Acrylic tank owners please respond

Larry Grenier · #1 02/18/2004, 10:36 AM

I may have the opportunity to aquire a 150 gallon acrylic tank and stand cheap. How much of a pain is it keeping the front & sides clean without scratching it? How do you do it? If you were able to start over would you go acrylic again? Thanks for your responses.

mojodeli · #2 02/18/2004, 10:40 AM

I have a 240 acrylic. I would not do it again. I think it is impossible to keep it scratch free.

DT's_Reef · #3 02/18/2004, 10:43 AM

I only have a 90g acrylic and am in the process of having a glass tank built to replace it.

The worst part about acrylic is scraping the coralline algae off without scratching the tank, and being super careful not to get sand on the cleaning magnet.

So, no, I wouldn't recommend acrylic.

tsiler · #4 02/18/2004, 10:43 AM

Larry,

Acrylic rocks. I use a MagFloat on my 180 (says glass only) and have seen no scratching. MagFloats are the best thing to reefkeeping since the protein skimmer. I used to use a kent plastic scraper(sux) and built up forearms like Arnold while never having a "clean" view...

Acrylic has a clarity and magnification factor that glass doesn't seem to have. If you do get small scratches, they can be polished out without a huge fuss. Mine has been up for close to 4 years now and it's still as pretty as the day I filled it. My glass tanks don't seem to wear as well.

With either tank type, stay on top of the scraping. Purple coralline can be a real B!#ch to remove if you let it get a good hold, glass or acrylic.

Good luck either way!

Tom Siler
Columbus, OH

Real Reefs · #5 02/18/2004, 10:44 AM

I hate my acrylic 180 and will soon be looking for a 200-220 glass tank.

Piero · #6 02/18/2004, 10:55 AM

well, Acrylic is clear, strong, and light...but just last night I put five 24inch gashes in it when i didn't realize a grain of sand got between my magnet...;(

oh, and they are down in the bottom corner, so fixing those scratches is gonna be nearly impossible ...waaaaaahh.

jgleach · #7 02/18/2004, 12:31 PM

I've got a 150 gal acrylic. Yes, they will scratch. I have had mine for just over 3 years and I have very few scratches. I am very careful with cleaning. I do not go within 2 inches of my sandbed with my magnet. I use a credit card to clean this area, and I only bother to clean the front pane. IF scratches do occur, I've read that a series of fine micro mesh cah be attached to your magnet to buff them out without removing the water....never had to try this. Aside from the viewing clarity, which is a major plus, one of the nicest things about acrylic is the weight. I carried my 150 gallon up a flight of stairs and set it on the stand BY MYSELF! Try that with a 150 glass tank. I would do it again....in fact, I'm planning a 200+ gallon cube right now.

chjay00 · #8 02/18/2004, 12:54 PM

I got a 180 acrylic. I only got it because it is lighter and stronger than glass. But after a couple of scratches from the magnet, i stop using it. Since it is a FOWLR tank, the light are on less and I just clean it by hand, using a algea sponge. I would do it again, but i would be very very careful cleaning the tank.

DT's_Reef · #9 02/18/2004, 12:57 PM

With a glass tank, will glass scratch if you get a bit of sugar sized aragonite sand between the magnet and glass?

gavin123 · #10 02/18/2004, 01:26 PM

I have an acrylic tank, i'm not o happy with it, but i live in california and if theres an earthquake it has a better chance of surviving than a glass tank. because they are not as rigid as glass tank.

robitreef · #11 02/18/2004, 01:38 PM

I have an acrylic and like it. I have a few scratches, but they are hardly noticeable. Make sure you get cleaning supplies made for acrylic. I know they make a scratch remover, but I never tried it, so I don't know how effective it is.

DT's_Reef · #12 02/18/2004, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gavin123
I have an acrylic tank, i'm not o happy with it, but i live in california and if theres an earthquake it has a better chance of surviving than a glass tank. because they are not as rigid as glass tank.

That was/is my major concern when trying to decide whether to switch to glass.

In the event of an earthquake, the stand will move with the tank, and hopefully provide even support from the bottom, which should minimize twisting forces on the glass. In the event of an earthquake big enough to damage a well-made glass tank, I think an acrylic one would be likely to be damaged as well, and probably the damage would be from the tank basically jumping off the stand.

I lived 13 miles away from the big Northridge earthquake and my glass and acrylic tanks survived fine, although they lost several gallons of water.

As it is right now, I've got a 90 gallon *frameless & braceless* 1/2" starphire glass tank in my bedroom next to my bed. I had a top quality custom made stand for it (solid wood), and made sure it was level before filling it up. This is the first larger glass tank I've had and I was nervous a seam would pop.

NTidd · #13 02/18/2004, 01:42 PM

Doesn't saltwater gradually erode through silocone on glass tanks?

Triterium · #14 02/18/2004, 02:45 PM

You just need to clean more often and more carfully if you have acrylic. Luckily, it doesn't take much to run the magnet over the acrylic one or two times per day.

robitreef · #15 02/18/2004, 02:55 PM

Dt's_Reef:

Sounds to me like you have to worry about live rock slides in your tank as well. I would hate to see my precious aquariums moving around my living room. I don't even want to think about it

Azurel · #16 02/18/2004, 03:01 PM

I have both and like my acrylic tanks alot, there is just something about the clarity of the acrylic that glass can't touch. Glass as it ages will become green, where the acrylic will stay just as clear as the day you filled it. The main thing is to be careful cleaning the acrylic like jgleach said in his post he don't get close to the sand with the scrubber. Glass you can be a little more carless or care free when it comes to cleaning it.Good luck with what ever you choose.

geoffhar · #17 02/18/2004, 04:29 PM

Have Both. I bought my 125 gal acrylic so that I could easily drill for bulkheads. It's 6 months old and scratched up pretty good (not by me, but by my wife's family who apparently enjoys running my MagFloat throught the sand and THEN all over the front of the aquarium!!!) Scratches are inevetable with acrylic. Buy one of the new AGA with the hyperflo overflows!!! That's what I am replacing my acrylic with soon.

SamsonNY · #18 02/18/2004, 04:45 PM

I went from a 150 Oceanic (glass) to my Tenecor 400 (acrylic). No regrets. All posts above are so true. You have to be very careful when cleaning the acrylic walls (Yup, I've put a couple of scratches in mine too). But, the benefits (IMO) are too much better so I prefer acrylic.

gcvt · #19 02/18/2004, 04:52 PM

I love my acrylic tanks! If you try to clean them like you'd clean a glass tank, you'll have a tank full of scratches in no time flat. Take your time, on the other hand, and it won't be a problem at all. Don't 'attack' the tank when you clean it; relax and go slow.

OceanDweller · #20 09/01/2007, 01:01 AM

Some great advice on acrylic tanks. Any reccomendations on magnetic cleaners? I have a mag float with razor blade attachement now I love for my AGA 120, anything like it for acrylic?
It seem like the benefits of acrylic are much more profound on larger tanks, ie lighter weight, clarity, drilling vs scratching.

Sundiego · #21 09/01/2007, 01:23 AM

I also have a 100 gallon acrylic. It's only 4 weeks old and I have some scratches on it. Most are small, but they still bother me. I'm not sure if I would get another one. I clean every day to prevent build up, and take it slow.

I have also used the acrylic scratch removal kits. They do work, but you need a lot of patience. It took me 2-2.5 hours to remove a few small scratches.

The clarity is awesome though.

Mark

tripinpn01 · #22 09/01/2007, 02:22 AM

just be very very careful when cleaning it shake off any debris if you leave the cleaner inside. and don't buy a magnet overly strong.

jgleach · #23 09/01/2007, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by OceanDweller
Some great advice on acrylic tanks. Any reccomendations on magnetic cleaners? I have a mag float with razor blade attachement now I love for my AGA 120, anything like it for acrylic?
It seem like the benefits of acrylic are much more profound on larger tanks, ie lighter weight, clarity, drilling vs scratching.

Magfloat makes pads especially for acrylic. you can order them many places. I also have a mag float with the razor attachment and I use the plastic blades. You can do a google search for "plastic razor blades" and find them sold all over the internet.

FWIW, this is a very old thread. I still have my 150 gal. acrylic as well as a 180 gal. glass tank. My acrylic tank still has very few scratches and I think the contents still look better than thru normal glass.....much brighter.

Jeff

unda_da_see · #24 09/01/2007, 08:39 AM

i have a small acrylic tank and i love it. the only thing that touches it is a piece of micro fiber towel. if your carefull about cleaning and doing it right you won't get scratches.

uhuru · #25 09/01/2007, 04:49 PM

I scratched mine the first couple of times I was cleaning it but after that learned how to do it right. No scratches since. I've found that there are 2 ways you can scratch it while cleaning it. First, if you let the magnets bang against each other. Second, if you let stuff get caught in the pad. Not letting the first thing happen is easy. With the second thing you have to be very careful. I remove the magnet every time after cleaning, rinse it out, and put it away. I know most people just leave the magnets in there. Over time stuff will build up in the pad and scratch your tank.

And ditto on the microfiber towel. I use the same ones I use to detail my car. They don't get washed with anything else.