acrylic tanks? opinions...

[ilovemydragongoby]

i've heard from a couple of different sources that acrylic fish tanks are a money saving way to build your own tank. now are they as good as glass? (strong, sturdy, etc)

this is a link that i found for one site
Building an Acrylic Aquarium
i just wanted to know if anyone has ever done this, or if its a good way to build a tank in the long run.

 

[cmor1701d]

They are lighter than glass but scratch eaiser than glass.
I say go for it, take pictures at every step and post a build thread.

 

[Jimbo7]

Me and my brother built a frag tank out of acrylic. It was a lot easier then it seems, just nerve wracking the first time around. The 30g link in my sig has the build thread or I believe there is an article of it.

 

[pat8you]

It depends on what size tank you want to build. Larger tanks are going to require acrylic. In most cases i would say glass is going to be cheaper though. I prefer a glass tank if i can becuase acrylic does scratch pretty easily and it is a pain if you ever need to move your rocks and just weekly scraping of coraline off the acrylic will get you a couple scratches if you are not very careful.

 

[ilovemydragongoby]

hmm, well the tank will have a sand substrate...probably pool filter sand since i've learned my lesson with play sand. and we'll probably be building a 90 or 100gal. not sure yet. we were thinking about making a cube tank aswell. the 90 or 100gal, will be the new home of my black ghost knife, barbs, mollies and otos. i'll worry about the stocking list later though...

how thick would the acrylic have to be for a 90 or 100gal tank?

 

[Jimbo7]

We have a 90 gallon acrylic sitting in the garage (for sale ) I can measure how thick it is tonight when i get home for you.

 

[ilovemydragongoby]

hmmm, i'd buy it from you...except i live in canada lol...it would probably cost more to ship it than what you want for it

 

[Jimbo7]

Haha, hence my goofy face. feel free to PM me or pat if you have any questions on the build. looking forward to your build!

 

[ilovemydragongoby]

thanks! and i probably will. i know we wont be starting the build until after my boyfriends holidays so probably not until september

 

[mgamer20o0]

check monster fish keepers or cichlids.com for diy builds. a lot of people use plywood and then use glass or acrylic for the front. helps keep cost down.

 

[mrg02d]

Id like to further reinforce the idea of scratching easily. Acrylic is a PAIN!!!! It really is! No matter how careful, youll put nasty scratches that will cause OCD people to go nuts!

Also, algae scrubbers such as mag-float will ruin the tank over time. Im talking THOUSANDS of micro scratches and whatnot. And yes, I am using the mag-floats made for acrylic.

Id go with aragonite sand as I beleive it is calcium carbonate, right? Thats going to be softer than silica sand by far. (Less likely to scratch the you know what out of the tank). Or at least, thats what I am guessing. No matter what, youll need to come up with a very strict habit when working near the tank.

Matt

 

[Crepe]

Yep silica sand is a lot harder than aragonite. (silica sand is basically rounded glass dust particles). Acrylic scratches VERY EASILY. Just be careful and you will be fine.

 

[ilovemydragongoby]

thanks guys, will be def take all your advice into consideration