Glass or Acrylic?
- Thread starter newhobby
- Start date
sfboarders
Guest
Acrylic is nice and light but like C says does scratch easily. Me personally I'm going with Starphire with my next tank. Glass is heavier but don't worry a bunch of BAR members can help you move your tank. 
iCon
Supporting Member
Gonzo said:I think the correct answer is "it depends." There are a lot of attractions to both. The biggest thing I'm scared of with going Acrylic is scratching it. However, in my new apartment, the scare of the my aquaruim breaking through the floor outweighs my other fear
The weight of the tank itself won't make or break your floor .. If it's that close/you're worried about it that much, then maybe reconsider
tuberider
Guest
iCon said:Gonzo said:I think the correct answer is "it depends." There are a lot of attractions to both. The biggest thing I'm scared of with going Acrylic is scratching it. However, in my new apartment, the scare of the my aquaruim breaking through the floor outweighs my other fear
The weight of the tank itself won't make or break your floor .. If it's that close/you're worried about it that much, then maybe reconsider
Tell that to the guys that helped me move my tank into my apartment...
rygh
Guest
I would say acrylic and Starphire or similar glass are about even.
+1 on "depends".
I would not get standard plate glass for a big tank. As it gets thick, the greenish hue and loss of clarity become noticeable.
I chose acrylic largely due to two reasons:
1) DIY factor. It is a whole lot easier to drill holes, add overflows, and otherwise tweak.
2) The kid factor. They play and are careless, sometimes with things that could shatter glass.
That total instant failure mode of shattered glass scares me, especially if kid is in front of it.
Insulation is a better for acrylic, and probably better in an earthquake..
But yeah, scratches can be really annoying, not impossible to buff out on the inside, but nearly so.
+1 on "depends".
I would not get standard plate glass for a big tank. As it gets thick, the greenish hue and loss of clarity become noticeable.
I chose acrylic largely due to two reasons:
1) DIY factor. It is a whole lot easier to drill holes, add overflows, and otherwise tweak.
2) The kid factor. They play and are careless, sometimes with things that could shatter glass.
That total instant failure mode of shattered glass scares me, especially if kid is in front of it.
Insulation is a better for acrylic, and probably better in an earthquake..
But yeah, scratches can be really annoying, not impossible to buff out on the inside, but nearly so.
seminolecpa
Past President
If I can take a play on a quote from Risky Business.
Glass ...... there is no substitute.
That said I think I might still be nursing a hernia from moving several tanks.
Glass ...... there is no substitute.
That said I think I might still be nursing a hernia from moving several tanks.
Coral reefer
Past President
There was a sweet hybrid on reefbuikders recently. I had thought of it before but wasn't sure how possible it was. Acrylic all around with a starfire front panel. Pretty cool. Light. Drillabke, harder to scratch!
G
GreshamH
Guest
tuberider said:
That was the RB post Mike is refereeing to, although, it wasn't all the recent (many months ago)
Coral reefer
Past President
Huh, I mustve seen a link to it on a recent post then. My bad. That tank makes me think about a bigger better tank...better not think about it anymore!