Acrylic vs Glass

[agent6473]

Paul, how do you go about cleaning your panes of acrylic and how often do you do it? I'm actually thinking of going with acrylic on my new custom tank, but need to know what I'm getting into in terms of making my panes look like yours long term. What's your secret?

Chris

 

[fanaglethebagle]

Well it looks like Mac is winning.



Fanagle should be around anytime now!

If Macs made fishtanks they would be closed in glass boxes with some pretty stuff in it, but you can't change anything. A starfire tank is more like a custom made PC, clear where you want it and still adjustable.

 

[wsonner]

5 minutes with a magna float and a grain of sand on my brand new acrylic tank and I promised to never do acrylic again.

 

[reefkeeper2]

I have a micro mesh kit. It's basically sand paper for acrylic. This is the time of year I work on the acrylic surfaces. Perfect chore for a winter afternoon when I'm bored to death. If there are no major scratches, I use the highest grade paper, attach it to my magnet with a rubber band and buff till crystal clear. Most of the time there are some scratches, so I have to pick a courser grade and work my way up. The key is not to do too much at one time or you'll get impatient and do a lousy job. It's tedious work.
For regular cleaning I have a bunch of weird but effective tools. Besides a regular magnet cleaner and Kent scaper, I sometimes use an old credit card or CD to get tough coraline off. I have a toothbrush for the corners, and my secret weapon is an old aluminum pancake spatula. The spatula will get the crud off no matter what it is, and since it's so dull it has never scratched the acrylic. Generally, your not supposed to use metal on acrylic.
Liam is right about not letting it get too bad. Acrylic is not for the person who takes a vacation from his tank for a few months. But with a little work you can rejuvenate a neglected tank. Well, maybe more then a little