glass or acrylic?

sir_prize

sir_prize

AC Members
May 19, 2007
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hey all,

ive heard a lot of stuff coming from all kinds of sources about choosing between glass and acrylic

i just wanted to get some facts straight

is it true that good acrylic doesn't scratch?
is it true that if you want a saltwater tank, go acrylic? why?
i once had an oooooooooooooooooold acrylic 29, and the front of the tank started bowing! is this common in old tanks?

thanks for any reply.
 
I have a glass & an acrylic. Be careful, they both scratch. Probably the acrylic scratches more easily however I prefer the acrylic. I believe it has more clarity plus no visible silicone or seams.
As far as bowing? Mine does'nt bow and I've had it for 6 years.
 
Both will scratch, acryllic, very easily so.
Glass has the best clarity.
Acryllic is nice for seamless and unusual shapes.
Put a straight edge on the acryllic, unless it is real small, all acryllic tanks bow, as do most glass tanks.
 
Hmmm

I've got a 75g acrylic. For a tank this small, I would have preferred glass, but I was scared that I may end up having to move the tank on my own one day. Yeah, acrylic will scratch easily.
 
I've heard that some common household cleansers will leave a cloudy mark on acrylic (which could be a problem if a cohabitant or coworker decides to clean the outside of the tank for you). And it definitely scratches more easily than glass; you can scratch acrylic with a plastic scrubber.

But with big tanks, I feel safer with acrylic. It can still break, of course, but I think it's less likely to develop a leak, since the pieces are fused together rather than relying on a bead of silicone to seal the seams.
 
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