J-Dog Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Hi guys, just wondering what everyone thought about the subject. I am looking to upgrade to a larger tank, but can't seem to decide if I should stick to glass or try acrylic. I just wanted to figure out the pros and cons on both, before I make a decision on which one to go with. If u have any experience, please share, so I don't make a big mistake on this purchase.....thanks! :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReefSafari Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Well, Im far from experienced, but knowing ME...I have to stick with Glass, as I know I would easily scratch acrylic quick, and it would drive me nutz to see a bunch of scratches...it just scratches too easily for me...I guess it depends on what you are looking for, Acrylic seems to come in or be able to be build in cooler dims, where glass unless you build it yourself comes in standard sizes usually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePremiumAquarium Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 You have a really tough decision there. Being that there really isn't a ton of options out there for custom glass tanks you may have to go acrylic if you are planning something outside of the standard glass tank demensions. That being said, I see many benefits to both glass and acrylic. Glass tends to be less apt to scratch. It usually stays looking nicer for longer withought as much maintenance. Acrylic is clearer, even clearer than going with starfire/low iron glass though if you go glass, that is a good option too. Acrylic also weighs less and can be much more customizable. Acrylic is pretty easy to buff out if/when you do scratch it. The thicker the acrylic, the better. Acrylic can be built seemless as well as rimless with much greater ease than can glass. There are also a few excellent acrylic craftsmen locally(which is the primary reason I, and many others go acrylic for most of our projects). I myself prefer glass when possible, though sometimes it just doesn't make sense depending on your project, budget, availability, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burningbaal Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 David's got the same opinion that I've always heard. acrylic scratches easier. while it's true you can buff out the scratches, you have to drain and clean the tank to do it, so in a big tank, who would every actually do that? most of the acrylic displays I've seen show up on the forum for sale are pretty scratched and listed as needing some buffing done. glass can scratch, and you can't really get the scratch out (realistically), but it doesn't scratch nearly as easily as acrylic. I think I've heard starfire scratches easier than regular glass but still harder than acrylic. also, acrylic is a better insulator than glass (usually), and it is less brittle so you can have thinner panes than a glass tank. unless you're going rimless or taller than 2 feet though, 3/8 glass would be plenty and it's not too wacky expensive. rimless or taller and the thickness goes up and it starts getting spendy no matter what the material is. If you are willing to do the silicone yourself, glass shops can cut you any size you want, from any thickness, regular or starfire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I was always a glass guy, scared at how easy acrylic scratches. Then i bought a 60gal acrylic cube and set it up. Its much clearer than any glass tank, so you get the true colors when you stare at the tank. It does not scratch easy IMO. If you are careless and just jabbing it with a scrapper or aren't careful when you are down near the sand, yes you are going to scratch it. Just like I scratched my previous glass tank the same way. If you use a magnetic scrapper, you will probably scratch it. But if you use the proper long handled scrapper, and something like a melamine sponge, so keep it clean you won't have any troubles. I haven't scratched my tank yet that I can see and its been up almost a year now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islandoftiki Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I was concerned about scratching my new acrylic tank, but I don't think it's really going to be a problem. Use careful cleaning methods and you should be just fine. I got a small piece of aragonite sand under my magnetic cleaner when I was cleaning my 2 gallon glass tank. it scratched the glass. Not much I can do about it now except stare at it, or replace the tank. I swear the scratch is laughing at me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hewey McLovit Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I was always a glass guy' date=' scared at how easy acrylic scratches. Then i bought a 60gal acrylic cube and set it up. Its much clearer than any glass tank, so you get the true colors when you stare at the tank. It does not scratch easy IMO. If you are careless and just jabbing it with a scrapper or aren't careful when you are down near the sand, yes you are going to scratch it. Just like I scratched my previous glass tank the same way. If you use a magnetic scrapper, you will probably scratch it. But if you use the proper long handled scrapper, and something like a melamine sponge, so keep it clean you won't have any troubles. I haven't scratched my tank yet that I can see and its been up almost a year now.[/quote'] How about if you turn your back for a minute and your ADHD nephew decides to surprise you by cleaning of the algae near the sand!DOH! I almost vomited when i came in! Word to the wise, don't leave your ADHD family members alone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Or don't use a magnetic cleaner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-Dog Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 Thanks for all of the info, guys. This will be my first attempt at a tank build, so I wanna make sure I do it right. I'm leaning more toward acrylic right now, I just need to pray that my kids keep there hands off of it (nono). The buffing out of scratches doesn't really make sense, since no one would realistically empty their entire tank in order to do so (since most scratches would be on the interior). I've already got some prices from a couple builders, so we will see how long it takes before I start setting up my system. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wegotjs Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 You can buff the scratches out when the tank is full, it's just alot of work. a couple months ago i did a 4 inch scratch and it took me around a hour to get it out. But i am a glass guy at heart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gill Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 IMO glass is better, but has many drawbacks. For instance glass is heavy!!! I have a 125 and I would never have bought it in glass, it would have weighed way to much. It is also way easier to drill acrylic. If I was going to have a nano tank it would definitely be glass. A rimless cube under a hundred gallons would be sweet in glass as well, but any bigger and I would have to go acrylic. Plus with James at envision being local you can get a really well made tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-Dog Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 I heard James is a great tank builder, but his prices are really high. Not sure if I wanna pay that much to have a tank built Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr S Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Well I will chime in. The pros of acrylic: Custom build if needed, lighter and easier to drill, main drawbacks it scratches very easily, you have to watch what you clean it with The pros of glass: Clean it with a razor blade, stays clear, main drawbacks is that it is heavy (but I don't usually move my tanks around) and a little trickier to drill bulkheads IMO the only time I would choose to use acrylic is for a sump. I like to spend about 5 minutes cleaning the front of a tank. At present I have both and really like glass better. It is basically going to come down to your personal preference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gill Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 I heard James is a great tank builder' date=' but his prices are really high. Not sure if I wanna pay that much to have a tank built[/quote'] To rich for my blood too but keep your eye pealed, you can find them used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigjohnwoody Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 I had James work up a quote on a dream tank for me and it was roughly the same price as building it myself. He can get the material for so much cheaper. Granted the tank I had him work up was 3/4 inch and 1" acrylic so that may play a big difference. He is a great guy to talk with and extremely knowledgeable so you may want to just pick his brain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-Dog Posted January 30, 2012 Author Share Posted January 30, 2012 I was told that wanareef (Charles) builds acrylic tanks too.....are his tanks as good as James? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omarortiz Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 You can get used to either of them if you are mindful of their drawbacks. To me, it really comes down to the aesthetics that you like. Braced acrylic (i.e. an acrylic eurobrace) looks much cleaner than typical braced glass. Of course if you have a canopy and stand that conceals the bracing then it is probably a nonissue. I think I prefer rimless tanks (though I have never owned one). As far as the failure rates... well, from my personal experience I have never had an acrylic tank fail in any way. I have had glass tanks leak a little bit, but no disasters, which I have heard others have had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriz2fer Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Yes a lot of People buff there tanks with water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electrokate Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Someone told me there are grades of acrylic, that some brands or types are easier to scratch. He was not talking about Lucite or Plexiglass, insists this is true of acrylic. Hogwash? I ask because I have a few acrylic tanks. 2 I can scratch with a brand new acrylic scraper straight out of the package, perfectly clean. The 3rd is harder to scratch but also harder to buff. No matter how much I swore I would be careful I have scratched every acrylic tank I have ever owned. I have bought used glass tanks that are badly scratched by gravel I think, but have not managed this feat myself yet. Certain animals can allegedly also scratch acrylic, such as plecos in freshwater and some urchins. Have a hitchhiker rock boring urchin in my sump that was pea size when I found it, it has left tooth marks all over the place on the sump. Glad I left him there. For my home tanks I vote for glass, and hiring a crew of movers. If you are considering a very large tank even acrylic will require a crew to install. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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