Acrylic or glass

[jgentry]

I'm about to upgrade my 45 gallon that I'm growing out my 6 discus in to a 90 or 120 gallon. I've never had an acrylic tank and don't know the benifits or negatives. Can someone please give me what the advantages or disadvantages are. I'm looking at the 90 gallon but just don't know if I should get glass or acrylic.

Also, I'm looking at ordering from this website. http://www.glasscages.com/?sAction=Home

They are located an hour from me so I wouldn't have to pay shipping. Has anyone else ever bought from this company. Any thoughts on the craftmanship of the tanks, stands and canopies. I'm hoping someone from here has bought one of there tanks so I can get some first hand experience. They also have a bunch of tanks listed on ebay.

Thanks,
J.D.

[Tropical Haven]

Acylic advantages: Lighter, stronger, better insulated, easy to drill holes and much clearer than glass.

The only disadvantage is it scratches easily. If you have the opportunity to get acrylic then I would go that route for sure.

[harris611]

I've had both and prefer glass because of the scratch factor, but it depends...

Advantages of glass -- MUCH harder to scratch, generally less likely to pop a seem (in my experience). Generally less expensive than quality acrylic, but not always. Big advantage is the toughness. This was really important when I had 300 lbs of live rock in a reef aquarium -- might be less of an issue with discus.

Disadvantages of glass -- if it does scratch, nothing you can do about it. Not as bright / clear as acrylic (unless you pay for Starfire glass), but not very noticeable to me unless side-by-side. MUCH heavier. Up to about the 200 gallon size it is manageable, but it took four really big guys to move my empty 220 Oceanic -- and none of them will help me move it ever again.

Advantages of Acrylic -- Much brighter and lighter. If it scratches, you can buff them out (even with the water still in it), although not super easily. It holds heat much better than glass / more insulating.

Disadvantages of Acrylic -- Scratches, scratches, scratches!!! I have never seen an acrylic tank over a year old that was not noticeably scratched up. Not necessarily always the case, but more the rule than the exception. As for buffing out scratches, unlike glass, it can be done, however, do not let anyone tell you that it is easy. I finally gave up on trying to buff out the scratches on my 110. It took forever to really smooth them out and I ran out of energy after about 6 months of constant vigilance.

My opinion, FWIW -- anything over 200g I would go acrylic, anything under, glass. And if I could afford it, I would go with Starfire glass, at least for the front panel.

Good luck!

Matt

[jgentry]

So the acrylic scratches really easy. Does it mainly get scratched during cleaning? The price diffence for a 90 gallon is only $40 between the glass and the acrylic. I thought the acrylic would be clearer, that's why I was leaning that way. But I don't want a tank that is all scratched up after only a year. Makes me think that maybe glass would be a safer option

[Harriett]

Matt,
what's starfire glass?
THanks,
Harriett

[RockHound]

Since they are only an hour away from you.
Before buying.
I would go eyeball them, to see how well they are built.
Because some acrylic tanks are built, far higher quality, than others.
Thicker acrylic is better than thin.

If you ever have to move a large tank.
Acrylic being much lighter, is far easier to move.
But, is more susceptible to getting scratched, scuffed.
So, portability is a factor, if moves are in your future.

How the stand is configured, how tall it is & where it will be situated,
Is also a factor.
If you have kids, dogs, cats, parrots, alcohol lubricated super bowl parties, BBQ‘S, etc.
If an acrylic tank is situated in a high traffic area.
Over time, you can expect it to get scratched, scuffed etc.

I saw an acrylic tank, not long ago, with a big hazy spot on it.
From where idiot owner tried to buff out a scratch.
His inexperience with acrylic, made it worse.
As he used a high speed buffer & made a big mess of it.

So consider all the variables, before buying.
Each has it’s place.

[RockHound]

Matt,
what's starfire glass?
THanks,
Harriett


http://www.m3glass.com/Starphire.htm

[harris611]

Scratches are in the eye of the beholder. So some, tiny scratches are not noticeable and to others the same scratch can be maddening. If you are careful (and not having sharp corals and rocks, or having to scrape off hard coraline algae like you do in a reef) you may not have a ton of trouble. You will get some, though, no matter what you do. Outside and inside -- catching a piece of gravel when wiping down, chasing fish around with the net, putting in a new rock, etc. And outside will just depend on how high a traffic area your tank is in.

My advice would be go visit a couple pet stores (most will use acrylic) and see how much the scratches bug you. At the end of the day, you will have people aggressively argue for both -- which means to me (since I'm a glass half-full kind of guy) you can't be going too wrong with either choice.:D

On the Starfire front, I see someone posted a link. I don't know how many folks have seen a Starfire tank in person, but they really are that gorgeous. You really don't feel like you are looking through green glass until you've seen the alternative -- man they are expensive though...

[jgentry]

The site I listed has starfire glass as an option. Would it be worth getting the front glass in starfire? It would be about about $120 more. How does the acrylic compare to the starfire as far as clearity? The tank will be in a very low traffic area, pretty much no one other then myself for cleaning or feeding will ever touch it. There will be only sand, drift wood and plants in it for decorations. So it shouldn't have very many reasons to get scratched other then cleaning it.

[harris611]

Sand is the enemy of acrylic -- it will scratch some over time when you are cleaning. Again, a lot of times those scratches are small and not too noticeable. There are a lot of advantages that may outweigh that for you. If you HATE scratches (like I do), go glass.

Starfire is as clear as acrylic, very similar...I would just do front panel...

[happygirl65]

Also you should take into account if you will be having any pleco or other sucker mouth fish....my 55 got scratched up a lot from them on the inside...not so easy to buff out.

My kids used the "magnet cleaner" on it and did even more damage since there was a couple grains of sand on the inside felt piece.... I had to retire it finally as it was hazy from all the scratches after a couple of years.

Not to mention the scratches from the kids driving cars on it and other unknown hideous things that kids do when you are not looking. lol

[salth20]

At the end of the day, you'll have a pretty equal number of answers on both sides. My tank is now 8 years old. It housed marines, (a FOWLR fish only w/live rock) and was BB except for a scattering of sand in front. Still in fine shape, very minimal scratches. My personal experience is that (again my personal experience and opinion) if you set the tank up properly in the first place, and monitor it daily, you will have fewer scratches in the long run. What? How does that relate? The most scratched and torn up, run down tanks at friends houses are the ones where the reef wasn't secured (fishing line, tyraps) and noctural animals toppled the reef. Or the guy that says he couldn't resist buying those 3 (fill in the blank) and spent his money on livestock instead of maybe new hardware (salt, skimmer stones, TEST KITS) and wonders why the nitrates are at 100ppm and he's got a wicked algae problem, scraping the glass everyday. Point of the statement is that there are 2 ways to do anything. You can be patient, invest in good hardware up front for your life support and tank maintenance, or constantly fight the thing and mother nature, lose livestock, and clean the tank, scratching it.
I like acrylic. It is clearer than regular glass. It's way lighter, and holds heat better. You can drill at will with common tools, and even cover holes with a simple plex plate and acrylic solvent if you needed to. You can have the back (and sides) be a nice blue or even a euro look black. Make sure your builder uses cell cast, and has experience building tanks. A lot of companies can glue acrylic (even me!) but I know I can't build an aquarium. I only use paper towels (basic Bounty) folded to about 4x4 to wipe the front glass. Keep your substrate thickness low in front, and be careful when wiping that area. On my next tank I plan on having a 90 installed between the front and the floor of the tank, across the bottom, about an inch high and wide. This will set the substrate back away from the glass, holding it there, and give me a place for water to be pumped slow flow as the first stage of a denitrator. It will also keep the substrate from being picked up by cleaning tools, and drug across the front of the tank while cleaning. If you aren't the careful type, or won't stay on top of tank maintenance, get glass. They are more forgiving.

[jgentry]

Thanks for everyones responses. It seems like you could be pretty happy with either glass or acrylic. The whole scratching thing really scares me even though I'm very careful with me tanks. So I've decided to go with glass. I also found a lot of bad reviews (plenty of good to though) about the aquarium manufacture store about an hour away. Plus when I called them they pretty much told me to order online then I can come pick up the tank. They said they are not a store and do not let people come by and pick out tanks or check things out. This makes me very scared of them, they might be great, but I'm not risking it. A local store just got a shipment of tanks in for a pretty good price. They have 75g for $349, 72 bowfronts for $469, and 110g for $499 or $629 drilled with overflows. All with tank hood and stand. I think I'm just going to go pick one of those out tonight.

Thanks for everyones help,
J.D.

[RockHound]

I also found a lot of bad reviews (plenty of good to though) about the aquarium manufacture store about an hour away. Plus when I called them they pretty much told me to order online then I can come pick up the tank. They said they are not a store and do not let people come by and pick out tanks or check things out. This makes me very scared of them, they might be great, but I'm not risking it. J.D.

LOL, order, pay & pick up later.
Without being able to SEE it, or others first.

GREAT EXAMPLE OF BAD CUSTOMER RELATIONS.
I would not buy them, based on that alone.

[Glock19]

Hello All,
10 days late but wanted to let you know of my experience.
I just picked up my 90 gal tank from Glass Cages in Dickson,TN
2 days ago. They are located on a "farm" like setting and I was greeted with 5 or 6 dogs with wagging tails. The building is nothing to look at but it seems like all the workers are happy and "laid back".
I ordered the tank online and called to discuss and actually pay for the tank, the next day. It took appx 10 days to complete. I was told "about 2 weeks" but they finished it sooner.
I ordered mine with Starphire glass on the front panel and both side panels. It really does make a difference. The person I placed the order with informed me that he recommends the Starphire glass if the fish I planned to put in the tank were very colorful. He said the more colorful the fish, the bigger difference the Starphire would make. It is as clear as any acrylic tank I have ever seen. All who
have seen the tank agree, although some think it makes a bigger difference than others.
I opted for the Starphire because I'm going to have appx $3000.00 total tied up in the tank,stand,filters,sterilizers,plants and fish so I thought less than $150.00 extra was worth it (Total tank price was $375.35).
The tank has some glass reinforcing strips on the bottom that looks like it may make the tank stronger than tanks I have seen without it (Oceanic,Perfecto,All Glass,etc).
The tank had a little excess silicone that I scraped off with a razor blade. The plastic "frame" on top and bottom of the tank is very plain, but mine will be covered by the stand and canopy so it is a non issue to me.
I'm very happy with this tank and VERY GLAD I opted for the Starphire.
I hope my experience will be a help to others.

Thanks,
Brian
P.S. While picking up my tank, I saw some absoultely Huge tanks in the manufacturing plant. Tanks that big had to be for a public aquarium or maybe a multimillion dollar house or business?....:angel:

[Apistomaster]

I used to have a 125 gal Plexi reef tank and I sure appreciated the lighter weight of plexi. when I moved. It does scratch easily but I have scratched all glass tanks using magnet scrapers with a grain of sand embedded in the scouring surface.

Only a few of the larger species of plecos, Large Panaque species in particular can scratch plexi. None of the Hypancistrus or Peckoltia species will damage the plexi surface nor will the common Ancistrus sp 3.