Acrylic scratch true or false? or how easily

Chaka

Chaka

AC Members
Dec 20, 2007
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Arkansas
Most big aquariums you see in public places are acrylic. Fancy restaurant, museum, theme park, fancy mall store. I always check them out and don’t see many scratches on them.. I always find that a surprise for such high traffic areas….kids all over them. Yet you read feedback from home owners who have had them say they scratch easy.

Anyone know if the thick commercial ones are a different variety of acrylic compared to home models? Or are they treated with an anti-scratch coat like prescription glasses? Maybe they are maintained monthly with some scratch restorer?

I was thinking about buying an acrylic tank for fresh water, but all the forum feedback here says they scratch easy. That has me unsure... Yet public aquariums do fine. Thanks in advance
 
As far as I can tell, the way they get scratches is by bumping them when moving rocks, or getting a piece of sand or grit stuck in between the tank and an algae scraper. In public aquariums, I think they have special tools for cleaning the acrylic, and the tanks are usually big enough to avoid making contact with the sides during cleaning/aquascaping. I'm not sure exactly how easy it scratches, but I'm sure if you're careful it's easily avoided.
 
They do scratch very easily. One guy I know bought a n acrylic 180 or so and left the Mag-Float in it. His nephew decided to use it and grabbed some sand up. The entire thing was scratched and ruined in less than 5 minutes. He had to buy a whole new tank.

I see no reason to use acrylic instead of glass. If you care glass is A LOT more environmentally friendly to make.
 
Ease of movement would be one reason. It takes 2-4 people to move my glass 150 depending on distance, stairs, etc. Eventually I'l have an 8' tank and I couldn't imagine trying to move a glass 240 or 300gal tank. An acrylic one that size you could do with 2 people.
 
The newer glass tanks are much lighter. My 150 is like yours. But I just helped my cousin move a 180 into a new office building (the pest control lobbyists just outside of D.C.) and it took two people.

The way I look at it, you spend how much time moving a tank and how much time looking at it? How much does it cost to give 4 people $20 a pop to help you move it, how much does it cost to replace an acrylic tank.
 
acrylic tanks can be polished..even filled on deep scratches(in which case I'd be more worried about the integrity of the tank on really deep scratches)
so a light scratch is not really a big thing..and no need to replace the tank unless you decise you just don't like acrylic.
the plus side of acrylic-lighter-better insulator
downside..they flex and scratch easily.
btw, you can also polish glass if you get a scratch.
I own both acrylic and glass.

my preference is ...glass.
 
Yes, there are scratch resistant acrylics: here's an example http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.plaskolite.com%2Fproductguide%2F26.pdf&ei=wSVsR9LjBabsgwT03LXUDw&usg=AFQjCNEPa8Q3FCJlCsyVkPX8cXZpOBqUzw&sig2=8LvjP1_GLIMT1hXRe2dAwg

No, I do not know of anyone who is using them.

The expense probably has alot to do with this as my research tells me the scratch resistant acrylic sheet retails for about 3x the cost of regular cast acrylic. Even so, if someone wanted it I feel comfortable that they could get one of the manufacturers (glasscages, custom acrylics, etc.) to build with it for "the right" money.

Along with the high cost, the fact that scratches can be buffed out of the acrylic:
a. inside the tank - whenever the tank is emptied for whatever reason ...
b. outside of the tank - anytime you are willing to do so ...
makes it cost effective to:
1. go with regular cast acrylic sheet,
2. be careful and
3. buff it clear when needed.

I guess it depends on priorities, money, DIY ability, willingness regarding work vs spend, just HOW BIG an aquarium you are looking for, etc.

Good luck in deciding.

Keep Smilin'
John :)
 
For what it's worth, I decided on acrylic for my new tank for a) less weight when moving it and on the floor of my 2nd-floor apartment (yes, I'm over-cautious) and b) fewer seams to leak. I'm fairly careful, so I don't think I should have much problem with scratching.
 
I have an acrylic tank, and so far the only scratches are along the bottom where the gravel scrapes the sides. I also just use the side of my net to scrape algae away and that has not left any noticeable scratches. On the other hand, Ive never had a glass tank so I can't offer any opinions there.
 
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