wobble Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 A buddy gave me his acrylic tank and wet/dry sump w/overflow tonight. It's in great shape with no scratches. I think it's a 45g (36x15x20h). I've been wanting to upgrade my 29g to a 36in tank because of limited 30" lighting fixture availability, but have heard so many horror stories about acrylic. Is it really as bad as they say? Would it even be worth the cost/effort to get it going? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Free is a very good price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wobble Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 True, but I don't want to put any money into getting it set up if I will regret using an acrylic tank in the long run. I've used glass aquariums for the last ~20 years. I have zero experience with acrylic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R-3 Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 There is nothing really that bad about an acrylic tank. Everyone gets turned off about scratching it. Dont be careless and you wont scratch it. If you start out with a new scratch free acrylic I personally think its better than glass because of the weight, insulation and clarity difference. Its usually when someone buys a tank that is in pretty bad shape is why they dont like acrylic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 I have an acrylic tank, and don't like how easy it is to scratch. I'm a klutz and mine is a disaster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wobble Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 Hmmm. I guess I could just use it as a QT. I'm kind of a klutz myself. I put a few scratches in my 75g glass tank while aquascaping and they bug the crap out of me every time I look at the tank. My eyes seem to go right to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Reef Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 There's nothing wrong with acrylic. All of the tanks we use in our store/propagation facility are acrylic. The only real drawback on them is that they are tougher to clean and when you clean coraline algae off of them it puts tiny micro scratches into the surface. You can barely see them though and it takes years and years for them to accumulate, so it's really no big deal. Ricky Soutas Jr. -Soutas Saltwater & Reef Inc.- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wobble Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 I've seen the tanks in your store and remember how clean they always seem to be. How do you clean coraline off acrylic? I currently use a razor blade on the front/sides of my glass tank. Obviously that won't work well with acrylic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Reef Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 I've seen the tanks in your store and remember how clean they always seem to be. How do you clean coraline off acrylic? I currently use a razor blade on the front/sides of my glass tank. Obviously that won't work well with acrylic. We have a quite a few different options when it comes to cleaning our acrylic tanks. Some have better uses for different situations. I use a acrylic scraper for coraline, and tough surface algaes. But, if I'm facing things like diatoms, hair algae or a thin film of algae on the acrylic then I will use a acrylic safe scrubbing pad or acrylic safe magnet cleaner. These 3 items can be used on acrylic or glass. We have the same exact options for glass, but they work better for glass and can't be used on acrylic tanks without scratching them. Ricky Soutas Jr. -Soutas Saltwater & Reef Inc.- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wobble Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 Thanks for the info. I think I'll set it up and see how it goes. If it turns out I don't end up liking the acrylic, I can always go get a 36" glass tank and swap it out. It's not like I wouldn't be able to use the lights, etc on the glass tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Reef Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 No problem, I've got a feeling you'll enjoy it. Ricky Soutas Jr. -Soutas Saltwater & Reef Inc.- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wobble Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 Now to find some DIY plans for an aquarium stand... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Reef Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 This seemed helpful. http://www.fishandtips.com/index.php Ricky Soutas Jr. -Soutas Saltwater & Reef Inc.- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wobble Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 Nice link! Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jab502 Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Even if you scratch it a few times the scratches are very easy to remove. I love acrylic tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wobble Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 How easy? He has a larger tank (48 inch long) that he's going to throw away. It has some scratches in the front on the outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 I think there must be varying definitions of "very" out there. "Easy" too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wobble Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 I have a stupid question. I currently have an external overflow on my 75g and would really like to try an internal overflow this time. Is there any special I need to know about making internal overflows for acrylic tanks? Just drill a hole in the bottom, add a bulkhead, and attach internal overflow box? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Reef Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 That's a tricky question. I'd ask a professional like James at Envision Acrylics about this. He does amazing work! Ricky Soutas Jr. -Soutas Saltwater & Reef Inc.- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hahn Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 I heard a tip of people that use the white eraser pads for cleaning acrylic. I think they are called Mister Clean eraser pads. I would experiment with it. But I have hearing a lot of positive from friends. Good luck, Ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Reef Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 I heard a tip of people that use the white eraser pads for cleaning acrylic. I think they are called Mister Clean eraser pads. I would experiment with it. But I have hearing a lot of positive from friends. Good luck' date=' Ed[/quote'] If you do decide to try this, do not get the scented ones though. Ricky Soutas Jr. -Soutas Saltwater & Reef Inc.- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Those magic erasers work (http://www.pnwmas.org/forums/showthread.php?t=10736). I built my own overflow in my acrylic tank. It's just an acrylic box which drains through a hole drilled in the back of the tank, via a durso. It works pretty well, though I now wish I had made the box larger and used two dursos instead of just one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wobble Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 I'll give them a shot. The tank has some hard water stains inside it. I was going to use vinegar, but I'll try those pads first. I just checked out some lighting prices for 36" tanks. Wow. I forgot how much lighting is. This project may have to wait until my wife is back to work and not on unemployment. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 I'd be careful about using those pads for hard water stains. I think they'd be more likely to make things worse by grinding the minerals into the acrylic and scratching the crap out of it. They're fine for daily cleaning, but not much more IME. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wobble Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 Thanks for the heads-up. I'll try the usual vinegar for initial cleaning and just use the magic erasers for regular algae maintenance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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