Acrylic Tanks.....

[mattlee]

i am looking for a 5x2x2 tank and have found a guy who makes acrylic tanks. ive always had glass so have no experience with acrylic at all

ive emailed him for a quote so depending on price and views given i might be tempted with one.

has any one got or had an acrylic tank? if so what are the pros and cone for them?

the weight difference must be massive for a start but once in place i guess thats not really a huge selling point....

do they scratch easy? what do you use to clean them?

thanks, Matt.

 

[mattlee]

just found this on a website which answers a lot of questions i guess.... the only thing it doesnt say about is if the acrylic will turn milky in light. similar to green house windows etc

Acrylic is 17x stronger than glass, softer than glass, and more flexible than glass, making it far more impact resistant and not nearly as prone to chip or crack as glass

Acrylic weighs 50% less than glass making it far more manageable to move

Acrylic insulates 20% better than glass reducing temperature flux, and saving on heating bills

Acrylic has molecularly welded, clear polished seams that literally make the tank one solid piece of material unable to leak and therefore guaranteed a lifetime against defects of workmanship

Acrylic is as clear as optical glass (at 93% transparency it passes the most light of any material) providing a noticeable difference, especially in larger tanks where normal aquarium glass adds a green tint - acrylic tanks remain crystal clear

 

[OldMan47]

As Mattlee says, acrylic tanks get glowing reports from people who sell them. On the other hand, I know people who have used them and they are not very easy to care for. The issue is often one of having a problem with cleaning and scratching the panels. The nice crystal clear light weight material loses much of its charm when a tiny piece of sand or gravel gets between the acrylic and the cleaning magnet. The result can be deep gouges in the beautiful clear panels. Glass may be heavy and crude but it comparatively hard to scratch.

 

[JoshuaA]

Can confirm Acrylic might be strong but it can scratch so easily and ruin the view, more so than glass.

 

[mattlee]

the acrylic is qyite a bit more to buy too so i think ill stick with glass