View Full Version : For those with acrylic tanks.
How much of a PITA is the whole scratching thing? I'm considering upgrading to a custom 60x48x26 and glass is crazy heavy and crazy expensive. I can do acrylic for about 1/2 the cost ($3000-$4000).
BTW tank is in wall so there is only the front viewing pane to be concerned with.
Thanks
boodlefish
07/05/2010, 01:24 PM
sand bed or no sand bed??? that is the question.
i scratched the heck out of mine the first day. it wasn't so bad after that i learned but one hard aspect was that coralline algae grows insanely fast on acrylic compared to glass so you have to be on top of keeping you tank clean. if you let some coralline build up then you have the challenge of cleaning it off without scratching the tank and believe me that is a challenge.
if you are careful and vigilant about cleaning your front (viewing panel) and have no sand then you should be cool. i recommend that you start cleaning the side panel first to get a feel for just how soft acrylic is. I started cleaning my front panel first and had a huge scratch in it form day 1.
chimmike
07/05/2010, 01:28 PM
typically acrylic is more expensive than glass............where are you shopping?
jon1985
07/05/2010, 01:37 PM
I got my custom acrylic tank for about 2/3 the price the same sized glass tank would have been. I have a sand bed and havent noticed any scratches.
Just be very careful not to stir up the sand when you clean the bottom portion of the tank.
Love how clear the acrylic is compared to glass.
Indymann99
07/05/2010, 02:40 PM
I went with acrylic (I trust "welded" seams more) but dont want to start that debate again :uzi:
You do have to be VERY very careful not to scratch the tank... and some scratches are going to happen. I have one on the OUTSIDE but I can buff that one out pretty easy, I have the Micromesh and Novus just need the dedicated 6hrs of time..
I no longer use a cleaning magnet due to putting some scratches in the tank (yes I was very careful but still managed to pickup some sand or a small snail).
I use Magic Eraser for everything down to 1-2in above sand. Then use Kent acrylic safe scraper for corraline and down at the sand line (have to be careful and some scratches are inevitable).
FYI I would drop the height to just 24" unless you are set on 26" for some reason. Also with a depth (front to back) of 48" I would HIGHLY recommend front access to your in-wall (at least from the top). Front access lets you see what you are doing while you are cleaning (less likely to put a scratch). Also I would figure out some way to have light in the tank while you are cleaning (helps a bunch).
My 48x24x24 inwall
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn10/Indymann99/Tank12132009.jpg
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn10/Indymann99/Tankdoorsopen.jpg
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn10/Indymann99/Basement52009.jpg
Untamed12
07/05/2010, 02:42 PM
My tank gets so many serious scratches that I polish every panel every couple of years. (yes, you can do that while the tank is running)
The important info that you need to accept, is that there is NOTHING you can do to prevent it from happening. It isn't my cleaning...or the sand bed....it is the fish. Spines, teeth, skin, whatever...they routinely scratch the panels.
Would I go with acrylic again? Yes, I would. The clarity is so much better on a large tank and I value the strength and reliability. (don't be tempted to buy a cheap acrylic tank) I would look at 1" thick acrylic for the tank you are building.
It actually takes a very serious scratch to be objectionable while the tank is full of water. The problem with the scratches is mainly that they provide foothold for algae. The algae sticks in the scratches such that a quick mag-cleaning won't get it off. You have to stick your arm in there and rub, which becomes impossible when you have 1000 scratches per panel.
firereef
07/05/2010, 03:17 PM
Stay away from magnets.
khaosinc
07/05/2010, 03:29 PM
Its a pain, but one you can live with. Takes a bit of practice to not scratch the tank too often. My 300 was 11 years up and running and had never been repolished before I took it down to use as the sump for my new tank. It was scuffed up, but not noticable from more than a few feet away. I did make it a few weeks before scratching that one. But I'm the only one who can see it, most would never notice. I still use magnets, mostly because I'm lazy. If you keep up on the cleaning, and stay away from the sand bed they are ok. Watch out for snail eggs.
sand bed or no sand bed??? that is the question.
1.
yes, shallow sandbed
typically acrylic is more expensive than glass............where are you shopping?
TruVue aquariums on west coast quoted me $2600 for acrylic
Coast to coast aquariums in NJ was about $5000 for glass
I know of a local acrylic fabricator a few towns over I still need to talk to.
Would I go with acrylic again? Yes, I would. The clarity is so much better on a large tank and I value the strength and reliability. (don't be tempted to buy a cheap acrylic tank) I would look at 1" thick acrylic for the tank you are building.
Was hoping to build it with 3/4" so I can use my Vortech pumps on it.
Thanks to all for your replies. :beer:
Indymann99
07/05/2010, 03:35 PM
FWIW, I am happy with my T3n3cor (replace the 3 with "e") acrylic tank. Just expect them to exceed the quoted delivery date by about 30 days (I guess common with custom tank builders).
I believe they are in AZ.
Thanks. ^^^ I'll check em out.
khaosinc
07/06/2010, 04:28 PM
My first 300 is of the brand mentioned above Its 12 years old now and never had a problem.
fishtanksdirect.com is usually a pretty good price, and hard to beat free shipping
MK Reefer
07/06/2010, 04:57 PM
I have a custom 7' acrylic with welded seems and i have had it for over half a year. There are some small scratches but you don't see them unless you are an inch away from the panel. I am pretty careful but not overly anal. I use a mighty magnet with the brown algae pad and it works great twice a week.
Nothing and i mean nothing can compare to acrylic for clarity. The difference from regular glass to star fire is equal to the difference from star fire to acrylic. For that and the strength of the tank and the clear seems i would never go glass again.
Mike
jbird69
07/06/2010, 06:05 PM
I am very happy with my custom 120g acrylic corner tank. I use a magfloat with no problem at all. I take a magic eraser and fillet it with a sharp knife, (they cut super easy) so ist like 1/4" thick, pinch it between my mag float and I can clean anywhere with it. The only scratch I got was when I used a "questionable" pad to clean algae. After one little swipe I stopped. Fortunately its in a low visability spot. Other than that, the tank is 6 months old and pristine.
Scratches on acrylic tank WILL happen, no matter how careful you are. If you have snails for example, they can drag their shells all over the front pane and leave trail mark scratches. Don't even waste your time emptying the water and buffing it, as the scratches will reappear soon enough. I've owned (and continue to use) acrylic tanks for many years, I just had to live with their quirks. On the plus side, they are VERY clear, lightweight, VERY customizable (glue it, drill it, brace it, bend it..etc) and available in much more different shapes and sizes, especially the bigger ones.
What I suggest you do when cleaning, is to use a very soft material (like a sponge) and manually clean the pane from the inside with your hand. NEVER use a magnet! I use all Novus 1, 2 and 3 to buff out scratches on the outside panes. I think that scratches on acrylic tanks is way over exagerrated on forums.. it's really not that bad when the tank is all filled up. The corals will draw your eyes' attention- not the scratches.. unless they're very deep, you will hardly notice them.
good luck.. acrylic is cool, don't worry about scratches. :)
david pinder
07/06/2010, 08:27 PM
Have a 15 ft long and a 10 ft long acrylic tank scratches happen but they can be buffed even on the inside with tank full. The worst are cleaning and running over a snail best to remove them before cleaning
khaosinc
07/06/2010, 08:49 PM
ooohh where can I see pics of the 15 footer.
david pinder
07/06/2010, 09:02 PM
there some pics on my site but there old and need updating, See you have it bad also, built my own room to house my 2700 gal.
BrokeColoReefer
07/06/2010, 09:05 PM
I got my fair share of scratches on my glass tank, ones that i cant fix :( i miss plastic tanks.
NCSUsalt
07/06/2010, 09:15 PM
I went with acrylic (I trust "welded" seams more) but dont want to start that debate again
i would have said the same thing until i had a customers 450 completely separate the right front seam in my face last week. was not a fun experience
i work in the aquarium maintenance industry and I much prefer taking care of glass tanks, don't have to worry about cleaning the front glass and you don't have to worry about an errant customer (or their kids) putting scratches in while you aren't there.
mypepper
07/06/2010, 10:12 PM
If I were you, I would check out Krittertanks.com.
They are located in Palo Alto Ca, and they make some of the finest acrylic tanks.
I've personally seen their tanks in person and they are built like a Sherman tank, plus their workmanship is exceptional.
Thanks,
Randy
ryshark
07/06/2010, 11:25 PM
My tank gets so many serious scratches that I polish every panel every couple of years. (yes, you can do that while the tank is running)
The important info that you need to accept, is that there is NOTHING you can do to prevent it from happening. It isn't my cleaning...or the sand bed....it is the fish. Spines, teeth, skin, whatever...they routinely scratch the panels.
Would I go with acrylic again? Yes, I would. The clarity is so much better on a large tank and I value the strength and reliability. (don't be tempted to buy a cheap acrylic tank) I would look at 1" thick acrylic for the tank you are building.
It actually takes a very serious scratch to be objectionable while the tank is full of water. The problem with the scratches is mainly that they provide foothold for algae. The algae sticks in the scratches such that a quick mag-cleaning won't get it off. You have to stick your arm in there and rub, which becomes impossible when you have 1000 scratches per panel.
I'm with you on this... no matter how cafeful I am I still get tiny little scratches from the reasons listed above. How do you polish the inside panels every couple years while it has water in it? I have a bunch of very superficial knicks/scratches from the fish (I think from their fins while eating off the seaweed clip) which are looking a little bit like a haze and I want the clear back. I have had mine for close to 2-years and it needs an inside polish now. The outside is kept up very easily with Novus.
MK Reefer
07/07/2010, 07:27 AM
I'm with you on this... no matter how cafeful I am I still get tiny little scratches from the reasons listed above. How do you polish the inside panels every couple years while it has water in it? I have a bunch of very superficial knicks/scratches from the fish (I think from their fins while eating off the seaweed clip) which are looking a little bit like a haze and I want the clear back. I have had mine for close to 2-years and it needs an inside polish now. The outside is kept up very easily with Novus.
+1
Would love to know how its done and how easy it is. Might be something to consider as an annual maintenance if its not too hard.
Any info would be appreciated.
Mike
ryshark
07/07/2010, 05:07 PM
+1
Would love to know how its done and how easy it is. Might be something to consider as an annual maintenance if its not too hard.
Any info would be appreciated.
Mike
Let me know if you find something out. I think there is a way to use very fine sandpaper, but I would love to hear from somebody who has done it successfully. Success in both making the tank look good again and keeping the sps coral happy.
Nobody wants to share how to clean acrylic with the tank full?
david pinder
07/07/2010, 08:09 PM
On sanding your tank full. There are kits you can buy with many different sand papers, you start out with a very fine grain paper then a finer grade and then a finer grade until the acrylic becomes perfectly clear. Dont have my kit in front of me but I finish with something like 6000 or 7000 grid paper
Nobody wants to share how to clean acrylic with the tank full?
Would def be helpful to know. Thanks.
64Ivy
07/08/2010, 05:33 AM
Nobody wants to share how to clean acrylic with the tank full?
I now use these:
http://www.championlighting.com/product.php?productid=21745&cat=1109&page=1
I say 'now' because I used to do this type of thing manually, using the Micromesh regular sandpapers found here:
https://micro-surface.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=15
I would then tape the sheets to my Magnavore magnets with air conditioning duct tape found at Home Depot, etc. If you choose to go this way, and there still are advantages in doing so because of the greater grit availability, just make sure you tape the sheets OVER the magnet's original scrubbing pad. I say this because I've known people to remove the pads for a so-called better grip. If that's a problem for you, then, I'd recommend purchasing magnets one step stronger than usual. Then you can build up your arms and clean your tank at the same time. As I recall, using this method, I used grits from 1800 to 6000, with the 2400 and 3200 as my real workhorses.
Anyway, now I use the ready made kit and find the results nearly comparable. If you're going over the entire tank (which I recommend every year or so), begin with the coarsest paper and scrub until the deepest scratches are removed. This may be hard to see because the viewing area will now only be semi-transparent (and you will be a nervous wreck) but sometimes wiping down the areas which an acrylic pad can help you see better. I always scrub the same direction, either up and down or lengthwise, then go the other direction when changing to the next (finer) sheet of sandpaper. That's what you want to do here: Go over the tank again and again using successively finer sheets until you're done. And, by the way, never scrub in a circular motion. You'll only have to go back to linear to polish out the 'tracks' anyway.
There is no formula for which particular series of grits will work best for you as all tanks and all scratches are different. Just play around until you're happy with the results. If you're really nervous about this task, try experimenting on just a small area first. After the initial shock of the coarse stuff, I think you'll be able to relax as things will clearer with each step. As far as the haze kicked up by the papers, it will turn your water fairly milky but I've never had it bother either my fish or corals, and I maintain an 'SPS' dominant system. Just remember to keep your pumps running and you'll be okay.
I also maintain a barebottom tank. For those of you with a sand bed, you'll obviously have to be extra careful not to go all the way down to the substrate. You can also use this method to target a particular scratch. But because you have to scrub successively larger areas when changing papers, sometimes you'll end up doing the whole tank anyway. So make no mistake; this task is a PITA. But if you begin doing it early enough, I really believe it will add to the length of the clarity of your acrylic tank. Put on some music or a ball game. And if you've got a big tank like mine, don't try to do it all in one day. Finally, this method will NOT remove coralline algae on the viewing areas. For that, I recommend conventional scraping, then going over the whole area with the sandpaper.
Hope this helps.
Sweet. Thanks a bunch. ^^^
ryshark
07/08/2010, 12:33 PM
I now use these:
http://www.championlighting.com/product.php?productid=21745&cat=1109&page=1
I say 'now' because I used to do this type of thing manually, using the Micromesh regular sandpapers found here:
https://micro-surface.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=15
I would then tape the sheets to my Magnavore magnets with air conditioning duct tape found at Home Depot, etc. If you choose to go this way, and there still are advantages in doing so because of the greater grit availability, just make sure you tape the sheets OVER the magnet's original scrubbing pad. I say this because I've known people to remove the pads for a so-called better grip. If that's a problem for you, then, I'd recommend purchasing magnets one step stronger than usual. Then you can build up your arms and clean your tank at the same time. As I recall, using this method, I used grits from 1800 to 6000, with the 2400 and 3200 as my real workhorses.
Anyway, now I use the ready made kit and find the results nearly comparable. If you're going over the entire tank (which I recommend every year or so), begin with the coarsest paper and scrub until the deepest scratches are removed. This may be hard to see because the viewing area will now only be semi-transparent (and you will be a nervous wreck) but sometimes wiping down the areas which an acrylic pad can help you see better. I always scrub the same direction, either up and down or lengthwise, then go the other direction when changing to the next (finer) sheet of sandpaper. That's what you want to do here: Go over the tank again and again using successively finer sheets until you're done. And, by the way, never scrub in a circular motion. You'll only have to go back to linear to polish out the 'tracks' anyway.
There is no formula for which particular series of grits will work best for you as all tanks and all scratches are different. Just play around until you're happy with the results. If you're really nervous about this task, try experimenting on just a small area first. After the initial shock of the coarse stuff, I think you'll be able to relax as things will clearer with each step. As far as the haze kicked up by the papers, it will turn your water fairly milky but I've never had it bother either my fish or corals, and I maintain an 'SPS' dominant system. Just remember to keep your pumps running and you'll be okay.
I also maintain a barebottom tank. For those of you with a sand bed, you'll obviously have to be extra careful not to go all the way down to the substrate. You can also use this method to target a particular scratch. But because you have to scrub successively larger areas when changing papers, sometimes you'll end up doing the whole tank anyway. So make no mistake; this task is a PITA. But if you begin doing it early enough, I really believe it will add to the length of the clarity of your acrylic tank. Put on some music or a ball game. And if you've got a big tank like mine, don't try to do it all in one day. Finally, this method will NOT remove coralline algae on the viewing areas. For that, I recommend conventional scraping, then going over the whole area with the sandpaper.
Hope this helps.
This was a huge help, thank you. Do you think the magnavore magnet is a must like the website says? I have a mighty mag which was close to $200, I'd hate to need to buy a new one
mcrist
07/08/2010, 01:00 PM
Great information 64Ivy. I am really nervous trying this myself but one day I will need to try it.
I absolutely love my acrylic tank and will never go back to glass.
64Ivy
07/08/2010, 02:33 PM
This was a huge help, thank you. Do you think the magnavore magnet is a must like the website says? I have a mighty mag which was close to $200, I'd hate to need to buy a new one
No problem if you go with the old school method. However, I'm not really sure which magnets the kits are currently made for or whether any of the kits could be modified in some way. Obviously, I'd try modification before switching magnets. Maybe the Mighty Mag you have is close enough in size to a Magnavore to make that possible
MK Reefer
07/08/2010, 08:34 PM
No problem if you go with the old school method. However, I'm not really sure which magnets the kits are currently made for or whether any of the kits could be modified in some way. Obviously, I'd try modification before switching magnets. Maybe the Mighty Mag you have is close enough in size to a Magnavore to make that possible
The mighty magnet has its own scratch removal kit available appropriately sized for your magnet.
Mike
ryshark
07/08/2010, 10:12 PM
The mighty magnet has its own scratch removal kit available appropriately sized for your magnet.
Mike
I'm going to try that. I looked it up earlier on my blackberry, but obviously missed it. Thanks.
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