Acrylic Tanks

[Tigger]

I was wondering if you think an acrylic tank would be good for a reef. I heard they are better insulators than glass, but they scratch really easy. How easy are we talking? Does cleaning the algea off the sides become a problem with an acrylic tank? Does anybody here have an acrylic tank? Is it easy to take the scratches out? What are the pros and cons?

Thanks in advance for your info.

Steve

[zulu_principle]

I have a few tanks, both glass and acrylic.

Smaller Tanks, no question Glass

Larger Tanks, I think you need to take into consideration if the thing ever needs to be moved. If not glass all the way.

I have seen some $600 moving bills for someone who had to have a glass 240 gallon tank moved into his home.

As for acrylic, for your home tank, scratching, glare, acrylic bow, coraline algae grows faster on the acrylic and harder to take off, etc.


JMHO


Wendell

[Canadian Man]

I have a few tanks, both glass and acrylic.

Smaller Tanks, no question Glass

Larger Tanks, I think you need to take into consideration if the thing ever needs to be moved. If not glass all the way.

I have seen some $600 moving bills for someone who had to have a glass 240 gallon tank moved into his home.

As for acrylic, for your home tank, scratching, glare, acrylic bow, coraline algae grows faster on the acrylic and harder to take off, etc.


JMHO


Wendell

$600 for a move on a 240!
That person must not have any friends! :lol:

[Ryan7]

I maintain a 300G acrylic tank FO. Find it scratches when cleaning near the bottom, gravel gets caught in magnet or mop and it is not noticed right way. As well, if any rocks fall up against the tank, it will scratch. However, tank is now about 15 years old and doesn't look too bad.

[Van down by the river]

Over 200gallons I prefer Acrylic, yes it can scratch, but if cared for IMO it's better.
I believe it's 17 times(can't remember were I learned that) stronger than glass and 2-3 times clearer when in thick sheets. It is much lighter than glass. I find it allows many more plumbing options for hidden plumbing, without compromising as much strength as glass. A major plus is that tank drilling can actually be done without taking the whole tank down(obviously above water lines).
I like shaped or curved tanks and acrylic is far more accommodating than glass. I do have to say Oceanics bowfront line is very nice for smaller tanks.

As to scratching, yes they can scratch. They can also be buffed and repaired to almost new. As in glass there are different grades to acrylic like glass. I've even found noticeable differences in quality between manufacturers. Much of what we see prebuilt in stores is of the lowest grade, often extruded not cast (cast is much better).

The range in fabrication quality is HUGE. Most of what people get is solvent glue fabricated. This produces weaker seams although stronger than glass they often are opaque and or have bubbles. Liquid acrylic is used for clearer seams which are stronger. This method is more labour intensive and costly. seams can also be polished before gluing to give perfectly clear seams. This can add allot of cost but produces a very nice looking tank.

As to scratching, proper care goes a very long way, I have some acrylic tanks 7+ years with almost zero scratches. I use Quickwipes from Coralife. They are like felt and wash out easily. For deeper tanks I use two proper acrylic brushes. One for the gravel line, and the other for the main viewing areas. I don't use magnets. They are easier but they can easily pick up debris and "drag" it across the tanks scratching it. On the outside I either use water or acrylic spray, never Windex! It degrades the acrylic and can reduce clarity over time(plus if it gets into the tank via spray or my hand, it's toxic to fish).

A major benefit to all you reefers, when you have a rock avalanche, the chance of acrylic shattering is drastically less than glass. I've noticed in different areas of North America people prefer glass or acrylic. In California a earthquake zone Acrylic is far preferred. It is also what most Public aquarium viewing panes use.

Unfortunately Acrylic is almost always more expensive :sad:

[Delphinus]

Interesting point about quakes and acrylic. I was in L.A. in '99 when there was a 7.2 quake ... I was at the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific the next day. The Arco display tank (modeled after some location in Palau), some 400,000 gallons, is acrylic somewhere in the order of, if memory serves, 12" to 16" thick. I don't remember, suffice it to say ... very thick. (But very clear, too.) Anyways, suffice it to say the public aquarium was just fine. 7.2 .. that's no small tremor, although luckily the epicentre was about 60 miles in the middle of nowhere, but to me it was still one HECK of a jolt at 2 in the morning. (On the 11th floor of the hotel, there several metres of travel in the building swaying!!! I will never forget the sound the building made .... man alive.) Anyways I was totally impressed.

[robbyville]

As Van mentioned, when you go to certain areas you see a lot more acrylic than glass.

I have a 60gal aquarium and enjoy it very much. Especially the weight (I have been transferred 3 times in one year). In regards to scratching, it certainly does scratch more easily than glass but it also repairs perfectly well. after I bought the tank I thought that my next one would be glass, but now I am leaning towards acrylic for my next one.

Psychologically I feel in my gut that acrylic is stronger as well. I'm sure that is not the case, but when I think about a glass tank being held together with silicone vs my tank I just feel better somehow.

Not to tag onto your post but...
Van, if I have used windex in the past is it too late to deal with. Can I just buff out my acrylic to get my clarity back, I have definitely noticed some degredation. Also, where do you get the acrylic cleaners and brushes from? I am presently using a magnet but have to be extremely cautious as you mention. I purchased an acrylic repair kit from J&L but would like to have something that I can use on a regular basis.

At any rate, sorry to do that to you Tigger, I love my acrylic tank, but I'm sure that I would love a 180 gal Starfire as well!

Rob

[Tigger]

Thank you everybody for all your info and experiences. How do you get the coraline algea off the side of the tank? I don't think a light rub will get it off, will it? What do you use to repair scratches? Can you only get out small scratches? I have a few scratches on my glass tank, and I know the algea seems to grow in there first. I have to use a scrub pad to get into the scratches. How would you remove algea from the spots that are scratched? How can I tell what grade acrylic the tank is made from? Sorry for all the questions. I am planning on buying a new tank, and I just want to make the best decision that I can. The tank will be 180 gallons.

[Tigger]

One more question. How many have had problems with the glass cracking after a few years when they have drilled a glass tank?

[Van down by the river]

Sorry for the delay robbyville in my reply, I did one a few days ago and deleted it by accident.

I tried to verify which is stronger glass or acrylic, results seem highly dependent on the parameters of the test.

Tag on all you want...

As far as the Windex goes, it depends on how cloudy/opaque the acrylic has become. Try buffing an area not viewable like the top to see if the hazyness improves. If it's a custom built tank it's probably a better acrylic, and can take the buffing. If it's an old Seaclear tank it may craze easily if you try to buff it, again test a spot before you work on a main viewing area.

The acrylic cleaners can be bought from acrylic fabricators and suppliers listed under Plastics in the Yellow Pages.
Also Coralife makes a Acrylic buffer polisher spray that is non toxic (but for use on the outside of your aquarium). It is available at most Aquarium shops. KE should have it.

For the brushes, only use brushes "recommended for acrylic use" . Hagen brushes I find to be quite course and Prefer "LEE'S" Brand brushes. The acrylic one has a blue handle and a white brush head. They are very soft and work well. I'll mention the Quickwipes again as they are also very useful for hard to get places and cleaning pipes, powerheads.
Again most larger stores should carry them.

Rainbow lifegard/Pentair Aquatics has a scratch/buff kit.
If you have a electric buffer you can get the proper wheel and "cut" wax at
Acklands. You'd have do a fair amount of buffing to make the commercial equipment purchase worth it.
For small jobs you could use a dremel tool.

small scratches are easy, and most large deep scratches can be removed.
it takes some practice, and like anything you will improve with time and experience. If the scratches are very deep sometimes there will be a slight visual distortion left over but not always.

the soft quickwipes and brushes will get the algae within the scratch.
Teflon scrapers can be used with care.

The grade of acrylic will be hard to determine. If the tank is too cheap ask about the material, generally American made is a safe bet. I was told they are all the same but after fabrication it became evident that this was not the case.

Just remember when buying your new tank shop around take the time to do it

[robbyville]

Thanks Van, much appreciated!

I will try out some of those brushes. Someone also recommended a product called "Plastx" which is used to remove fine scratches from Motorcycle windshields, etc. It is non abrasive and ammonia free. I found some yesterday at Canadian Tire. I'll let you know how that goes!

I figure that I may have to use my scratch kit a little but am trying to minimize its use. The aquarium is from a company called "Uniquarium", I'm told that they are of a decent quality. It darn well better be for the price I paid while living in California! Regardless, a rookie lesson.

Thanks again for the great advice. We just moved last week, this was the second time that we have had to move the aquarium and all the inhabitants. The first time was 1700 miles, the second time was 2 miles! Proud to say not an inhabitant lost, maybe I'll go pro!

Best,

Rob

[Van down by the river]

Great stats! Aquarium moving is my least favorite thing to do.