glass or acrylic simple right?

[1guydude]

Simple Q!Do you prefer glass display tanks or those plastic counterpart wanna b's! lol i think you know which i prefer.In my opinion, Its much cleaner looking. It is easy to clean, and its just more prefer ed i guess in my eye. Im looking at setting up a 100g tank (glass) right now but my acrylic sump is a bit wider than my dt so ive decided im going to be getting a larger tank maybe. Can someone plz talk me into buying an acrylic, ive always had glass but when i weight it out... its easier to hole saw, its lighter, cheaper, and so on and so on.In thinking of getting a 120 which has some nice depth or a 210 but its $699obo and its a beast of a tank! Id need a bigger or another skimmer prob and some lighting that could b but on hold as well....All in all wats ur fav and why? Did i mention i was using cinder blocks and maybe 2x6s for the stand??? gonna b heavy!

 

[Spinner]

Hello,

In my early days i had glass tanks and really liked them. Once i started having larger tanks i went to acrylic 240 gallons and up. Now days they are building some nice glass tanks as well with acrylic tanks too. Acrylic tanks are nice you just need to pay attention when cleaning i have had tanks many years with very little/lite scratching.... I have also seen what happens when you don't As you stated acrylic is easy to drill, better insulated, stronger, lighter, very clear, and can be repaired if scratched...but so can glass.

My.02: With the size you are looking at i would go glass with full side overflow staying with size wise wider than taller tank. Wide tanks @ 24" tall makes some nice DTs and keeps you with standard equipment size.


Best of luck with your choice!

 

[Peppie]

I favor Acrylic.
Price wise!!! Acrylic is more spendy than glass.
If it were me. I wouldnt use cinder blocks!
Plywood will hold up at 210 easly.

 

[seattlereef]

I chose Acrylic since we have CFI local that can custom make it to fit your size (had mine made to fit into a built in cab's) I also have toddlers and while the chances of them backswinging with a bat and shattering it is probally minimal I remember being pretty destructive as a kid and they SHOULD have half my genetics.

I would rather put up with some scratches and being careful vs a shatered display and $$$ of corals and fish on my family room floor, with an upset toddler, a wife swearing she knew this was a bad idea and myself trying to figure out how I'm going to start over again.

 

[1guydude]

i can see that thxs seattlereef...family tank is an acrylic tank. peppie im not a woodworker, but figured i could do something as simple as drill holes and bolt some 4x4s together...the HD guys calculated my wood cost at about $150. Id like it to sit higher than regular to get a good view...ya kno? So it being top heavy was a bit of a probIm just going the easy route i guess, i can velcro on a nice front piece maybe later... :/ I need to give mike a call tomorrow and c wat he has to say, also maybe get chad over here and c wat he thinks about the stand! Chad where r u?!?!?!Idk guys and gals just trying to get something going for my lil 20L that is dying to b upgraded.... i get paid on thursday and my money is being spent as i type this! Keep it comming.

 

[seakingaquariums]

Cinder blocks and some wood for a stand ehh? nice

Anyways, my vote is for some (nice) glass. The standard glass to me isnt that nice, but i really like the look of low-iron or starphire glass tanks. The viewing panel(s) are definitely way nicer and the difference is definitely noticeable compared to standard glass tanks.

 

[mercenary-grunt]

starfire is a lot more expensive, more delicate, and not noticeable until you get into the thicker panes. imho just my $0.02.

 

[Aquanaut]

I'm no pro, but I found 2x6 framing used less lumber and allowed larger accesses to sump sections. Simple mitering of exterior trims and molding easily conceal joints and seams. Also, good to use "PLASTEK" wall sheets for lamimating surfaces in wet contact areas to waterproof against damage. Your welcome for a visit. Check my build that now houses a 19x16x11 Cali Tort growing 8yrs, alongside other mega sized colonies that can only be grown in a wide deep setting.
Deb

 

[Katchupoy]

I prefer glass. All those things that you mention about its easier on acrylic, are stuff before you setup the tank. But what about after you setup the tank? like, scratches? or removing stubborn algae (on plastic is a pita)? What im saying is you need to be extra careful with acrylic?

Why can you make a bigger stand than the your DT? thats good right? like a place to put beer while enjoying your tank? like a bar or something?