Acrylic scratches CAN be fixed…glass scratches are forever!
That’s the debate, right? One is far easier to scratch but if it does scratch then it’s repairable. Personally I’d prefer to be careful and not get any scratches to begin with.
I tried an acrylic tank for my upgrade. It was so bad I actually risked losing more livestock and switching over to a glass tank after less than a year of use, even got a new one that cost 3x what I paid for the acrylic tank. Absolutely any benefit of acrylic (aside from the buffing) ends once the tank is on the stand. It bows more, it's opaque and hard to take pictures through.
Don’t have to empty an acrylic tank to buff it. Use high grit sandpaper with everything as is. I’ve done it. No issues. Mighty Magnets even sells buffing kits for their magnets which again can be used in the tank with water and fish/corals.
Also a glass tank is more likely to blow a seam than acrylic. Acrylic is welded with an acrylic adhesive. Glass use silicone which is more prone to letting go over time.
I don’t know if I’m in the minority but I’ve had both and I still lean towards glass.
The weight of the glass is minimal in comparison to what it’s holding.
I’ve seen both types fail. If seams are done well either should have no issues 30+ years down the line.
Sure, not saying acrylic can’t fail but I’ve heard of more glass tanks failing vs. acrylic. Just do a search on R2R, the majority are glass.That’s the debate, right? One is far easier to scratch but if it does scratch then it’s repairable. Personally I’d prefer to be careful and not get any scratches to begin with.
I don’t know if I’m in the minority but I’ve had both and I still lean towards glass.
The weight of the glass is minimal in comparison to what it’s holding.
I’ve seen both types fail. If seams are done well either should have no issues 30+ years down the line.
I’m not too surprised. How many more glass tanks are out there vs acrylic? It’s probably about 10-1 which I would say is about the same ratio of what you hear of failures.
Acrylic seams do not fail when properly welded. Period. Glass...? This glass v debate is a perennial. The coup de grace for glass tanks in this size range however is the THREE way cost savings with acrylic.
Also make a call to your insurance carrier and ask if there are any GLASS aquarium exclusions in your policy. We carry $5 million products liability. Don't know of any glass companies that have this.
Come on now, let’s be a little less biased. That glass aquarium you linked to is a bit ridiculous. No one in the market for a tank would even entertain that as an option. If it was some custom Reef Savvy tank maybe; even then I think they are over priced. If we’re being honest about price, there is a wide range of pricing for both glass and acrylic tanks.
It's the first link I found. If you can find a better deal, please post it. And I do have to apologize. I made a mistake on our costs. Our cost for this tank is not $6,000. It is approx. $5,100. I entered in the wrong wall thickness.
