Acrylic vs glass tank upgrade..

Want to see how bad acrylic can scratch? (found these on the web)

 

hahaha. That first one looks like a glass tank I got, used.

 

This is the most debated subject in our hobby. I've had both and I can easily see why.

Acrylic is lighter and clearer, has rounded corners but is easily suseptable to scratches and harder to clean.
Negative: Be careful when cleaning the acrylic, always let loose of the magnetic scraper when it goes into the sand.

Glass is heavier, sharp corners, clarity is slightly less but much easier to maintain and resists scrathes better.
Negative: Be careful of the sharp corners and let all children and family know about it.

Bottom line... It's all a matter of taste and being careful with the negatives.

My preference is All Glass tanks with built in overflows.

 

Pros and cons I would have to say glass is the better bet.

My reasons? Well starters its less likely to scratch and much cheaper not to mention over all maintenance is much easier on glass then it is for acrylic!

 

hmm, im just so paranoid of a damn leak. has anyone every put like a thin layer of fiberglass around the edges of the glass tanks so if the silicone failed nothing would happen?

 

Man if you have a brand new tank and it leaks you had better find another hobby, I have had tanks since I was 10 years old (I am 51 now) and never once had a tank just spontaneously leak. And I really don't see how silicone can fail, unless its a really old tank. I hate to tell everyone but a Acrylic tank can leak just a easily as a glass one and what sucks is acrylic cannot be fixed as easily and as well as a glass can.

Once you have a star-fire you will never go back! its well worth the few extra bucks to get a tank made out of it. my next tank will be a 300 with 2 sides and one end star-fire and thats a promise.

As far as scratching goes, glass can be scratched to! but one of the the advantages to acrylic is depending on how deep the scratch is it can be removed where taking one out of glass is almost impossible. I have a 75 that got scratched 2 weeks after I set it up and there isn't anything I can do about it.

For the money I feel glass tanks are Safer and so much better than acrylic tanks, but that just my opinion.

 

One other thing about acrylic is that they are much harder to work on because the opening on the top is recessed unlike the glass tanks where it's totally open on the top.

 

hm. anyone have any comments on that fiberglass idea, im not going to do it but jw if its ever been done. I think i will probably end up getting a 40 breeder glass, id like starfire but dunno where to get it made for cheap (or at least somewhat). Ill probably just have to put the tank in a place with less traffic.

 

To be completley honest, you would be just wasting your time and money and it really would look kind of crappy IMO.

 

lol once again, i just said im not going to do. I was just WONDERING haha.