acrylic vs glass?

I would think the acrylic is lighter than the glass tank and less susceptible to leaks, so that may be in the acrylic favor not sure if there is anything else. The glass tank doesn't scratch as easily as acrylic does, I believe acrylic needs to be cleaned carefully as well as some cleaners and such things may scratch, leaving marks that cannot be removed. I prefer glass over acrylic but I think for me it's personal preference. I was brought up on glass, just can't seem to like the idea of acrylic, but everyone, of course, to each his own...
 
acryllic scratches MUCH easier,.. you will have to be very careful with it. I think glass is cheaper, but harder to cut
 
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I'm a big fan of acrylic tanks. I like to build my own tanks and find that acrylic is much safer and easier to customize. Other reasons I like it - Acrylic is 17x stronger than glass. Acrylic is clearer than glass. Acrylic is 2x lighter than glass. Acrylic insulates heat better than glass.

Acrylic scratches easier than glass, but acrylic scratches can be buffed out, glass scratches can't (how would one scratch an aquarium in the 1st place, with a wire brush?)

But if I were to buy a new large aquarium from my LFS, I'd get one made of glass. Brand name acrylic tanks cost way too much. Building an acrylic tank costs just a fraction more than building a glass tank. I'll never figure out why at the stores glass tanks cost so much less.
 
Originally posted by chefkeith
Acrylic scratches easier than glass, but acrylic scratches can be buffed out, glass scratches can't (how would one scratch an aquarium in the 1st place, with a wire brush?)
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Normally, one wouldn't intentionally scratch it, but there are some cleaners that can cause enough damage that even the best buffing couldn't fix. There was a thread about a week or so ago where someone was questioning how to get hairspray off the surface of the tank and it was a real problem, I'm not even sure if there was a viable solution.

However, when it comes to building your own tank and/or customizing, I believe there's nothing better than the acrylic for it's durability.
 
I prefer glass over acryllic as well. I manage to scratch my glass tanks.... I can't imagine what I would do to an acryllic tank.

Algae removal is much easier with glass too.
 
I agree with PumaWard, because you cant use those really abrasive algae removal pads on acrylic the way you can on glass, its just not hard enough. I have a 5 gallon acrylic eclipse on my desk and I have to use this soft pad........takes forever!!!:argh
 
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