tank argument

Chris · Dec 28, 2011

ok. so me and a buddy who will remain nameless cough cough. have had this arguement a few times now.
who thinks acrylic is superior to glass. i know all the pros and cons
just want support to tell this person IN UR FACE:xd:

pickupman66 · Dec 28, 2011

Ha.... I smell a troll.

for me... glass all the way

JUSTINSREEF · Dec 28, 2011

i know acrylic is alot clearer than glass but i cant afford acrylic so glass is better for me.. if you watch that show TANKED thats all they do is build custom acrylic tanks and those things are sweet and you can tell they are alot clearer than glass.. if i could afford it i would have a 220 gallon acrylic tank....

DBarsotti · Dec 28, 2011

I think they both have their benefits and downsides. I have used both. Glass IMO looks better than acrylic but once it has scratches its worthless, also I dislike the silicone aspect of glass and the fact it could break from a bad seal or a bump from a clumsy house guest at anytime

Acrylic gives me much more piece of mind but I will say it scratches WAY too easy, but you can always buff it out

Chris · Dec 29, 2011

right on. im thinking about for my next display to go with a 240 acrylic do the fact that its a solid tank, so much clearer, and i have 2 flights of stairs and few friends to help carry it hahaha

Electrobes · Dec 29, 2011

Once they get scratch-proof acrylic going... only thing that will stop acrylic from taking over will be the cost... of making it scratch-proof.

redtop03 · Dec 29, 2011

I used to think I'd prefer glass over acrylic just because of the scratching,but my glass has scratches that can never be removed like with acrylic,as careful as I could be,I still have some nasty scratches,glass is somewhat easier to clean and it is harder to scratch but it does scratch....

acrylic is noticeably clearer and doesn't distort like glass and is much stronger than glass,as it will flex some....scratches can be removed but I would never tear down a tank to buff out the scratches,they would be there as long as I had the tank running so being able to remove scratches wouldn't benefit me any unless I wanted to resell the tank later...both have their pros and cons,it's really a matter of preference....

IMO,if you want the clearest possible view,an acrylic tank is gonna provide that but it's gonna be expensive,if my tank inhabitants were in a beauty contest,I would want them behind an acrylic pane...in a glass tank,even with low iron glass,you still get some distortion in the glass but it's much better than standard glass,it's gonna weigh a lot more and it stands a greater chance of seam failure...all that being said,I'll stick with glass because of cost and it's what I already have

spscrazy · Dec 29, 2011

I've had both glass & acrylic tanks and like the acrylic better just looks better without all the side seams & plastic trim like the glass ones

GrouperStupor · Dec 30, 2011

Acrylic. I was going to say I like them both equally depending on the job...but acrylic just has too many advantages over glass. I think others have already mentioned them all. Several years ago I bought a used one and they had used a crushed coral base. They sctrached the hell out of it getting that stuff out. It was easy enough to buff out.

jason.tammy · Dec 30, 2011

I dont know who you are having this debate with but I will chime in on my exsperience with both.No I dont like the silicone in the corners of glass,yes acrylic is clearer but scratches easily.Make sure you use the proper thickness of acrylic or you will have the proplem I had with seperation of seams.Also acrylic tanks should not have metal halide lights as they produce to much heat and light for the seams to stay true.I use both,glass is my display and some sale tanks,acrylic is great for making divided tanks for sale tanks and frag swap tanks the only real drawback for me is the scratching issue.IMO.When it comes down to rubber meeting the road.A fish only tank with minimum surface cleaning I would go with acrylic for showmanship and diversty in style or shape.With a full blown mixed reef tank I would go glass for strength and the ability to clean it.Also as far as someone bumping into it and causing a problem, the properlly built glass tank can take alot of abuse.I have seen a glass tank full of coral and fish (200gal.) plus hit with a hammer and not budge or crack.I have seen a 200gal plus acrylic tank seperate due to lack of proper thickness and the use of metal halide lighting.If you can build it,clean it and be happy with your creation either isx equally good.I think it comes down to personal prefefence.Both are strong,both are beautiful if done correctlly.I dont know if this helps any but it is my .02 worth.LOL
Jason

Tabasco1 · Dec 30, 2011

Tagging on for the debate. What I have always wondered is just how easy is it to scratch acrylic. If you look at it does it scratch? Can you clean it on a regular basis with a mag float or will it start to haze with micro scratches? Or does it take some sort of trauma to scratch it?