a good acrylic tank?

[jjohns]

My 90 gallon glass aquarium just leaked over night and dumped about 20 gallons of water or so onto my new flooring. Needless to say that the flooring will have to be replaced and the carpeting from the next room was pulled back and is now drying. I had the aquarium for about 7 years, and when I got it, I stripped out all of the silicone and re-sealed all the seams with new silicone. It worked great until now. And now, after all this mess, I am extremely paranoid about fixing it again with the possibility that this could happen again in the future. What if I hadn't been here to catch it in the act?

So, I am thinking of keeping the stand (it is a cast iron welded stand that has a large piece of 3/4 inch plywood that sits under the tank to distribute the weight) and getting an acrylic tank instead of a glass one.

Any opinions? I could get the same size tank I think and use the same stand. I have read that acrylic aquariums don't have seams (or they are chemically welded/melted together) and therefore you don't have to worry about leaks. But, they scratch alot easier and are usually more expensive from what I have read. Does anyone care to offer their advice? Also, has anyone heard of glasscages.com--they sell both glass and acrylic tanks. I was just wondering about their quality of acrylic tanks? What else do I need to worry about with acrylic?

[Rbishop]

Glass Cages has a thumvs up from me, on all the tanks I have from them glass or acryllic. Scratches will happen aand glass tanks can leak. Everyone has their preferred one. I like them both.

[jjohns]

So is it true that acrylic tanks basically canNOT leak? Are there really any seams in them at all then? Glasscages.com uses 3/8" thick acrylic--is that thick enough and durable enough for a 90 gallon? Also, they say that their acrylic tanks have rounded front corners and the back corners I believe are capped in black trim. It sounds like they use an epoxy to chemically weld the corners together and the back side to the bottom. In your opinion, is that type of seam a lot more durable than the silicone seams in a glass tank?

As you can tell, my biggest concern right now is leakage--whether it is a month from now or 20 years from now. I want to be able to leave for a weekend or a trip and not have to worry about a seam breaking open and leaking 90 gallons through my flooring and through the downstairs ceiling. I would like to keep my tank on the upper floor of the house, but if I can't be guaranteed against leaks, then I would have to try to find a spot in the basement for it just to minimize damage if a leak ever occurred. Can you tell that I am extremely paranoid now? I guess it only has to happen to you once and that is all it takes. I can deal with scratches and if I know ahead of time how sensitive acrylic is to objects and cleanings, then I would take precautions for it. If scratching is the biggest concern, I think I would sleep easier knowing it is leak proof than if it had a couple small scratches.

Can the acrylic tanks (made by glasscages or other manufacturer) discolor or yellow overtime, or become bowed or distorted at all? This area is new to me, so I am full of questions before I would take the plunge!:)

[mellowvision]

no, this is not true. the only way a plastic tank could not leak is if it were a cast resin tank, which would be incredibly expensive to make on a large scale. leaks come at the seams, which are vulnerable no matter what.

acrylic plate is less likely to break than glass plate... but that doesn't mean it can't leak.

any plastic can yellow over time, it just depends on how much time you're talking about. acrylic is also much easier to scratch, and enough micro scratches can make the plastic take on color from the lights and surroundings.

[jjohns]

Thanks for your input. Ya, I guess unless they are molded to form a unified single piece of acrylic, they can't be totally seamless. The acrylic just sounds more appealing right now because of my big disaster leak that I had, and are "virtually" leak proof according to many sites. Some manufactures say they offer a lifetime guarantee on theirs. I guess that is a little more comforting to someone like me. And thanks, rbishop for your input too. I am glad I heard from at least one person who has an acrylic tank from glasscages. If anyone else has one, please let me know your opinion too.

How does the top of an acrylic tank differ from a glass one--and what kind of lid and lighting are you suppose to use?

[Rbishop]

I have never seen an acryllic tank leak. The back rim at the top is fairly substantial and you may have to be careful what HOB will fit it.

The glasscages web site isn't real good with their pics and sometimes has glass cages with plastic frames linked to the acryllic tanks.

[red devil]

Don't throw out the aquarium with the aquarium water!!! Acrylic tanks are much more expensive than glass..have you ever thought of putting a tray under your glass tank with a drain in it..and a hose from the drain to a safe place for the water to drain? I used to have this on a tank that I used to (try to) raise plants so that almost all water that invariably spilled went into this tray and was collected down below.

[jjohns]

Well, I know what you mean about not throwing out the tank. I am debating that very issue as well. The thing is, this is an older oceanic tank. And after measuring it, I think it is actually a 110 gallon not a 90 like we were told years ago. Plus, there is no center brace on this tank. The glass sides are really thick, but wow, you can't find a tank this size now days without a center brace. Kind of a scary thought thinking of all the water pressure in that tank. Plus, there is a big chip on the back corner of the tank that also causes some structural concerns. I did strip and resilicone all the inner seals on this tank about 7 years ago. Since it sat in a shed for many years not being used, the seals had dried up. As soon as we filled it up, it started dripping. I think the same corner of the tank is leaking again this time. I just don't know if it worth trying to strip and reseal it all over again when you consider its size and the possible structural issues it may have. That is a huge liability to have sitting full of 110 gallons on an upstairs floor in my house. That is why I am thinking probably a new tank is in order and a new location for it. The acrylic or glass debate for me still continues.

[J double R]

i think that for a tank of that size, resealing would be in order. there is no way i would throw out a tank of that size.

[jjohns]

Even without the center brace on a tank that size and the other possible structural issues? I just thought a new tank would be a good idea. The LFS said that resealing a tank will only last for so long and they will eventually leak again. They recommend against it. They have heard several people who have resealed, and they lasted a while longer and then leaked again. They said that it isn't worth it and they always say that you are better off to buy new. I know they are in the business of selling them, but if they have heard the same thing from several people, maybe there is some truth to it? Have you ever resealed a tank? It is not much fun. It took me a LONG time to strip it all out and clean with vinegar and then redo. It is not impossible, but is really hard work. I just don't know if I am up to it right now. I might try to sell it instead and whoever is interested will have to know that work will be involved if they want it.


I am just now also considering some type of tray design or even a plastic sheet that would catch the water and I could rig up a hose connected to it possibly. It would be kind of tough to design since the neaest floor drain is down a floor and across the room. I will have to think about that.

[artemis]

For what it's worth, I got my 55 gallon acrylic tank from Tenecor, and am very happy with it.