acrylic vs glass

[mrbill]

First alittle background. Newbie to reef tanks. I had Fish only SW tanks in mid 80's and a lot has changed since then. I have been doing alot of reading and now I'm about to start spending money. Sold my 55 gal. and want to buy a 75 gal.
I've been having a problem trying to decide on whether to go with predrilled glass or an acrylic ( also drilled ). At the LFS the acrylic looks nicer, but they have only been setup for about 5-6 months so you don't see any scratches. I am very careful when cleaning but still concerned. there is only a $10 differance in price between tanks.
Any feedback would really be appreciated. thanks

 

[Mikef1]

I would go with glass because you know when you are scraping coraline algae off the acrylic you will probably scratch it up real bad.

 

[Jolieve]

If you have kids, be prepared to get out that scratch kit at least once a month for exterior scratch repair. If you have a magfloat, and kids... be prepared to buff interior scratches more than once a year.

I love acrylic's appearance. It really is gorgeous, there are a lot of good reasons to use acrylic. It's easier to drill if you decide you want a built in overflow. It's lighter than glass, making moving an empty tank a breeze. It's also not as brittle as glass, meaning it's less likely to shatter in the event of an earthquake.

But.. if scratches are going to be a problem for you, then I say go with glass. Also, coralline seems to grow faster on acrylic, though I can't tell you why. I have to be religious about scrubbing coralline off the tank sides daily, otherwise my entire tank would be pink. My husband's glass tank doesn't have this problem.

Good luck and enjoy your tank, whatever you decide!

J.

 

[J.Howard]

I have both, but was glad my 200 was acrylic when I brought it it. Easy to move with 2 people. It was used so I bought a scratch kit and it came out really nice. Glass is easier to clean though IMO. You can use more of a variety of cleaning tools/methods. Glass also seems easier to order in custom designs compared w/ acrylic in my research, but I could be wrong. Hope this helps.

 

[Anonymous]

personally i perfer glass..dont really care for acrylic just becuz of the scratches...acrylic is lighter but id rather move the xtra weight then have to repair scratches everyother month...this is my personal preference of course...

 

[ricky1414]

glass is cool, but heavy, and hard to drill if not preinstalled with holes. my acrylic is nice, but i just about pooped my pants when i saw acouplr of scratches from my mag float. I now use a plastic razor blade dealy thingee. it works reallly well. I can use as much pressure as I want, and no scrathces. Also take off the corraline that the magnet couldn't.

 

[jandree22]

Any feedback would really be appreciated. thanks

If I were you, I'd get a bigger tank. I have a 75 now and wish it'd have a lot bigger. I'm gonna get a 180gal. but a) I can't afford it right now with a summer job/college b) I'm movin out of the parents house in the next year or two so I dont wanna set it up to tear it down again.

But, anyways, if you can afford it and have room for it, get as big as you can cause a 75 fills up quick :roll: Just my experience and personal opinion, though.

No experience with acrylic, although it is true that glass distorts your vision especially when you've got your nose pressed against it to look at those lil critters :lol:

 

[buoymarker28]

okay i'll chime in. I just bought an oceanic 125. Been outta the hobby for about 5 years but now getting back in.

I had a customer canopy built so i'd have room for metal halide lights. However, i couldn't afford a chiller and i'm not sure exactly how to keep the water cool enough....so i'm going with VHO flor lights at least at first until i can get my feet wet again...

 

[jandree22]

However, i couldn't afford a chiller and i'm not sure exactly how to keep the water cool enough....so i'm going with VHO flor lights at least at first until i can get my feet wet again...

A simple inexpensive fan or two from Radio Shack built into a canopy will work wonders. Only downside is it'll cause a great deal of evaporation...however some people like this as it allows you to dose a good deal of kalkwasser.

 

[J.Howard]

Yep, get a fan or two. My VHOs will raise the temp in my 200 1-2 degrees in a matter of a few hours, and I haven't even gotten to summer yet. And the MH's...I love em but :x hot.(did buy a chiller though not hooked up yet)In the meantime, a couple of standard biscuit fans did the trick. You can get the fancy Ice Cap variable speed if you like, but I just use a cheap Honeywell refrig. temp controller (totally analog man) which can handle 110V or 220V. Easy to wire and cheap to build. My "system" cost about $20. Or just run them on the same circuit as your lights so they come on with them.

 

[buoymarker28]

wait a sec...my tank isn't an oceanic it's a tenecor...what was i thinking...

how high above the water do you guys normally keep the MH? I live in Texas and those summers can get brutal... i guess i could buy a chiller.

 

[jandree22]

I live in Texas and those summers can get brutal... i guess i could buy a chiller.

If you have the $$$ for one, in Texas that's sure as hell not a bad idea...I've had problems with PA's summer :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

i keep my MH's 10in above the water...i honestly dont see a dif when i was running my PCs(temp wise) the PC's were closer...i would love to have a chiller but the cheapest i found (not talking about the drill in tank deal) was about $299 that was measured in watts not Hp..mainly for small tanks...but still kinda spendy..maybe buy an old fridge and turn that into a cooler...get a thermo electric cooler..thats what those were for $299...