50 gal acrylic or 55 gal glass?

[smilla4]

Well I tore down my ten and 12 g tanks last year to move, and so I'm getting ready to get started again!

This time I'm debating between a seaclear 50g and a normal 55g glass tank.

The pros of the acrylic are that it's lighter, clearer, and has a smaller footprint.

The cons are that it seems algae gets on the top of the tank under the "lip" where I doubt the snails will get it. And it scratches easily. Both really bug me, cuz I will see them.

The height of the two tanks is close, and I intend to grow plants. So that means extra light, as well. I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do for light, or if I should even go coverless?

As for what's in the tank: I'm thinking maybe sand, yoyo loaches, and malaysian trumpet snails. I'll have to figure out what plants will go in - if it will be just plants that attach themselves to driftwood, or actually root, and what does well in sand... I'm not sure that ghost shrimp will survive with the loaches, since I hear they tend to eat them. And for the top part of the tank I'm not sure what I will get? Female bettas? Gourami? Rasboras? .... I guess I will look into loaches more to see what they go along with.

[rich311k]

Both will do the job. Have you compared the prices?

[Macrosill]

You may want to consider which one will be easier to purchase accesories for. If the acrylic tank is an odd lenth it may be difficult and expesive to find a hood. The 55 gal glass is 48 in length and will use 2 standard 24 inch hoods, they are common and cheap. Bulbs may also be a problem with odd sized tanks and hoods.