Glass or Acrylic Tanks?

[Gti_Leo]

Wow...I loved it and also use to build plywood and concrete tanks. But I found them to have weakness's like all materials have. Both glass and acrylic aquariums need to adhere to basic structural rules. Cel cast is certainly stronger than welded. (Or is it? Another discussion) And silicon seals have held up for decades. Lead free glass is deluxe but heavy and really expensive. Doing anything but flat surfaces and glass gets crazy expensive. With an exception of some factory made glass tanks that have no seams. Regular glass is too green for anything but pretty shallow tanks.
It goes on, everything is a trade off.

As to plywood, never came up with a coating that would hold up like glass or acrylic. The glass to wood seams were also sometimes a problem. But they were cheap and held water.
I bet you love old wooden sail boats?
I think Mr_X was also a fan of plywood and even concrete tanks.

no not a sail boater

 

[mr_X]

I like big tanks, period! Some of the tanks you mentioned have to be built in place. Concrete, and wood, depending on the size (I don't think anyone is going to make a wood 30 breeder...lol). I wanted a tank that I could keep fish until they were full grown in. I haven't been able to accomplish this and even this 300 is quite limited. I believe my 5" vlamingi tang has already outgrown this tank.
It seems he really wants to take off and as soon as he get's going, he's got to turn around...

 

[Gregcoyote]

I have the same issue with my 300. These fish need a lot of room.

 

[mr_X]

Not to change the subject totally, but eventually, I'd like to swap out this 300 for an 8' x 6' x 25" tall display. I wonder what something like that would cost.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Not to change the subject totally, but eventually, I'd like to swap out this 300 for an 8' x 6' x 25" tall display. I wonder what something like that would cost.

You're saving a lot of money by designing it to be 25" tall. It would depend on what you built it from. If you were doing a build in a new house, you could use almost anything that was saltwater proof and you braced it for the pressure. I too would like to have a 8' plus run for my tangs.

 

[mr_X]

You're saving a lot of money by designing it to be 25" tall.

I gotta be able to reach the bottom and light it!

 

[Gregcoyote]

My wife, who cleans the tank (I do everything else) agrees with you. Mine is deep and a challenge to clean at the bottom.

 

[mr_X]

I gotta get one of dem dere wives....sound like a good addition to my tank!

 

[Gregcoyote]

Too expensive and faulty software can cause major headaches.

 

[mr_X]

LMAO.....aighty then. I'll stick to girlfriends that can easily be jettisoned in the event of software glitches...

 

[Gti_Leo]

Too expensive and faulty software can cause major headaches.

LMAO i'm not married but aint it the truth, its not just the wife kind either its all of them :s

 

[Gregcoyote]

We better be careful. There are ladies on this forum that no doubt have their own opinions. And yes, I am available for light yard work and auto maintenance.

 

[Gti_Leo]

We better be careful. There are ladies on this forum that no doubt have their own opinions. And yes, I am available for light yard work and auto maintenance.

you're right i deleted my call girl thing the other i'll leave

 

[obscurereef]

I always am in awe when I see an acrylic tank b/c it's so much more clear than my glass tank. Of course I can't afford acrylic so for me, glass is the best, cheapest material for a tank. Acrylic scratches extremely easily which is quite annoying, but the clarity is worth it.

Starphire vs. Acrylic though...that's a tough choice.

 

[Andy Sager]

Say what you want about glass tanks but I've had all mine for at least 30 years and only resealed one in all that time. The tanks held up even after being empty for almost 10 years. In that same amount of time, the acrylic tank I made discolored and the acrylic came from a tank manufacturer.
The plus side to Acrylic tho is the weight. I can carry an Acrylic 55 by myself but need help with anything glass larger than 30 gals. But I don't like the scratches on the inside of an acrylic tank expecially when the algae grows in the scratch and shows. Then you need to be careful which scrub pad you use. I don't like complications

 

[Gregcoyote]

My tank has bent corners in the front. The piece of low lead glass needed to replace the acrylic would be north of $8000. Glass is beautiful, but most big tanks are acrylic because of weight, color clarity when the thickness is over 1/4" and cost.

 

[Ronald Marcelo]

I always am in awe when I see an acrylic tank b/c it's so much more clear than my glass tank. Of course I can't afford acrylic so for me, glass is the best, cheapest material for a tank. Acrylic scratches extremely easily which is quite annoying, but the clarity is worth it.

Starphire vs. Acrylic though...that's a tough choice.

Agreed!

I went starphire because it scratches less easily. Idk maybe because i have starphire, I still think acrylic is more clear. It's only 55 gallons (my first) and I know in a about a year I will upgrade to 100 lol. Im a noob but i read a lot and asked a lot of advice before i started. I still do...

 

[obscurereef]

Agreed!

I went starphire because it scratches less easily. Idk maybe because i have starphire, I still think acrylic is more clear. It's only 55 gallons (my first) and I know in a about a year I will upgrade to 100 lol. Im a noob but i read a lot and asked a lot of advice before i started. I still do...

Starphire has a nice look, but maybe it tricks me since most of the people who own starphire tanks have beautiful established SPS dominant tanks. So maybe it's the corals that make the tank beautiful, not necessarily the glass.

 

[Jonnypro]

I picked up this 135g acrylic tank for $125. It was on Craigslist and I new I wasn't ready to set it up but I got it because I thought of was a steal. Buffed out the scratches. Here's a pic. Before and after.

 

[Andy Sager]

My tank has bent corners in the front. The piece of low lead glass needed to replace the acrylic would be north of $8000. Glass is beautiful, but most big tanks are acrylic because of weight, color clarity when the thickness is over 1/4" and cost.

That reminds me of an old local aquarium company that made a standard 975 gal glass tank. It was the only tank that was built in place. Each pane of glass took 5 guys at a minimum to move into place. Talk about weight I can definitely see the advantages today of using Acrylic for larger tanks for sure. Even if it wasn't the clearest