acrylic of glass?

[Badfishofbabylon]

Ok so I'm pretty sure this had been asked to death but I could find it when I searched it. What type of tank should I buy, acrylic or glass. Its going to be 100-150gal. I know the pros and cons too both, the strength, the clarity, ect. I have had 2 acrylics, one was my dads 120 and the other is my 35 that I took down when I moved. They were great but they scratched way too easily. So I guess what I'm asking is the pro to acrylic worth dealing with how easily it scratches. Also I have heard about Starfire glass or something, it's clearer be it scratches easier thar normal glass. Does anyone have any insight on this? Thanks

 

[neilanh]

I'm a glass guy personally.

 

[six2sevenproductions]

Starfire glass scratches just the same as regular glass. It looks great but is very costly.

 

[PrettyFishies]

+1 for glass. Don't like the scratch potential of acrylic.

 

[BigJim]

Acrylic is lightweight and doesn't distort colors, but it scratches easily.

Glass is heavy and may distort colors slightly, but it's pretty tough.

Starphire glass (low-iron) doesn't distort colors and it's tough, but it's heavy and expensive.

If money and weight are no object, I'd go with a custom tank with Starphire glass for the front and sides. In reality, if you've got a few strong friends, I'd go with glass. It's cheaper and it holds up better than acrylic.

 

[Lawngnome]

I have personally never owned an acrylic tank but one benefit I could see would be not having the seals on the edges and even having rounded edges.

Can acrylic change color over time? For example clear to yellow the way plastics do.

 

[pat8you]

+1 Acrylic Scratches to easily. If you have the money i would go starphire but it is expensive.

 

[Deep Seven]

It hasn't been mentioned yet, but acrylic is a better heat insulator. Both glass and acrylic have horrible insulating values, but acrylic is quite a bit better then glass. If the tank temperature is going to be significantly different from ambient temperature, then acrylic is definately worth considering. If it's a coldwater tank then acrylic is less likely to get condensation.

 

[Laurence]

I havea 185-gallon acrylic tank which has held up very well. Acrylic is 3 or 4 times as strong as glass, and it is flexible so it won't crack under stress. Alas, acrylic is a kind of plastic so it scratches easily. Either/or - for a large tank I would go with acrylic because of lighter weight and greater strength.