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Acrylic vs Glass
- Thread starter ljr
- Start date
I have had both glass and acrylic aquariums. Choosing depends on a lot of different factors. Glass is tremendously easier to maintain than acrylic. I did scratch them all though, one pretty bad. And those scratches couldn't be fixed. What sold me on acrylic for my present aquarium was the safety issue. Do a search on "disaster" or "leak" on RC and see what you get. I think most of all, size of the tank plays the most important part in the decision. I would have had to have special reinforced flooring if I went with glass. I don't like buffing out scratches, but the negatives of glass for my situation overruled that negative feature. So you see, there is really no correct answer. It's just whats best for you and your situation.
Blueflu1
The Acan Reaper!
This is more lopsided than my Bartelby name thread... At least I got 2 or 3 votes
I think those were sympathy votes though.
I think those were sympathy votes though.
I voted yes and I got 1 def sympathy vote... the third one might have been another real yes vote... I can still dream...
glass is heavier but if the tank can be easily handled you may not need a crane but it certainly was a piece of mind for me that day.
starfire is definately the way to go. You dont realize how 'green' regular glass is until you set it up against the starfire.
Not to derail, but how much did it cost to hire the crane? Probably worth every penny I'm sure.
Recent post on RC----
bananaboat
Registered Member
Registered: Apr 2007
Location: newport MI
Occupation: glass plant
Posts: 38
" 300gal reef cracked???
my tank isnt even 1yr old and 11-28-08 the front pane cracked for no reason the stand is way over built and level looking for som e answers maybee you guys can help
only update is a bad one
this happen today while i was at work front pane cracked on my 300gal starphire reef this really s*&@s this is horrible thank god for my wife being home she saved the fish dont have any clue why it cracked nothing hit it it cracked where my tunze powerhead was flowing could this have been caused by the ???"
The above example is the primary reason I went with acrylic. Acrylic tanks can fail too, but it's more uncommon. I would go with glass though if my tank were located in the basement. No weight issues there, and a leak isn't going to wreck your house. But in terms of clarity, a clean (unscratched) acrylic tank beats glass hands down.
Liam, I read somewhere that acrylic has a different optical density than glass. Ambient light in your room tends to pass through acrylic easier, with less reflection back at you. This helps give acrylic tanks that amazing look. With glass, light is more reflective, and bounces off.
bananaboat
Registered Member
Registered: Apr 2007
Location: newport MI
Occupation: glass plant
Posts: 38
" 300gal reef cracked???
my tank isnt even 1yr old and 11-28-08 the front pane cracked for no reason the stand is way over built and level looking for som e answers maybee you guys can help
only update is a bad one
this happen today while i was at work front pane cracked on my 300gal starphire reef this really s*&@s this is horrible thank god for my wife being home she saved the fish dont have any clue why it cracked nothing hit it it cracked where my tunze powerhead was flowing could this have been caused by the ???"
The above example is the primary reason I went with acrylic. Acrylic tanks can fail too, but it's more uncommon. I would go with glass though if my tank were located in the basement. No weight issues there, and a leak isn't going to wreck your house. But in terms of clarity, a clean (unscratched) acrylic tank beats glass hands down.
Liam, I read somewhere that acrylic has a different optical density than glass. Ambient light in your room tends to pass through acrylic easier, with less reflection back at you. This helps give acrylic tanks that amazing look. With glass, light is more reflective, and bounces off.
paulthomas
Punk
Man, you acrylic guys sure are trying to make for a good case. 
"Tastes great!"
"Less filling!"
Those are good points Paul. Have you had any issues with your acrylic yellowing since yours gets so much ambient light? Or is that a misconception?
BTW, your tank is still my favorite seen in person.
"Tastes great!"
"Less filling!"
Those are good points Paul. Have you had any issues with your acrylic yellowing since yours gets so much ambient light? Or is that a misconception?
BTW, your tank is still my favorite seen in person.
another glass pro - keeps my lighting inside the tank
the largest issue is the maintenance. If your not diligent, have the time to clean and polish, the acrylic tank will be impossible to clean up. If you let your glass tank build up to long, it scraps off without scratches that then need to be also polished. Acrylic is beutiful if you have someone with the patience to care for it. Thats not me, less maintenance is key.
I wonder of the tank that split was from Glass Cages.
Thanks Paul! I have never heard of the yellowing issue. I think if it was going to happen, it would be evident by now considering all the direct sunlight it gets. Believe me, I miss my old razor blade scraper I used to use on my glass tanks. A few swipes and I was done. Whats worse, now I have four sides to clean! But like my mother used to say, nothing good comes easy.
Liam
letting it grow
I think that is a key point,you really need to avoid getting to the point where the acrylic gets that dirty,daily cleaning to prevent coraline.
Glass all the way.
