Glass vs acrylic?

[Eppy]

I am planing on setting up a new saltwater tank that will be 72" x 30" x 24" ( about 250 gal). I know this will be a custom order, my question is should I go with glass or acrylic? I can order this size from glass cages.com for like $1000 withch seams like a good price to me but idk. Any suggestions would be awesome thanks guys.

[echoreef]

I am building a similar size tank 72x30x27. It's starphire glass all the way. I've done enough research and talked to locals that this seems like the right decision. Although acrylic is clear initially, it will eventually have scratches. Starphire glass can scratch too, but I think I can keep it looking good for many years if I am careful. Downside is that it's super heavy. Just don't move the tank around and you will be fine.

[7Reef]

That size tank definately glass. It will be heavy, but nothing a couple of guys couldn't handle.

[Eppy]

The only time I plan on moving this tank would be.... well honestly I don't plan on ever moving this tank. Just bought the house I am in, in my mid 30's (so I will probably be in the house till I die because moving sucks), and its a great home. Glass cages.com has what appeares to be a good price for what I want but if anyone knows somewhere else to get a tank that size hit me up so I can check it out.

[rottloverr]

I was looking at almost the same measurements. And all my research has lead me to glass as well.

[kenjung]

Acrylic does gives me a piece of mind. If you get glass make sure you stand is perfect in every way, Acrylic is more forgiving.

[atreis]

Both can be plenty strong enough for an aquarium, and both can break or suffer from construction flaws that lead to failure.

Glass Advantages:
- Much harder to scratch
- Less expensive (generally)
- Glass aquariums are available pre-made in more sizes and shapes (usually locally)
- Doesn't bow or otherwise deform
- Usually doesn't require full bottom support allowing use of open-bottom stands (not really recommended though)
- Can be easily cleaned on the outside with a variety of cleaners
- Can be scraped on the inside with metal scrapers

Glass Disadvantages:
- Scratches, when they do occur, are permanent and very visible
- Heavy
- Not as clear as acrylic (even Starfire)
- Has a very different index of refraction relative to water (scratches stay visible)
- Can't be welded at the corners or long seems
- Can shatter if there's a sharp impact
- Seems can split if a tank isn't level or there are problems with the stand
- Insulates less than acrylic

Acrylic Advantages:
- Very clear - better for viewing the animals
- Lighter weight
- Can be cast or welded into many configurations, including round, rounded corners, etc. Multiple pieces can be butt welded to make for truly huge viewing panes
- Scratches can be buffed out if they're not too deep
- Scratches on the inside become nearly invisible when the tank is full of water because the index of refraction of acrylic is nearly the same as water
- Insulates better than glass

Acrylic Disadvantages:
- Can bow if the acrylic isn't thick enough, leading to distortion when viewing
- Expensive (extremely expensive if doing butt welding, or round casting)
- Can break open if the acrylic is flawed or not thick enough
- Welded seems can split if a tank isn't level or there are problems with the stand
- Has to be supported on the full bottom
- Have to be careful not to scratch it when scraping algae off
- Can't use most common household cleaners on the outside - have to use acrylic cleaners or just water
- Can weep if the acrylic isn't thick enough (never heard of this happening in an aquarium though -- acrylic absorbs water - strange, but true)

I currently have a glass tank, and my last tank was acrylic. I prefer acrylic, overall, but it's not an obvious slam-dunk.

[humaguy]

acrylic...
be careful with gc...they had been turning out some sloppy tanks and they are known for rough customer service...they may have gotten their act together but there are some horror stories out there...a quick google search will yield many results.
good luck...look forward to seeing your build!

[ca1ore]

I think atreis pretty much summed it up. Either work obviously so it comes down to personal preference based on your priorities.

[Bilk]

I went with acrylic primarily for logistical purposes. Getting the same sized tank in glass would have been a difficult, though not impossible task. Glass tanks generally weigh in at twice what a similarly configured acrylic tank weighs. If it were not built in, and rather free standing, I would have probably gone with glass because of the scratch factor - more sides exposed - and figured out a method of getting it to it's resting place. With one panel susceptible, all be it the viewing panel, I feel this is a manageable situation.

Being built in with a fish room to service the tank from, I thing there's less possibility of me scratching the viewing panel. So in addition to the pretty complete list above, logistics came into play in my situation. Just more food for thought.

Edit: Just to add, the acrylic tank priced out much cheaper than the glass tanks I got quotes for.

[sfsuphysics]

While Atreis gave the general pros/cons I'll lay it out there honestly based upon what you plan on doing with the tank.

Do you plan on cleaning the acrylic on a very regular (and frequent) basis?
If no, go with glass, because after a week or 2 of not cleaning a razor blade gets it crystal clear again, with acrylic you very easily can get those brown diatom thingies that get on the glass that can be a pain in the butt to remove even with the proper tools, or worse... coraline algae which seems to love to grow on my acrylic (but not my rocks). And if your acrylic isn't completely devoid of stuff on it, all the clarity arguments in the world become null and void.

Do you plan on having an intensive closed loop system either through the bottom or sides, or will you be creating your own overflow?
If yes get acrylic unless you're willing to have the shop that's making your glass do all the hole cuts. While yeah you can do them with glass yourself, compared to acrylic it's a LOT more work.

Will you have kids around the tank? Touching it, slapping it... basically doing all sorts of things kids do.
If yes, go with acrylic, while yeah they will scratch it easier, if they scratch glass you're pretty much borked. At least you can yell at the kids and fix the problem with acrylic.

Now if you got a mix of yes/no answers that has you getting both glass or acrylic... well then you're going to have to make a decision yourself. IMO, this kind of falls into grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. I've had both acrylic and glass, I prefer glass immensely over acrylic just because I answer no to the very first question I posed. However I have acrylic tanks, because they were free or so cheap they might as well be free :D

[Eppy]

I have yes and no awnsers to your questions sfsuphysics. The main one probably being the kids one, they are 4 years old and 2 years old. They are ruff on everything! On the other hand I am not very motivated to clean all that often. I am so torn on witch way to go right now. Luckily I will not be starting this project til next summer so I plenty of time to do more research. Please keep the pros and coins coming, thanks