love the look of rimless glass tanks. Rimless acrylic tanks tend to bow. Acrylic will scratch easier. I had an acrylic tank manufacturer and a glass tank manufacturer quote my tank and they were within $100 of each other. I do however prefer acrylic sumps for durability.

PatW · Mar 13, 2020

Acrylic is stronger, more transparent, and lighter. But it can be easily scratched.

Most reefers prefer glass because it is reasonably scratch resistant. If you do not like the strong green tint of ordinary glass there is low iron glass.

There is no “right” answer.